The Smithsonian issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) today for public- or private-sector organizations interested in developing and operating the Arts and Industries Building and returning this important historic building to productive use.

The language in the RFQ states that the Institution is looking for an organization whose vision for the 126-year-old Arts and Industries Building, located in a prime location on the National Mall next to the Castle, is compatible with the Smithsonian's educational and cultural mission. Responses for this redevelopment opportunity are due to the Smithsonian by Jan. 7, 2008. The Smithsonian will continue to own and oversee the building.

The Smithsonian will consider redevelopment approaches that include "mission-related commercial use, exhibit use, conference use and mixed-use retail." It will not consider proposals for uses that are inappropriate for the Institution—for example, nightclubs, residences, hotels or centers for religious or partisan political activities.

This RFQ is the first step in a process that may or may not lead to a Request for Proposals (RFP) for redevelopment of the building. The Smithsonian has retained the Washington, D.C., office of The Staubach Co., a national real estate services firm based in Dallas, to serve as the Institution's consultant in the process. If responses to the RFQ are promising, the Smithsonian may move to a RFP from selected finalists sometime next year. At every step of this process, the Secretary will consult with the Board of Regents and members of Congress.

The RFQ proposals will be evaluated against the following criteria:

• Demonstrating past and current managerial capability that can carry this project to fruition
• Proposing creative, appropriate and exciting re-use concepts that complement Smithsonian activity on the Mall and provide educational, cultural or other services to the Mall visitors
• Preserving this historic asset while making the building into a productive asset for the Smithsonian and the public
• Demonstrating a well defined track record of successful operations, financial stability and the financial capability to get full redevelopment underway following execution of an agreement with the Smithsonian

The RFQ was issued today to a select group of organizations as well as those that have expressed interest in the project. The RFQ will be posted on www.fedbizopps.gov (although it is not a federal contract), and this press release will be distributed to major newspapers and real estate publications.

Background
The Arts and Industries Building was closed to the public in January 2004, when an engineering firm's report stated that the crumbling ceiling panels could pose a risk to visitors and staff.

The current estimate to provide a "conditioned shell" is approximately $65 million, which would include upgrading or replacing windows, providing security and fire protection, replacing the roof and repairing or replacing the roof trusses.

The Smithsonian has not requested funds from Congress to renovate this building because it has been superseded by other priorities—namely, buildings with visitors and collections, including the National Museum of American History, which welcomes more than 3 million visitors a year and is currently closed for renovation. (It is scheduled to re-open in summer 2008.) The subject of the future of the Arts and Industries Building has come up a number of times in the past three years in discussions with members of the congressional appropriations and oversight committees who have suggested that the Smithsonian take a creative approach to financing this renovation rather than depend solely on federal funds. This RFQ comes as a result of these discussions.

Building History
The second-oldest Smithsonian building on the National Mall, the Arts and Industries Building is located on the south side of the Mall next to the Castle (the Institution's oldest building) to which it is connected by an underground tunnel. Washington architect Adolph Cluss of the Cluss and Schulze firm designed the red-brick and Ohio-sandstone structure from a floor plan designed by Montgomery C. Meigs in high Victorian style. Construction began in 1879 and was completed in 1881, when it opened its doors as the National Museum (the name that remains carved over its north entrance). The building was first used March 4, 1881 for President James Garfield's inaugural ball.

The Arts and Industries Building was the first building designed to meet the need for more exhibition space for the Smithsonian's rapidly growing collections, including items from the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. It was restored to its Victorian appearance for the nation's Bicentennial observance in 1976; and several years before it closed, the Arts and Industries Building was used for a variety of temporary exhibits.

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Note to Editors: The full RFQ is posted on the Smithsonian's Web site http://www.si.edu/about/policies.htm. For more information about the RFQ process, please contact Tom Dempsey in the Smithsonian's contracting office at (202) 633-7259 or Dempseyt@si.edu.

SI-416-2007