Smithsonian to Receive $700,000 for Extra Costs

The Presidential Inaugural Committee has announced that it is donating $700,000 to the Smithsonian Institution to fund security, maintenance and special programs on Inauguration Day.

The funding will allow two Smithsonian facilities -- the newly refurbished National Museum of American History and the Castle building -- to open at 8 a.m. on Inauguration Day, two hours earlier than normal, and have extra security staff on hand to help visitors. The Castle houses exhibits, an orientation theater and an information center.

All Smithsonian museums are open Inauguration Day -- the others from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., said spokeswoman Linda St. Thomas. The extra money "allows us to do some exhibits and special programs, and mostly security and maintenance," she said.

She added that the museums are always open for inaugurations, though "we've not had one this crowded before."

The money will also help the Smithsonian present special programs such as "Renewing America's Promise," the history museum's three-day celebration that features music, gallery talks, book signings and actors portraying presidents and first ladies that runs from Jan. 17-19.

Other programs aided by the funding are "A Century Ago . . . They Came as Sovereign Leaders," at the National Museum of the American Indian, which focuses on President Theodore Roosevelt's 1905 inaugural parade and the six great Native American chiefs who participated in the parade, and "One Life: The Mask of Lincoln," at the National Portrait Gallery, officials said.

"With historic levels of interest in the inauguration of President-elect Obama, we are pleased to work with the Presidential Inaugural Committee to help accommodate all the visitors we expect," Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough said.