Smithsonian Chooses Arts and Industries Building for Latino Museum

The Smithsonian Board of Regents has selected the Arts and Industries Building on the National Mall as the permanent home of the National Museum of the American Latino, moving the project beyond its site-selection phase.

The designation was made August 31, 2026. It replaces the Regents’ October 2022 recommendation for a new-construction site near the Washington Monument and concludes the search for a permanent location.

Why the decision matters

The Smithsonian already owns the Arts and Industries Building, a 258,000-square-foot historic structure. Using an existing Smithsonian property gives the museum a path forward without the additional congressional approval that would be required for new construction on protected National Mall land.

The decision is not a new congressional authorization. Congress authorized the National Museum of the American Latino in December 2020. The Regents’ action determines where that congressionally authorized museum will be developed.

Where the museum stands now

The museum does not yet have a permanent public facility. Its current public presence is the Molina Family Latino Gallery inside the National Museum of American History.

That temporary gallery remains the near-term access point for visitors while the Smithsonian develops the permanent museum. The Arts and Industries designation does not mean the new museum is ready to open.

A historic building with limits

Arts and Industries opened in 1881 as the country’s first U.S. national museum and is the Smithsonian’s second-oldest building. It later closed as a museum and has undergone stabilization and preservation work.

Its history and architecture will shape the next stages of the project, including gallery design, accessibility, preservation, visitor circulation and the way exhibitions are installed in the existing building.

What happens next

The Smithsonian still must move through design, renovation, fundraising and exhibition planning. The institution has not announced an opening date, renovation cost or detailed construction schedule.

For visitors, the practical takeaway is straightforward: the museum now has a permanent Smithsonian-owned site, but the permanent facility remains a long-term development project. The temporary gallery inside the National Museum of American History remains the museum’s operating public venue while that work continues.

Sources

• Smithsonian Institution: Arts and Industries Building
• Axios: Latino museum finds a home as fight for National Mall space heats up
• The Washington Post: Smithsonian changes course, will put Latino museum in existing building