Penn Quarter in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Patent Office Building
Photographed by Richard E. Miller, March 7, 2010
1. Patent Office Building Marker
Robert Mills, Architect,
pursuant to an Act of Congress, approved July 4, 1836
for a Patent Office Building
occupied by
Department of Interior
1852-1925
United States Civil Service Commission
since 1932
Erected 1956 by National Capital Sesquicentennial Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1836.
Location. 38° 53.845′ N, 77° 1.369′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in the Penn Quarter. It can be reached from F Street Northwest west of 7th Street Northwest, on the right when traveling west. Marker is on the exterior wall east of the front (south side) entrance to the Smithsonian Institution, Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture - National Portrait Gallery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 801 F Street Northwest, Washington DC 20004, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast,
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Abraham Lincoln Walked Here (within shouting distance of this marker); General Post Office (within shouting distance of this marker); The Chinese Hackberry Tree (within shouting distance of this marker); The Daguerre Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named The Daguerre Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Roy Lichtenstein (within shouting distance of this marker); Mary Church Terrell (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Roy Lichtenstein (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Abraham Lincoln Walked Here (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Also see . . . Patent Office Bldg.
Photographed by Richard E. Miller, March 7, 2010
2. National Portrait Gallery (former Patent Office Building)
- F Street entrance
- F Street entrance
Additional keywords. Smithsonian Institution; American Art Museum; National Portrait Gallery; military hospital.
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 16, 2015
3. Patent Office Building Marker
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 16, 2015
4. Smithsonian Institution
Donald W. Reynolds Center
For American Art and Portraiture
Donald W. Reynolds Center
For American Art and Portraiture
National Portrait Gallery
Postcard by W.B. Garrison, circa 1914
5. U.S. Patent Office, Washington, D.C.
The back of the postcard reads: The Patent Office ranks first among the bureaus of the Interior Department and although the building that houses it is known as "The Patent Office" it is in reality the home of the Interior Department. It has created a surplus of $7,000,000 from the fees received from inventors. There have been over 1,600,000 applications filed since the organization of the office, the patent system of which was invented by Thomas Jefferson.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0)
6. Old Patent Office Building Plaque
Found on the north side of the building to the west of the north entrance.
Old Patent Office Building
has been designated a
Registered National
Historic Landmark
under the provisions of the
Historic Sites Act of August 21, 1935
This site possesses exceptional value
in commemorating or illustrating
the history of the United States
U.S. Department of the Interior
National Park Service
1973
has been designated a
Registered National
Historic Landmark
under the provisions of the
Historic Sites Act of August 21, 1935
This site possesses exceptional value
in commemorating or illustrating
the history of the United States
U.S. Department of the Interior
National Park Service
1973
By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 18, 2025
7. E Street View of the National Portrait Gallery featuring "Untitled" (America)
In 2025, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery exhibited a display from Fιlix Gonzαlez-Torres, named "Untitled" (America). The interpretive panel reads:
Fιlix Gonzαlez-Torres (1957-1996)
"Untitled" (America), 1994
Twelve parts, each: 42 light bulbs, waterproof rubber light sockets, and waterproof electrical cord
Overall dimensions vary with installation.
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Purchase with fund s form the Contemporary Painting and Sculpture Committee
America: America has always been an unattainable dream, a place to always dream about. It is an imperfect state. As a child I remember the America I imagined, that I constructed from different sources. That particular America was full of lights. Of shiny reflections, of mirages. Paradise.
The America that I now know is still a place of light, a place of opportunities, of risks, of justice, of racism, of injustice, of hunger and excess, of pleasure and growth. Democracy is a constant job, a collective dedication.
The outdoor installation of light strings on this building's portico is part of the multisite exhibition Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Always to Return at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery and Archives of American Art.
In this exhibition the twelve identical light strings that from Gonzalez-Torres's artwork "Untitled" (America) are shown in different configurations at locations inside and outside the museum, together as one installation. The artist intended this work's display to be flexible, allowing museum staff to actively make decisions about installation. These decisions contribute to the work's history and help ensure it remains "alive, in constant change, in different configurations."
Gonzalez-Torres also specified that all light bulbs must remain either on or off, which makes the monitoring and potential replacement of burned bulbs "a constant job." In this way, the choices, vigilance, and labor this work requires could be a metaphor for the responsibilities of democratic participation. The museum's Greek Revival portico intentionally recalls the Parthenon in Athens and alludes to ancient democracy.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 12, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,793 times since then and 29 times this year. Last updated on January 23, 2018, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 12, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 3, 4. submitted on February 17, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 5. submitted on February 19, 2015. 6. submitted on January 23, 2018, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 7. submitted on May 18, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
