Clark Interiors Completes Smithsonian's New William H. Gross Stamp Gallery

WASHINGTON – In late September, the Smithsonian Institute opened the doors to its new William H. Gross Stamp Gallery. Located inside the Bureau of Labor Statistics and named after its primary benefactor, the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery is the world’s largest gallery dedicated to philately.

Clark Interiors converted the lower level of the museum, previously occupied by Capitol City Brewery, into a permanent exhibition space. The scope of work included construction of a new mezzanine space, renovation of the first and ground levels, and installation of a new, three-stop elevator. The 14,000 square-foot project earned LEED for Commercial Interiors certification.

The new gallery houses the first American stamps, from 1847, a piece of mail from the 1860 Pony Express with “recovered from a mail stolen by the Indians” written on the envelope, and the 1918 “Inverted Jenny” with its biplane printed upside down—the most famous U.S. stamp-printing error.

For more information on the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery project, visit the Our Work section of our website.