Building and Grounds 251 



of the Quaker City ; but years must yet elapse before the 

 first son of indigence can ascend the steps of that princely 

 portico and sit down within those marble halls to receive the 

 education for which its simple and unostentatious founder 

 sought to provide." 



Doctor Owen, nevertheless, more than any other person at 

 that time concerned in the establishment of the Institution, 

 seems to have felt that much of its future success depended 

 upon the erection of a building which should perform a legit- 

 imate duty in dignifying and making conspicuous the work 

 of the organization to which it belonged. Scarcely any one 

 can doubt that Doctor Owen was right and that the useful- 

 ness of the Smithsonian Institution has been materially aided 

 by the fact that its building has for fifty years been one of the 

 chief architectural ornaments of the national capital. 



The first act of the Regents, after appointing the commit- 

 tees on organization and library, was to instruct the Chancel- 

 lor, Secretary, and Executive committee to obtain plans for 

 the erection of buildings. Doctor Owen, Mr. Hough, and 

 General Totten, on behalf of this committee, visited several 

 of the principal cities, examined their prominent public build- 

 ings, and conferred with several architects. At a meeting 

 on November 30, 1846, they reported that out of thirteen 

 plans submitted to them they had unanimously selected two, 

 by Mr. James Renwick, Jr., of New York City, one in the 

 decorative Gothic style, the other in Norman, or Lombard ; 

 the latter was recommended as being simpler and less ornate. 1 



The style of architecture of the preferred plan is that of 



1 Both of these plans are shown in per- and show the structure as it was before the 

 spective in Owen's " Hints on Public Archi- reconstruction of the east wing, 

 tecture," the Gothic design facing page 99, The battlemented cornices were not pro- 

 the Norman, pages 104 and 108. The draw- vided for in the first plans, but were an after- 

 ings of the accepted plan already possess thought, it having been found by experience 

 some antiquarian interest, since they were that too much of the roof was visible from 

 lithographed from drawings by the architect, the city. 



