Architecture | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/architecture/RSS feed for ArchitectureenMon, 21 Sep 2026 17:31:11 +0000The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, a New Endeavor From the Creator of 'Star Wars,' Is a Story in Itselfhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-lucas-museum-of-narrative-art-a-new-endeavor-from-the-creator-of-star-wars-is-a-story-in-itself-180989533/Almost two decades in the making, the institution centers on art that shapes our everyday lives and reveals the craft behind itMon, 21 Sep 2026 17:31:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-lucas-museum-of-narrative-art-a-new-endeavor-from-the-creator-of-star-wars-is-a-story-in-itself-180989533/Centuries Ago, an Architect Characterized the Parthenon’s Curves as a Clever Optical Illusion. Now, a Mathematician Begs to Differhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/centuries-ago-an-architect-characterized-the-parthenons-curves-as-a-clever-optical-illusion-now-a-mathematician-begs-to-differ-180989520/In the first century B.C.E., Vitruvius wrote that the Acropolis’ largest temple was horizontally bowed so that it didn't seem to sag, and that explanation persisted for millennia. New research suggests a different reasonFri, 18 Sep 2026 17:11:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/centuries-ago-an-architect-characterized-the-parthenons-curves-as-a-clever-optical-illusion-now-a-mathematician-begs-to-differ-180989520/Montana Built a $107 Million Museum. Its Smallest Room Says a Lot About the Thought That Went Into Designing the Spacehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/montana-built-a-107-million-museum-its-smallest-room-says-a-lot-about-the-thought-that-went-into-designing-the-space-180989453/The Montana Heritage Center in Helena has a smudge room. It is open to the public and teaches non-Native visitors why a room dedicated to the burning of cleansing materials, a practice of many Indigenous cultures, is neededMon, 14 Sep 2026 16:51:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/montana-built-a-107-million-museum-its-smallest-room-says-a-lot-about-the-thought-that-went-into-designing-the-space-180989453/A Frank Lloyd Wright House in L.A. Is in Danger of 'Demolition by Neglect,' Say Advocateshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-frank-lloyd-wright-house-in-la-is-in-danger-of-demolition-by-neglect-say-advocates-180989429/The visionary designed this two-bedroom, one-bathroom in his affordable Usonian style. It’s the only house of its kind in L.A.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 17:18:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-frank-lloyd-wright-house-in-la-is-in-danger-of-demolition-by-neglect-say-advocates-180989429/Stones From One of Henry VIII's Fortresses Spent More Than a Century Hidden in Plain Sight. New Research Suggests the Victorians Repurposed Them as Building Materialshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stones-from-one-of-henry-viiis-fortresses-spent-more-than-a-century-hidden-in-plain-sight-new-research-suggests-the-victorians-repurposed-them-as-building-materials-180989427/Recently discovered archival records indicate that workers constructing an extension of the Constable's Gate at Dover Castle in the late 19th century reused fragments of the Tudor-era Sandown CastleTue, 01 Sep 2026 12:52:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stones-from-one-of-henry-viiis-fortresses-spent-more-than-a-century-hidden-in-plain-sight-new-research-suggests-the-victorians-repurposed-them-as-building-materials-180989427/1,800 Volunteers Pull a 400-Ton Japanese Castle Keep Back Toward Its Original Location After a Decade of Restoration Workhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1800-people-pull-a-400-ton-japanese-castle-keep-back-toward-its-original-location-after-a-decade-of-restoration-work-180989401/The chance to help move the castle keep drew thousands of applications from Japan and abroad. Groups of lottery winners took turns tugging on thick ropes attached to the massive structureThu, 27 Aug 2026 19:43:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1800-people-pull-a-400-ton-japanese-castle-keep-back-toward-its-original-location-after-a-decade-of-restoration-work-180989401/How Did Medieval Builders Construct Complex Cathedrals Before Advanced Mathematics? And More Questions From Our Readershttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-did-medieval-builders-construct-complex-cathedrals-before-advanced-mathematics-and-more-questions-from-our-readersyouve-got-questions-weve-got-experts-180989286/You’ve got questions. We’ve got expertsMon, 24 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-did-medieval-builders-construct-complex-cathedrals-before-advanced-mathematics-and-more-questions-from-our-readersyouve-got-questions-weve-got-experts-180989286/Stunning Antiquities and Frida Kahlo’s Home Are Just Some of the Offerings That Have Bolstered Mexico City’s Fantastic Array of Museumshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/frida-kahlo-home-stunning-antiquities-just-some-offerings-bolstered-mexico-citys-fantastic-museums-180989293/The ancient capital has plenty of artwork and fossils, if that’s what you like. Or tour the writing rooms of a Nobel winner, the fortified home of an exiled Russian revolutionary and towers of skullsMon, 24 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/frida-kahlo-home-stunning-antiquities-just-some-offerings-bolstered-mexico-citys-fantastic-museums-180989293/Schlitz Beer, an Iconic Midwestern Pour, Runs Dry in Chicago After 177 Years. Its Legacy, However, Goes Far Beyond the Pint Glasshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/schlitz-beer-an-iconic-midwestern-pour-officially-runs-dry-in-chicago-after-177-years-180989342/With significant roles in the Great Chicago Fire, 1893 World’s Fair and modern-day architecture, the beer’s impact on the Windy City is undeniableFri, 14 Aug 2026 18:05:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/schlitz-beer-an-iconic-midwestern-pour-officially-runs-dry-in-chicago-after-177-years-180989342/Fires and Financial Trouble Leave the Fate of Two Arts Buildings Uncertain in This Scottish City—Including a Century-Old Masterpiecehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fires-and-financial-trouble-leave-the-fate-of-a-few-arts-institutions-uncertain-in-this-scottish-city-including-a-century-old-art-nouveau-masterpiece-180989264/The historic Glasgow School of Art and the more modern Glasgow Centre for Contemporary Arts were both affected by a significant blaze in 2018Thu, 06 Aug 2026 15:35:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fires-and-financial-trouble-leave-the-fate-of-a-few-arts-institutions-uncertain-in-this-scottish-city-including-a-century-old-art-nouveau-masterpiece-180989264/This 400-Year-Old Impenetrable Japanese Castle That Survived a Samurai Siege Just Crumbled in an Earthquakehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-400-year-old-impenetrable-japanese-castle-that-survived-a-samurai-siege-just-crumbled-in-an-earthquake-180989248/In 1877, a force rebelling against Emperor Meiji attacked Kumamoto Castle on Japan's southern Kyushu islandMon, 03 Aug 2026 19:55:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-400-year-old-impenetrable-japanese-castle-that-survived-a-samurai-siege-just-crumbled-in-an-earthquake-180989248/The Iconic Watts Towers in Los Angeles Will Get a $22 Million Campus Expansion Ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympicshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-iconic-watts-towers-in-los-angeles-will-get-a-22-million-campus-expansion-ahead-of-the-2028-summer-olympics-180989240/Five acres of green space will surround the 17-structure landmark, a folk art masterpiece that an Italian immigrant built over the course of three decadesFri, 31 Jul 2026 18:05:19 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-iconic-watts-towers-in-los-angeles-will-get-a-22-million-campus-expansion-ahead-of-the-2028-summer-olympics-180989240/See the New Frank Gehry Building Rising From the Shore of the Persian Gulf in Abu Dhabi to House a Global Art Collectionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-new-frank-gehry-building-rising-from-the-shore-of-the-persian-gulf-in-abu-dhabi-to-house-a-global-art-collection-180989224/Officials just announced a December opening for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, the long-awaited fourth installment in the Guggenheim Foundation's lineup of art museumsWed, 29 Jul 2026 18:20:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-new-frank-gehry-building-rising-from-the-shore-of-the-persian-gulf-in-abu-dhabi-to-house-a-global-art-collection-180989224/