Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery (United States Patent Office)

1836, Town and Elliot
1836-1840, Robert Mills
1849-1852, Robert Mills
1852-1857, Thomas U. Walter and Edward Clark

The building of the Smithsonian Instition's Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery previously housed the United States Patent Office. The original design was selected on July 4, 1836, by President Andrew Jackson. The plan Ithiel Town and William P. Elliot, Jr. comprised of a rectangular courtyard enclosed by wings of office space.

Like the contemporaneous United States Treasury Building designed by Robert Mills, the United States Patent Office was to be built wing by wing as the need for more space arised. Robert Mills was placed in charge of the construction of the building and slightly modified the design of Town and Elliot. In 1849, Robert Mills was placed in charge of the expansion of the building. He was replaced in 1852 by Thomas U. Walter and Edward Clark. The streets around the Patent Office were lowered after the building was completed, which changed the appearance of the building. In 1836 the monumental staircase entrance on the south was removed, and an entrance was created one floor lower beneath the portico. The north and east façades have monumental staircases while the west façade is entered via a small set of stairs. The four façades are composed of Doric pilasters and central pedimented porticoes with fluted Doric columns. The building has recently been occupied jointly by the Smithsonian American Art Museum in the north half and the National Portrait Gallery in the south half.

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