S. Dillon Ripley Center

S. Dillon Ripley Center
Name	Ripley Center
Location	Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Built	1980s
Architect	Beyer Blinder Belle
Owner	Smithsonian Institution

S. Dillon Ripley Center is an underground complex on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., that forms part of the Smithsonian Institution network near the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of American History, and the National Air and Space Museum. Opened to facilitate exhibitions, offices, and visitor services, the center links to cultural landmarks such as the United States Capitol, the Washington Monument, the National Gallery of Art, the Library of Congress, and the National Archives. The site is associated with figures and organizations including S. Dillon Ripley, the Smithsonian Secretary, architects, and cultural leaders from institutions such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation.

History

The center's conception involved collaborations among leaders from the Smithsonian Institution, the United States Congress, the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. During planning phases debates engaged stakeholders from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the American Institute of Architects, and preservationists allied with the National Park Service. Groundbreaking and construction phases saw involvement by firms and consultants including Beyer Blinder Belle, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and firms advising on mechanical systems from Honeywell and Carrier. Funding and policy discussions referenced proposals advanced by members of the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, the Office of Management and Budget, and patrons including the Rockefeller Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Opening events and inaugural programming featured representatives of the Smithsonian, museum directors from the National Museum of African Art, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Freer Gallery of Art, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the Anacostia Community Museum, and the Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Architecture and Facilities

Designed to integrate with surrounding landmarks such as the National Mall, the center's subterranean design responds to plans from the McMillan Plan, the L’Enfant Plan, and input from the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission. Architectural firms and preservation consultants worked alongside engineers from AECOM, Thornton Tomasetti, and Arup to address structural, acoustic, and climate-control systems similar to projects at the National Gallery of Art, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Kennedy Center. The facility includes galleries, an auditorium, classrooms, conservation labs, administrative suites, and public spaces used by curators from the National Museum of Natural History, curatorial staff from the National Museum of American History, collections managers from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, registrars from the National Portrait Gallery, and exhibition designers who have worked with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the British Museum, and the Louvre. Mechanical and exhibition technologies reflect standards promoted by the American Alliance of Museums, the International Council of Museums, and the Association of American Museums. The center connects to circulation systems near Constitution Avenue, Madison Drive, and Jefferson Drive, and engages with public transit nodes such as Metro stations on the Blue, Orange, Silver, Red, and Green Lines.

Exhibitions and Programs

Temporary and traveling exhibitions have drawn loans and collaboration with institutions including the National Archives, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the National Zoo, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Cooper Hewitt, the Phillips Collection, the Getty Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, the Musée du Louvre, the Prado Museum, the Uffizi Gallery, the Rijksmuseum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Centre Pompidou, the Tate Modern, the National Museum of Korea, the Tokyo National Museum, the Shanghai Museum, and the Hermitage Museum. Programming often features speakers, panels, and performances with scholars from Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, Columbia University, the University of Chicago, Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Georgetown University, American University, George Washington University, and Johns Hopkins University, and with curators from institutions such as the National Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the National Portrait Gallery.

Research and Collections

Research activities coordinate with scientists and curators associated with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, the National Museum of Natural History's Department of Anthropology, the Department of Vertebrate Zoology, the Department of Mineral Sciences, and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Collections management practices incorporate standards from the International Council on Archives, the Society for American Archaeology, the American Society for Testing and Materials, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Digitization projects link to initiatives at the Biodiversity Heritage Library, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the Digital Public Library of America, Europeana, and collaborations with universities including Oxford, Cambridge, and the University of California system. Grants and fellowships supporting research have ties to the National Science Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Packard Foundation. Collaborative research networks include partnerships with the World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, the Nature Conservancy, and UNESCO.

Public Engagement and Education

The center supports educational programs that engage teachers and students through curricula aligned with state and national standards used by institutions such as the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the American Association of Museums. Outreach initiatives collaborate with cultural organizations including the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress, the National Archives, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Peace Corps, the Fulbright Program, and civic partners such as the District of Columbia Public Schools and the Smithsonian Affiliations network. Public events often feature partnerships with publishers and media organizations including The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Public Radio, PBS, Smithsonian Magazine, and academic presses such as Oxford University Press and Harvard University Press. Community programming has involved nonprofit partners like CulturalDC, the D.C. Public Library, the Phillips Collection, Arena Stage, and Destination DC.

Administration and Naming

Administration falls under the Smithsonian Institution's Office of the Secretary and involves coordination with the Board of Regents, the Smithsonian Institution Archives, the Office of Government Relations, the Office of Facilities Engineering and Operations, and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The naming recognizes the tenure and contributions of S. Dillon Ripley and connects to prominent donors and trustees from foundations such as the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, and the Mellon family. Leadership and governance have included directors, curators, and administrators who previously served at institutions like the National Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Getty Trust, the American Alliance of Museums, the Association of Art Museums Directors, and university museums across the United States and abroad.

Category:Smithsonian Institution buildings