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I love Washington's sense of history, but it can be hard to find sometimes. Strangely, it's not a city where the history is as present as in Boston or Charleston or Savannah. You have to dig for it a little bit. And this story gave me the opportunity to dig into this amazing history.
How did you go about digging up the history of the Patent Office Building?
Because it was a federal building, meticulous records were kept from the very beginning, and the Smithsonian has gathered together all of the records from the Library of Congress, the National Archives. The neat thing about the records is, because every expense was paid for by tax dollars, they had to document every penny. So they kept track of how much a spittoon cost and where the carpets had been ordered from—all that information was there.
Why do you think tourists don't pay as much attention to the Patent Office Building as they used to?
Once upon a time this was the museum, and now there are lots of museums in Washington. But this is still a very special museum and people will be coming back to it now with the renovations and also with the revitalization of that downtown area. I think it's on the verge of becoming a draw just like back in the old days.
Did you ever visit the building before the renovations?
When I lived in Washington after college I used to go to the Smithsonian museums just about every weekend, including to the Portrait Gallery. And that of course was before the renovations. I remember how dark and cavernous it felt. You could tell that it was a grand old building, although I didn't know much of its history. I did know that Walt Whitman had nursed wounded Civil War soldiers there, and that was a thrill to me because I'm a great admirer of Whitman, and I remember that sort of awe that I felt walking around the building. But looking at it now it's like night into day—I mean literally, because they've let so much light into the building and just brightened everything and opened everything up. I felt the change immediately when I walked in, and I think the visitors will too.
Comments
Adam:
How might I get a copy of your article about a Philmont Ranch Trek, listed in OUTSIDE MAGAZINE, November, 1989:
"Thrifty-Lean and Brave"
YiS,
Lel medford
The article was outstanding...................
Posted by Lel Medford on July 26,2009 | 07:26 PM