Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

About the Museum

A Brief History

The history of the National Museum of Natural History's collections begins with specimens collected by the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842, and transferred to the Smithsonian Institution in 1858. The Smithsonian also received specimens by gift or purchase in the late 1840s. In 1850 the newly appointed Assistant Secretary Spencer F. Baird donated his personal natural history collection to the Institution. During the 1850s and 1860s several expeditions which explored the American West also sent specimens to the Institution. The United States National Museum was formally created in 1858. The collections were initially housed in the Smithsonian Institution Building. They were moved to the newly constructed National Museum Building (now the Arts and Industries Building) in 1881.

Taxidermist/modeller John Widener working on the cast model of the giant whale featured in the Life in the Sea exhibit in the National Museum of Natural History, ca. 1950's. (Click here for larger view)

In 1911 the collections were moved to a new building (now the National Museum of Natural History) devoted to natural history and anthropology. In the 1950s and 1960s the Exhibits Modernization Program systematically updated the exhibits in the museum. During the 1960's, wings were added to the east and west sides of the building to accommodate expanding collections and staff.

In 1957, the USNM created two administrative subdivisions: the Museum of Natural History (MNH) and the Museum of History and Technology. The USNM was eliminated as an administrative entity in 1967, and MNH became a separate administrative unit. In 1969, the Museum was renamed National Museum of Natural History (NMNH).
- Courtesy of the SI Archives

When and How Was the Museum Designed and Built?

In the 1880's the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents resolved to expand the overcrowded Smithsonian facilities with a third building, in addition to the already existing Smithsonian Institution Building and National Museum Building (now the Arts and Industries Building). On January 30, 1903, the United States Congress appropriated funds to the Smithsonian Institution for a new museum based upon an initial study by William Henry Holmes, Curator of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution. The architectural firm Hornblower and Marshall was selected to design the building and excavation of the site began on June 30, 1903.

Museum under construction

In 1905, during the construction of the building, Smithsonian Secretary Samuel P. Langley halted the work to alter the Hornblower and Marshall design of the central domed rotunda. After some modification, construction of the Hornblower and Marshall design for the Museum of Natural History (also called the new National Museum) recommenced.

After Secretary Langley died in 1906, Charles Doolittle Walcott oversaw the remainder of the project as the fourth Smithsonian Secretary. By August 11, 1909, the staff had begun to occupy the building with parts of the permanent collection. On March 11, 1910, the museum opened to the public, although construction of the building was not completed until June 20, 1911. The final built design included an octagonal rotunda with Doric columns on the first floor and Ionic columns on the second and third floors. Above the three floors were semi-circular clerestory windows and a Guastavino tiled dome with an oculus. Three wings extended north, east and west from the rotunda providing office space for museum staff and exhibition space for the permanent collection.

An exterior pedimented portico faced the Mall directly south of the rotunda with fluted Corinthian columns and pilasters--six columns in the first row and two columns and four pilasters in the second row. The Bureau of War Risk Insurance occupied the building from 1917 to 1919, during which time the building was closed to the public. Expansion of the original building was authorized on June 19, 1930, but funds were appropriated from Congress until May 13, 1960. The architectural firm Mills, Petticord and Mills was selected to design the east wing and the following year a west wing. By 1964 construction of both additions was completed. The wings were designed with six floors in addition to the basement and ground floor, with the second, fourth and sixth floors directly connected to the main building. The sixth floor was set back at the direction of the Commission of Fine Arts. On March 24, 1969, the newly expanded Museum of Natural History was officially renamed the National Museum of Natural History.
- Courtesy of the SI Archives

For more information on the rock materials used to build the Museum, see the Our Museum’s Rocks page under our online presentation The Dynamic Earth.

Museum History Resources:

The following links provide more online resources for researching the history of the National Museum of Natural History:

Quick Facts About the Museum's Architecture

Architects: Hornblower and Marshall

Completion Date: 1911

Style: Beaux Arts

Fun Fact: During the First World War, an entire exhibit hall was filled with clerks working on typewriters supporting the war effort.

The National Museum of Natural History features a domed rotunda in the Roman style and a portico entrance that expresses the architectural vision of the Senate Park Commission of 1902. The exterior was designed by Daniel Burnham and Charles McKim, who intended to unify the entire Mall under a grand Beaux Arts style. The remainder of the museum was designed by Washington, D.C. architects Hornblower and Marshall in a more restrained manner to provide abundant light and space for the exhibition and research of the natural world. Designers and curators worked together to create a building that is both functional and noble. Large wings on the west and east were added in the 1960s with façade improvements in 1989.

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