Smithsonian gets $45 million

The Smithsonian Institution said Wednesday that it has received a $45-million gift to help renovate the Old Patent Office Building, home of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. The donor is the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, a Las Vegas charitable group that gave the Smithsonian $30 million in 2001 to buy a Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington.

Built in the mid-1800s, the Patent Office has been closed for renovation since 2000. The $216-million project, including a new glass canopy designed by British architect Norman Foster, is expected to be complete in 2007.

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-- Suzanne Muchnic