The Donald W. Reynolds Center050

The Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture is a newly renovated, National Historic Landmark building (the old Patent Office building) which houses the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the Lunder Conservation Center, the Luce Foundation Center for American Art, the Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium, and the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard - a public space enclosed by an elegant glass canopy featuring trees, plants, water, and a cafe.

In addition to the museums, the Reynolds Center has two really cool areas: the Lunder Conservation Center provides visitors the opportunity - through floor-to-ceiling glass walls and interactive kiosks - to see conservators at work in five different laboratories and studios (frames studio, paintings studio, paintings lab, paper lab, and objects lab); and the Luce Foundation Center for American Art is a visible art storage and study center, featuring more than 3,300 artworks, including paintings densely hung on screens; sculptures, contemporary craft and folk art objects arranged on shelves; and portrait miniatures, bronze medals and contemporary jewelry and in drawers that slide open with the touch of a button.

The Reynolds Center has a cafe on the third floor, serving salads and sandwiches, and an outside cafe - more dessert oriented, which is open based on the weather. And don't miss the bookstore on the first floor, well stocked with reproductions, books, and other gifts.