John Russell Pope designed the National Gallery of Art building, completed in 1941. Also architect for the National Archives and Jefferson Memorial, Pope was a student of the Beaux-Arts school in Paris, and followed the neoclassical styles of the time. Pope died as construction of the museum began.
The Gallery was the largest marble structure in the world at the time, using pink Tennessee marble. The central domed is based on the Pantheon. Long hallways with sculpture art are lit by skylights. A green conservatory room provides relaxing relief, along with garden areas outside carefully placed windows.
