Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Architecture

A produce farm on the Rural Studio campus in Newbern, Alabama

These Are the Winners of the National Design Awards

This year, Cooper Hewitt honored innovators in climate change, clothing design and more

Phantom Ranch cabins

The Grand Canyon’s Phantom Ranch Turns 100 This Year

A century after it was built, the secluded resort below the rim is still an architectural marvel

At the world's largest arms fair held every two years in London, a group of artists in 2016 organized the "Art the Arms Fair," to voice opposition to the war industry and the international arms trade (above: Pattern Tank by Tristan Oliver, 2019).

Designers Build a Provocative Road Map for World Peace

Cooper Hewitt’s new show taps into the collective consciousness of activists, app developers, artists and architects to envision a way forward

French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak visiting Notre-Dame Cathedral on July 28

Notre-Dame Cathedral Will Reopen by 2024

Officials say that the iconic structure will be ready for visitors in time for the Olympics

James Corner Field Operations, the San Francisco branch of the New York-based firm that designed Manhattan's High Line, was the developer for the project.

Good News

This New San Francisco Park Sits Above Six Lanes of Traffic

The 14-acre Presidio Tunnel Tops is the latest infrastructure reuse project to transform a city

By adding art exhibitions like “Beyond van Gogh,” casinos are hoping to become known for more than gambling.

Can Casinos Be Art Galleries?

Hoping to grow their audiences, gambling halls are luring new visitors with old masterpieces

Notre-Dame’s oldest bell, Emmanuel, dates back to the 15th century and rings in F sharp.

The Secret Sounds of Notre-Dame’s Bells

An artist is live streaming the bells’ imperceptible vibrations, which reflect the city around them

The new Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies in Aspen

How Bauhaus Artist Herbert Bayer Helped Put Aspen on the Map

The Colorado town is home to a new center dedicated to the artistic polymath’s legacy

The original doghouse at the Bergers’ home

Good News

A Doghouse Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright Is Now on Display

The architect sketched “Eddie’s House,” named for a Labrador retriever, on the back of an envelope in the 1950s

Smart windows that tint in response to stimuli such as heat or light, or a user’s preference, are becoming more common, but it may be a while before the tech is mainstream.

What Will It Take for Smart Windows to Go Mainstream?

Specialized glass that keeps heat in during winter and lets it out during summer could make buildings much more efficient

Located alongside New Jersey’s southernmost point, Cape May is a stunning Victorian shore community that once played a role in guiding Black enslaved laborers to freedom.

The 15 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2022

From the alleged birthplace of Paul Bunyan to the original gateway to Yellowstone, these towns are buzzing with activity

Construction workers stumbled on this Maya city while building an industrial park. 

Cool Finds

Construction Crew Stumbles on 1,400-Year-Old Ruins of Maya City

Researchers say the pre-Hispanic metropolis they call Xiol was once home to some 4,000 people

Adam W. McKinney dances in front of a former KKK headquarters in Fort Worth. 

Past Imperfect

Texas Artists Are Taking Over—and Transforming—a Former KKK Building

Those once terrorized by the Klan will decide on the center’s events and programming

An electrical works project led archaeologists to uncover this Aztec-era dwelling. 

Cool Finds

Construction Workers Uncover Massive 800-Year-Old Aztec Dwelling in Mexico City

The accidental discovery has a long, layered history

When access to the interior of the statue is permitted, visitiors will be able to take in the surrounding views from the glass-encased heart at Jesus' chest.

A New Statue of Jesus Is the World’s Tallest—for Now

“Christ the Protector” is taller than Rio de Janeiro’s most famous monument

The Lockkeeper's House is the oldest building on the National Mall. After years of neglect, it is now open to the public.

The National Mall’s Oldest Building Is Now Open to the Public

The long-lived Lockkeeper’s House represents centuries of D.C. history

View of the Space Needle and the Century 21 Exposition fairgrounds in Seattle in 1962

The Rise and Fall of World’s Fairs

Sixty years after Seattle’s Century 21 Exposition, world’s fairs have largely fallen out of fashion in the U.S.

Residents of Billionaire's Row's newest building enjoy stunning views of Central Park.

The World’s Skinniest Skyscraper Has a Storied Musical Past

At 1,428 feet tall and just 60 feet wide, Steinway Tower is so slender that its top floors may sway in the wind

“[T]his study show[s] how the owner of the house stimulated the visitor’s senses to convey a message about its power and wealth,” says co-author Danilo M. Campanaro in a statement.

Why Archaeologists Virtually Reconstructed an Ancient House in Pompeii

The team hopes to simulate how visitors would have experienced the space and gain a stronger understanding of the motivation behind Roman designs

Sandbags are piled high around a statue of the Duc de Richelieu in Odessa, Ukraine, on March 14, 2022.

Inside the Efforts to Preserve Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage

Here’s how experts and civilians alike are working to protect the country’s art, artifacts and scientific specimens

Page 11 of 41