Smithsonian Eyes Historic Arts and Industries Building for National Museum of the American Latino
The Smithsonian may place its National Museum of the American Latino inside a building it already owns, according to a report published on 21 August 2026 by ARTnews. The institution is evaluating the Arts and Industries Building at 900 Jefferson Dr. S.W. on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as a possible home for the museum, alongside an undeveloped Northwest Capitol site also under consideration (The New York Times).
Choosing an existing building would mark a practical turn for a project that Congress established by law in December 2020, when it authorised both the American Latino museum and a companion women's history museum (Smithsonian Institution). Rather than building from scratch on a new parcel of land, the Smithsonian could adapt a structure it already maintains, potentially saving years of design, approval and construction work.
The candidate building carries its own history. The Arts and Industries Building opened in 1881 as the Smithsonian's first United States National Museum, launched under Spencer Fullerton Baird, the institution's second secretary (Smithsonian Archives). It sits on the National Mall between the Smithsonian Castle and the Hirshhorn Museum, putting any future Latino museum at the physical and symbolic centre of the institution's flagship corridor.
The building is not mothballed. Its doors are currently open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through 7 September, and it is hosting hands-on activities and live performances during Smithsonian Museums events on 21–23 August 2026 (Smithsonian Institution). The Smithsonian's own visitor pages already list the National Museum of the American Latino at the Arts and Industries Building's address on Independence Ave. at 7th St., S.W. (Smithsonian Institution).
What makes the site appealing is the combination: a National Mall address, an existing structure, and an institution that already lists the Latino museum at that location. The Smithsonian's press operation has confirmed it is evaluating multiple sites and has not yet made a final decision (Smithsonian Latino Center). The undeveloped Northwest Capitol site remains in contention, meaning the Arts and Industries Building is a leading option, not a settled one.
For visitors, the choice matters because it determines how easily millions of annual Mall-goers can reach the museum — and whether the story of Latino contributions to the United States gets a home next to the institution's oldest holdings or on a newer footprint elsewhere in the capital. Congress set the museums in motion nearly six years ago; where the doors will physically open is still being decided.
