The Smithsonian Institution’s Board of Regents voted Monday to house the National Museum of the American Latino in the historic Arts and Industries Building. The 145-year-old Victorian structure on the National Mall will serve as the permanent home for the museum, which was authorized by Congress in 2020.
The decision settles a search for a permanent site for the National Museum of the American Latino. Rather than constructing a new facility, the institution will utilize the 258,000-square-foot redbrick building located at 900 Jefferson St. SW.
The Arts and Industries Building Site
Located between the Smithsonian Castle and the Hirshhorn Museum, the Arts and Industries Building offers a strategic footprint for the museum. The choice is largely a matter of administrative efficiency; because the Smithsonian already owns the building, the institution can proceed without additional legislation from Congress.
This path avoids the bureaucratic hurdles associated with other options. In 2022, the Smithsonian had narrowed its survey for permanent locations for the National Museum of the American Latino and the American Women’s History Museum to four locations near the National Mall on land owned by the National Park Service. The Arts and Industries Building was one of those four sites. However, any new construction on National Park Service land would have required formal congressional approval.
Political Friction and the “Saving America’s Story” Report
The move comes amid heightened scrutiny of the Smithsonian’s curatorial direction. Earlier this summer, the Trump administration released a report titled Saving America’s Story,
which took a sharp turn against the National Museum of American History.
The report claimed that the museum’s current approach erases our heritage and has shifted the institution’s focus away from scholarship and historical education toward an extreme political activism that seeks to transform our country. The report specifically criticized the National Museum of American History’s ideological capture
and stated that the institution’s beliefs have moved the museum’s mission away from straightforward historical education and scholarship.
A specific point of contention in the report was the flagship exhibit Present! A Latino History of the United States. This is particularly relevant given that the National Museum of the American Latino has operated out of a temporary exhibition space within the National Museum of American History since 2022.
Logistics of the National Mall Transition
The transition to a permanent home comes as the National Mall continues to manage significant traffic pressures. During August, pedestrian and vehicle traffic across the National Mall and around the museum is limited due to on-going public events. Visitors are recommended to allow extra time for travel and check for traffic closures when planning visits.
For those arriving by Metro, the recommendation is to exit at L’Enfant Plaza using Exit A, serving the Blue, Orange, Silver, Green, and Yellow lines. Visitors are advised to take 7th Street to Jefferson Drive, as other streets are periodically blocked. Those arriving by car or rideshare must enter the Museum via the Jefferson Drive entrance on the National Mall, with recommended drop-offs as close to the corner of Jefferson Drive SW and 7th Street SW as possible, as areas of 7th Street and Jefferson Drive are closed to traffic throughout the summer.
The Arts and Industries Building’s location puts the future museum in the heart of this high-traffic zone. For context on the current accessibility of the area, the National Air and Space Museum has recently had to implement timed-entry passes via QR codes to handle large-scale events like the Freedom 250 Grand Prix occurring August 21-23. On August 21, 22, and 23, visitors within the Stripes
General Access perimeter can secure same-day free timed-entry passes via QR codes on signs near the Museum, though these are not available in advance. On August 22 and 23, visitors require Freedom 250 tickets to enter the Stripes
General Access area to reach the Museum.
Stakes for Latino Representation
By securing a permanent, standalone building, the National Museum of the American Latino moves from a guest status within another institution to a primary destination on the Mall. This shift provides a dedicated space for the mission authorized by Congress in 2020.
The choice of a 145-year-old Victorian structure suggests a blend of historic preservation and new cultural storytelling. While the political climate remains tense—as evidenced by the administration’s critiques of ideological capture
—the physical reality of the museum is now anchored in a permanent, Smithsonian-owned asset.
