Arts and Industries Building

900 Jefferson Drive, SW
Washington, DC

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Temporarily closed

aib.si.edu

About

The Arts and Industries Building (AIB) is the Smithsonian’s second oldest building and a national hub for creative exchange between ideas and objects from our past and our future. AIB opened in 1881 as the country’s first U.S. National Museum, an architectural icon in the heart of the National Mall. Its soaring halls introduced millions of Americans to wonders about to change the world—Edison’s lightbulb, the first telephone, Apollo rockets.

Over the years, AIB was the origin and incubator for almost every other Smithsonian museum, debuting everything from dinosaurs to rocket ships. Never fully renovated, the building closed completely in 2004 due to structural concerns before reopening in 2021 with the landmark FUTURES exhibition.

The Arts & Industries Building is temporarily closed to the public.

Highlights

To celebrate the Smithsonian’s 175th anniversary in 2021, AIB reopened for the first time in two decades with FUTURES, the first building-wide exploration of the future on the National Mall. On view November 21, 2021, through July 6, 2022, FUTURES featured a vast array of interactives, artworks, tech, and ideas that were glimpses into humanity’s next chapter.

Getting Here

We encourage the use of Metrorail and Metrobus.

Metrorail

Metro Station: Smithsonian (Mall exit)

Nearest Accessible Metro Entrance:
Smithsonian
NW corner 12th St. & Independence Ave., SW

Check Metrorail's Elevator and Escalator Service Status page for service disruptions.

Parking

There is no public parking facility for Smithsonian museums on the National Mall. A limited number of city-operated metered parking spaces are available, including several accessible parking spaces.

View a map of accessible parking spaces.

Reserved parking near the museums can be purchased in advance through ParkWhiz.
Note: ParkWhiz is a third-party vendor (ParkWhiz Privacy Policy).