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An aerial rendering of the Smithsonian Master Plan to redesign the five-block stretch along Independence Avenue.

Members of the public can voice their opinions on the Smithsonian’s $2 billion plan to reimagine the area surrounding the historic Castle at a meeting Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the iconic administration building.

Staff from the National Capital Planning Commission, the Smithsonian and the architecture and landscaping firms behind the proposal will attend the meeting in the Commons room of the Castle. Comments can also be shared through the website, www.southmallcampus.si.edu. The public comment period begins Dec. 16 and continues through Jan. 30, 2015.

Architects from BIG — the Bjarke Ingels Group in New York — last month unveiled the plan, a major rethinking of the area surrounding the Castle. The project  includes renovations and earthquake protections to the red-stone Castle, underground education space, a cafeteria and auditorium and new mall-facing entrances for the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the National Museum of African Art......Continue Reading

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