Hirshhorn garden set to reopen with 60 artworks and new access

The Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden in Washington is scheduled to reopen to the public Oct. 31, 2026, after a four-year revitalization. The 1.3-acre outdoor gallery is planned to display 60 artworks, a 50% increase over its previous presentation, among nearly 30,000 new plants and trees.

That increase means the earlier presentation had about 40 artworks: 60 is 20 more than 40, or half again as many. The Smithsonian describes a reorganized garden, while the redesign also changes how visitors can enter and move between the garden and the museum.

More ways into the garden i

A restored underground passage will reconnect the garden with the Hirshhorn plaza, allowing visitors to travel between them without crossing Jefferson Drive. Smithsonian materials describe five entry points, including ramps and a wider entrance on the Mall side. The Washington Post reports that the plan includes two ramps and drainage improvements.

The Mall-side entrance is planned to be 60 feet wide. The Washington Post reports that an earlier renovation had narrowed it to 20 feet, so the planned opening is three times as wide—an increase of 40 feet. The comparison concerns that entrance, not the width of the garden or every route through it.

Landscaping plans include nearly 30,000 new plants and trees. The Smithsonian says the project used 950 tons of stone for dry-stacked walls. The expanded water feature can be drained to make space for seating at performances, while the original reflecting pool is retained.

Design changes and opening plans i

The final design followed objections from preservation advocates to proposed changes to the reflecting pool and inner concrete walls, reported by The Washington Post in 2021. The revised design retained the original pool, kept the inner partition wall in concrete but lowered it, and added a second pool. The garden’s water features are therefore not simply a replacement of the original reflecting pool.

The Washington Post reported a $60 million project estimate in December 2021, when the design was approved. That figure is an estimate from that time, not a verified current or final cost.

What time can visitors enter? The Hirshhorn lists a free opening celebration on Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the garden is scheduled to open to the public at 11 a.m. Washington time.

The adjacent West Lawn is scheduled to host Yoshitomo Nara: Sentinels of Stillness, with three works by the artist, according to The Washington Post. The Hirshhorn lists the exhibition dates as Oct. 31, 2026, through Nov. 7, 2027.