Search
DCist Logo

old patent office building

All Stories

Apr 25, 2010

Sunday What’s in a Name Photo: April 25, 2010

This snap by andertho is indisputably a picture from the National Portrait Gallery. But have you noticed how everyone refers to that building — the Old Patent Office Building and the two museums it contains — as the National Portrait Gallery? Have you ever heard anyone refer to it casually as the Smithsonian American Art Museum? Because half of it is, in fact, the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Have you ever heard anyone call…

 
Terms of Use |WAMU Privacy Notice
WAMU 88.5 | American University RadioMailing Address: PO Box 98101 | Washington, DC 20090-8101
Station Address: 4401 Connecticut Ave, NW | Washington, DC 20008 |
Combined Federal Campaign (CFC): #91855
© 2026 All Rights Reserved.