Museum of the American Indian
20 12 2007In a city full of classic federal buildings covered in marble columns, there really are not that many examples of truly post modern original architecture. One wonderful departure from the rectangle building is the Museum of The American Indian.
Nestled right in between the National Air and Space Museum and the U.S. Botanic Garden, the National Museum of the American Indian—the 18th Smithsonian museum—filled the last empty space on the National Mall.
Though the Museum doesn’t have that much in terms of exhibits, the food court is beyond amazing! We love the flowing lines of the building, and how the sandstone is used in cantilevers over the surrounding landscaped outdoor elements. If we were to compile a list of the areas best architectural buildings, this one would always make the cut!
The building is beautiful from the outside, but as you note, is sorely lacking in exhibits. In my opinion, the inside space plan is partly to blame. The wide open space inside is nice, but is out of proportion with the tiny exhibit space clinging to one side. Unfortunate.
The food in the American Indian museum is awesome. After coming back from a trip to Santa Fe I couldn’t find anywhere in the DC area that fulfilled that great Tex-Mex flavor. The AI food court’s food was the perfect replacement.