James Smithson's bequest built this Castle, the Smithsonian Institution Building, whose red sandstone towers have anchored the Mall since 1855. The red sandstone Norman-style towers have anchored the Mall since 1855.
James Smithson was a British scientist, the illegitimate son of the first Duke of Northumberland, who never set foot in the United States during his lifetime. He died in Genoa, Italy in 1829, and his will contained a startling provision: if his nephew died without heirs, his entire estate should go to the United States to found an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.
His nephew died childless. The United States received five hundred eight thousand five hundred dollars in gold sovereigns — roughly eleven million dollars in today's money. Congress debated for nearly a decade what to do with it. Some wanted a university. Some wanted an observatory. Some thought accepting foreign money was unseemly. Finally, the Smithsonian Institution was established by act of Congress in 1846.
Smithson himself was eventually brought to Washington. His tomb — a small marble sarcophagus — is just inside the Castle's north entrance. He lies in a building in a country he never visited, because he believed in the idea of America enough to leave his fortune to it.
Today the Smithsonian encompasses nineteen museums, twenty-one libraries, nine research centers, and a zoo. It holds one hundred fifty-four million objects. Entry to every museum is free. The Castle serves as the visitor center for the whole complex.
James Smithson never set foot in the United States, yet his tomb lies just inside the Castle's north entrance.