This is one of my favorite buildings in the world, even though I've never been inside it. It's the Smithsonian Institution's Arts and Industries Building. It was built in the late 1800s after the Smithsonian's collection outgrew the Castle that was its original home. For the next 70 years or so, this building then displayed the entire holdings of the Smithsonian until they started segregating the collection by subject matter.
The Arts and Industries Building has been closed for the past several years. The interior is in poor condition and they haven't yet come up with a plan or the funding for renovating it. It was still open and being used as an occasional exhibition space when I first came to the DC area and I figured there was no hurry about going inside it. I figured I'd have plenty of time later. Wrong answer.
I really love the way this building looks. I love the design and the shape and the colors and the patterns and the materials of it. I don't much care for any buildings that were constructed after the 1940s. They just seem bland and cheap and soul-less. If I was a jillionaire, I'd like to have a home that was a scaled-down version of the Arts and Industries Building. That would be ideal.
(Taken with my Nikon Coolpix S200)
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