Then and Now: National Gallery of Art

"West Building Constitution Avenue entrance viewed from Sixth Street, 1941":

"West Building Constitution Avenue entrance viewed from Sixth Street," 2009 (February 21):

The top picture forms part of an exhibit on the contruction of both the East and West buildings of the National Gallery of Art, which I found fascinating because of the views that they gave of the changes in the surrounding landscape, such as this:

Sadly, the exhibit appears in the hallway between the east entrance of the West Building and the gift shop. That's a heavy traffic area, but not a particularly wide area, so people cruise on by, mowing down the one history geek who wants to enjoy the exhibit (and who also seems to be invisible, even as bypassers run right into her). Still, I wish all of the museums had such exhibits, not matter the size or location in the building. They show the history of a place, even if that space is not devoted specifically to history.