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Renwick Gallery The Renwick Gallery is a curatorial department of the National Collection of Fine Arts. It is devoted to the study of American creativity in crafts, design, and decorative arts, and presents exhibitions of creative work by designers and craftsmen, both past and present. A suite of galleries is reserved for temporary exhibitions of the crafts and art of other nations. Film programs, lectures, demonstrations, and other activities augment the changing exhibition schedule, and the museum's education activities include a program of craftsmen working both in the museum and in schools. The Gallery Building was reopened in January 1972, after extensive restoration. Designed originally for W.W. Corcoran's collection of art, construction began in 1859 and was completed in 1874. In 1897, the Corcoran Gallery of Art moved to its current location, and the building was purchased by the Government. It was transferred to the Smithsonian in 1965 for restoration to its original purpose as an art museum. LOCATION 17th and Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. SIZE 38,000 gross sq.ft. Net Assignable Area Public 16,000 sq.ft. Storage 900 sq.ft. Staff 4,000 sq.ft. --------- 20,900 sq.ft. ACQUISITION DATE 1965 TYPE Transfer COST None Major Repairs, Renovations, or Improvements The Renwick Gallery was restored in 1968 at an approximate cost of $2,300,000. Currently, the exterior stone facade is in deteriorated and hazardous condition. Precast concrete has been selected as a replacement for the natural stone exterior, and is expected to reproduce a facade of acceptable quality and durability at an estimated cost of approximately $3,100,000. Repairs to the roof and windows, as well as renovation of public restrooms for use by handicapped visitors, installation of a standby emergency generator, improved environmental control, and improved security systems for the protection of artifacts, are also anticipated at this time. 29
