Politico has a piece on the fight for space on the Mall for the various museums. Everyone wants recognition. In the old days we had the Freer, then we added an Asian art museum and an African Art museum underground. But these days, following in the paths of the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Museum of African American Art and Culture Congress is now trying to add museums for Latinos/Hispanics and Women on the Mall, despite laws which would prohibit the proposed sites. In my lifetime we've added memorials for the Vietnam war, the Korean war, and World War II as well. We've added monuments for Ike, FDR, and MLK on or near the Mall, as well as the Holocaust museum.
What's next? The obvious one is a "National Museum of Asian and Pacific Islander X". But how about honoring the brave veterans of our longest wars, if not the bloodiest? I think the potential demand is infinite, and it's an easy way for Congress to please an interest group.
Given the unending demand, I suggest we start repurposing buildings on the Mall, starting with the Administration building for USDA. When I joined ASCS in 1968 Chet Adell used to call it the "ivory tower", an indication of his disdain for the decisions made there (he was a key figure in implementing them). It's the only bureaucratic HQ on the Mall--so tear it down and use the site for a couple of the new museums. Once we've set that precedent, we can go onto repurposing other of the structures.
