Telephone: 202-289-3360

Address: 700 Constitution Ave, Washington, DC 20002

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A pleasant addendum in 1999, the outdoor Art Sculpture Garden, just across 7th St from the National Gallery of Art West Building, is a nice place for a break. Entertaining modern sculpture, a central pool to sit by in the summer, skate on in the winter, and a cafe in a glass pavilion create an inviting space.

Telephone: 202-737-4215

Address: 4th St NW, Washington, D.C.

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A must see for art lovers, the world-class National Gallery of Art is also for those who don’t know a Rembrandt from a Rothko.

A repository of the foremost collections of Western art in the world, this national treasure has a split personality – it’s in two buildings; has two faces; exhibits two very different art styles. Worlds apart inside and out, the buildings are nonetheless linked by their pink Tennessee marble exteriors; a connecting underground concourse; the philanthropic giving that established them.

Telephone: 202-633-1000

Address: 900 Jefferson Drive, SW Washington, D.C.
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The Arts & Industries Building, the High-Victorian maroon brick building to the left of The Castle, looking from the Mall side, is currently closed for renovation.

Covering more than 2 acres, the huge building is one of the largest extant Victorian-era structures in Washington D.C. It was the second museum to be constructed on the mall, built specifically to accommodate the growing Smithsonian collection which had outgrown The Castle.

Telephone: 202-633-1000

Address: 1000 Jefferson Drive SW, Washington, DC

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This should be the first stop on your East Mall Walking Tour, especially if this is your first trip.

Inside the Great Hall is a remarkable Information Center with large schematic models of the Mall, films describing each Smithsonian Institution museum, interactive-touch locator maps, brochures, and other information available in several languages.

The Castle is so unusual, it’s hard to miss. It’s the distinctive towered and turreted red stone building that looks like a 12th century Norman castle. A picturesque composition creatively combining late Romanesque and Gothic elements, it is the oldest building on the Mall.

Summary

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As a point of reference, the Washington Monument is an imaginary dividing point between the museums and galleries, and the memorials in the National Mall area. The commanding Lincoln Memorial anchors the west end, location of the major memorials. The stately Capitol anchors the east end of the National Mall, location of the major museums and galleries.

The East Mall Walking Tour spans the culturally rich area from the Capitol to the Washington Monument. The story of the expansive collections in the museums along the East Mall is unusual. It began with an unexpected gift to a fledgling nation from James Smithson, a British scientist and eccentric who had never set foot in America.

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Summary

The present-day 2.5-mile long National Mall, stretching from the United States Capitol to the east to the Potomac River to the west, is incredibly grand in its simplicity; in its glorious openness; in the diversity of its architecture and cultural offerings.

It is a place both ordinary and extraordinary. It is a place of immense pride, accessible to all. To Americans this unobstructed swath of green in their nation’s capital is symbolic of America’s democratic, open society.