Letter
Dear General Dailey:
In its meeting of 17 July, the Commission of Fine Arts was pleased to hear an information presentation from the Smithsonian Institution on the facilities master plan for the National Air and Space Museum (NASM), which currently occupies three sites: the museum building on the National Mall, the Udvar–Hazy Center at Dulles Airport, and the Garber Storage Facility in Suitland, Maryland.
The Commission members expressed appreciation for the Smithsonian Institution's master planning intended to facilitate stewardship of this nationally significant museum collection. Regarding the upcoming projects to revitalize the National Mall museum building and rehabilitate its deteriorating exterior envelope, they expressed general support and encouraged the Smithsonian to continue exploring creative alternatives for replacing the now unavailable Tennessee Pink marble panels of the building facades, perhaps considering materials expressive of the mission and collections of the museum.
The Commission looks forward to review of the component projects proposed in the master plan as they are developed. As always, the staff is available to assist you with future submissions.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Gen. John Dailey, Director
National Air and Space Museum
Smithsonian Institution
P.O. Box 37012
Washington, DC 20013–7012
cc: Ann Trowbridge, Smithsonian Institution
Larry Barr, Quinn Evans Architects