Smithsonian Gardens
Smithsonian museum grounds
Washington, DC
Outdoors, south of the Castle
A 4.2-acre rooftop park, named for its donor, features an embroidered parterre in a geometric design of plants and flowers rotated seasonally, an Asian-influenced garden adjacent to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, and a Moorish-influenced garden adjacent to the National Museum of African Art. Saucer and tulip magnolias, wide brick walks, and 19th-century cast-iron garden furnishings from the Smithsonian Gardens' Garden Furniture Collection line the perimeter. The entrance gates off Independence Avenue were re-created from a design by James A. Renwick Jr., architect of the Smithsonian Institution Building, the Castle.
The landscape design of the Haupt Garden was a collaborative effort of architect Jean Paul Carlhian; Lester Collins, landscape architect from Millbrook, New York; Sasaki Associates Inc. of Watertown, Massachusetts; and James Buckler, founding director of the Smithsonian's Office of Horticulture.
The garden is open from dawn until dusk.
Related publication: A Guide to Smithsonian Gardens
