[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 85 (Thursday, June 29, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6108-S6109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       TESTIMONY BY THE SECRETARY OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, this week the Committee on Rules and 
Administration held an oversight hearing on the Smithsonian Institution 
and received testimony from the new Secretary, Lawrence M. Small. 
Although he has only served in this capacity for a short 6 months, it 
is already clear that Secretary Small's vision for the Smithsonian will 
have a lasting impact on this uniquely American institution.
  Secretary Small envisions the Smithsonian as ``. . . the most 
extensive provider, anywhere in the world, of authoritative experiences 
that connect the American people to their history and to their cultural 
and scientific heritage.'' In other words, the Smithsonian documents 
who and what we are as Americans. And not surprisingly, over 90 percent 
of all visitors to the Smithsonian come from the United States.
  Who are these visitors and what makes the Smithsonian such a draw? 
They are families who come to see the relics of our history, such as 
the Wright brothers' flyer or the Star Spangled Banner which moved 
Francis Scott Key to pen our national anthem. They are school children 
who are learning about the ancient inhabitants of this land, whether 
dinosaurs or insects. They are young parents retracing the pilgrimage 
to our nation's Capitol that they made as children. They are new 
immigrants and Americans of all ages who come to see the treasures that 
are housed in America's attic.
  There are nearly 141 million objects in the Smithsonian's 
collections, fewer than 2 million of which can be displayed at any 
given time in the 16 museums that make up the Smithsonian. On average, 
there are nearly 39 million visitors a year to the Smithsonian's 
museums and the national zoo. The fact is, 3 of the most visited 
museums in the world are right here on the mall.
  They are the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum, the Natural History 
Museum and the Museum of American History. And yet even with those 
amazing numbers, Secretary Small advised the Rules Committee this week 
that he believes the Smithsonian can do even better in making the 
Smithsonian accessible to the public, both in terms of the quality and 
quantity of the exhibits and the condition of the physical space.
  But all of this popularity comes at a price, and that price is the 
physical wear and tear on the Smithsonian's buildings and exhibits. The 
buildings of the Smithsonian are in and of themselves historic 
monuments and landmarks within our nation's capital. The Smithsonian 
Castle, a fixture on the mall since the cornerstone was laid in 1847, 
receives nearly 2 million visitors a year, even though it houses no 
museum.
  The oldest building, the Patent Office Building, houses the National 
Portrait Gallery and the National Museum of American Art. Construction 
of this Washington landmark was begun in 1836 and was the third great 
public building constructed in Washington, following the Capitol and 
The White House.
  The National Museum of Natural History, home to the Hope Diamond and 
the Smithsonian elephant, opened its doors in 1910. This year, nearly 
1.3 million visitors toured this museum in the month of April alone. 
The popularity of these grand and historic buildings is taking its 
toll, and they are quite simply in need of significant renovation and 
repair.
  Secretary Small is committed to preserving not only the aging 
buildings of the Smithsonian, but to upgrading the exhibits as well to 
ensure that they provide a continuing educational experience. He is in 
the process of developing a 10-year plan to facilitate the necessary 
restorations and renovation.
  These buildings are part of the historic fabric of this capital city, 
and it would be very short-sighted of Congress not to provide for their 
adequate maintenance and repair. I commend Secretary Small for his 
vision in this regard and believe that Congress should act on his 
recommendations when they are received. An op-ed piece by Secretary 
Small appeared in Monday's Washington Post in which he described his 
vision of the Smithsonian and the need to preserve these historic 
landmarks.
  I urge my colleagues to acquaint themselves with the needs of this 
great American institution as it faces the opportunities and challenges 
of the 21st century.
  I ask unanimous consent that the article by Secretary Small be 
included in the Record following my remarks.
  There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

               [From the Washington Post, June 26, 2000]

                  America's Icons Deserve a Good Home

                         (By Lawrence M. Small)

       A recent report from the General Accounting Office 
     identified 903 federal buildings around the country that are 
     in need of some $4 billion in repairs and renovations. The 
     buildings are feeling the effects of age. It's a feeling we 
     know all too well at the Smithsonian.
       Construction on the Patent Office Building, the 
     Smithsonian's oldest, began in 1836. The cornerstone of the 
     original Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall was laid in 
     1847; the National Museum building adjacent to it was 
     completed in 1881, and the National Museum of Natural History 
     opened in 1910.
       The age of these four buildings would be reason enough for 
     concern, but there's a significant additional stress on them. 
     The Smithsonian's museum buildings are open to the world. 
     They exist to be visited and to be used--and they've been 
     spectacularly successful at attracting the public.
       Attendance in recent months at the Natural History Museum 
     has made it the most-visited museum in the world, a title 
     held previously by our National Air and Space Museum. In the 
     years ahead, the Smithsonian will be working to open its 
     doors wider still

[[Page S6109]]

     and to attract even more visitors. So, what time doesn't do 
     to our buildings, popularity will--and thank goodness for 
     that.
       More than 90 percent of Smithsonian visitors are Americans, 
     many traveling great distances on a pilgrimage to the 
     nation's secular shrines--the Capitol, the White House, the 
     Library of Congress, the many memorials to brave Americans. 
     The history of the nation is built into such structures. 
     They're the physical manifestation of our shared sense of 
     national identity.
       Smithsonian Institution buildings belong in the company of 
     those other monuments, because the Smithsonian is the center 
     of our cultural heritage--the repository of the creativity, 
     the courage, the aspirations and the ingenuity of the 
     American people. Its collections hold a vast portion of the 
     material record of democratic America.
       The most sophisticated virtual representation on a screen 
     cannot match the experience of standing just a few feet from 
     the star-spangled banner, or the lap-top desk on which Thomas 
     Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, or the hat 
     Lincoln wore the night he was shot, or the Wright brothers' 
     Flyer and the Spirit of St. Louis. All those icons of 
     America's history, and countless others of comparable 
     significance, are at the Smithsonian.
       And yet the experience of viewing them is compromised by 
     the physical deterioration of the Smithsonian's buildings, 
     which are becoming unworthy of the treasures they contain. 
     The family on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Washington and the 
     Smithsonian should not have to make allowances--to overlook 
     peeling paint, leak-stained ceilings and ill-lit exhibition 
     spaces.
       We can try to hide the problems behind curtains and plastic 
     sheeting. But the reality cannot be concealed: The buildings 
     are too shabby. In the nation's museum--to which Americans 
     have contributed more than 12 billion of their tax dollars 
     over the years--this embarrassment is not acceptable. It's no 
     way to represent America.
       The Smithsonian has hesitated in the past to put before 
     Congress the full scale of its repair and renovation needs. 
     It has tried instead to make do. But it will be undone by 
     making do, and the American people will be the losers.
       So we intend to face the problem and to transform the 
     physical environment of the Smithsonian during the coming 
     decade. The United States is in a period of immense public 
     and private prosperity, and we should take every opportunity 
     to turn that wealth to the long-term well-being and 
     enhancement of the nation. Restoring the museums of the 
     Smithsonian to a condition that befits the high place of our 
     nation in the world will be a splendid legacy from this 
     generation to future generations of Americans.
       In January the nation will swear in the new century's first 
     Congress and inaugurate its first president. They must be 
     committed to preserving the nation's heritage. At the same 
     time, we as private citizens must do our part to meet this 
     critical need.
       Americans should not have to wonder why their treasures are 
     housed in buildings that seem to be falling apart. Instead 
     they should marvel at the grandeur of the spaces and at the 
     objects that are the icons of our history.

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