The old Coliseum to the north of the Grand Plaza received new facades by Dahl, with a tall central arch and stepped forms relating it to the new buildings along both sides of the Esplanade of State. The concrete and plaster sculpture, Spirit of the Centennial (1936), was designed by Raoul Josset and carved by José Martin. The mural within the arch was by Carlo Ciampaglia. The cavernous interior was renovated in 2000 as The Women’s Museum, the first national museum of women’s history, which closed in 2011 after years of financial difficulties.
You are here
The Women’s Museum: An Institute for the Future (Coliseum, Hall of Administration)
1910, C. D. Hill; 1936 renovated, George Dahl; 2000 renovated, Smith Group/F&S with Wendy Evans Joseph
If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.
SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.