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-79- Fine Arts and Portrait Galleries The old Patent Office Building, constructed between 1836 and 1866, was transferred by the General Services Administration to the Smithsonian in 1958. It currently is home to the National Collection of Fine Arts, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Archives of American Art. The Archives of American Art, founded in 1954, is the nation's largest repository of documentary and source materials relating to the history of the visual arts in the United States. Its primary purpose is to acquire and preserve these materials used by historians and scholars for research in all areas of American art history.* The National Collection of Fine Arts is devoted to the conservation and exhibition of American painting, sculpture, design, crafts, and graphic arts, and is a major center for research in American art. Its carefully catalogued collections are supplemented by a library of 30,000 volumes and other documents. The National Portrait Gallery was established as "a free public museum or the exhibition and study of portraiture and statuary depicting men and women who have made significant contributions to the history, development, and culture of the people of the United States, and artists who created such portraiture and statuary". This mandate was extended in 1976, to permit collection and display of photographic and other media portraiture. LOCATION: 7th & 9th Sts. & F & G Sts., N.W., Washington, D.C. SIZE: 374,125 gross sq.ft' ACQUISITION DATE: 1958 ACQUISITION TYPE: Transfer ACQUISITION COST: None [[underlined]]Net Assignable Area[[/underlined]] Exhibitions 120,000 sq.ft. Staff 90,000 sq.ft. Collections 25,000 sq.ft. Garage & basement [[underlined]]16,000 sq.ft.[[/underlined]] [[total:]] 251,000 sq.ft. [[underlined]]Major Repairs, Renovations, or Improvements[[/underlined]] The FAPG building renovaition, from 1965-1968, cost approximately $6,900,000. In FY 1980 about $270,000 will be used to plan and design a multi-year replacement and upgrading of almost the entire heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems, which is tentatively estimated to cost in excess of $4,000,000. Garage conversion for museum purposes has undergone only preliminary planning, and is expected to cost over $1,000,000. Planned for FY 1984-85, it is considered essential to long-range planning for eventual acquisition of the Trade Commission Building. [[line]] * The Archives of American Art also rents space at 41 East 65th St., NYC; 1,550 sq.ft. costing annually about $17,500. The Archives has regional offices in Boston, Detroit, and Sand Francisco that are rent free, and 3,500 sq.ft. at the Service Center for work and storage space.
Transcription Notes:
Many of the documents in the Archives of American Art are being transcribed, just as this "Proceedings" is. See https://transcription.si.edu/browse?filter=owner:3 for the AMA's current transcription projects.
