National Portrait Gallery

The National Portrait Gallery shares with the Smithsonian American Art Museum one of Washington's oldest public buildings, a National Historic Landmark that was begun in 1836 to house the U.S. Patent Office. One of the nation's finest examples of Greek Revival architecture, the building has undergone an extensive renovation that showcases its most dramatic architectural features, including skylights, a curving double staircase, porticos, and vaulted galleries illuminated by natural light. The Lunder Conservation Center, the only fine-art facility of its kind, is an innovative new space that allows visitors to look through floor-to-ceiling windows as conservators care for the national treasures entrusted to both museums. Open 11:30am to 7:00pm.; closed December 25