<P> The Smithsonian museums are the most widely visible part of the United States' Smithsonian Institution and consist of nineteen museums and galleries as well as the National Zoological Park . Seventeen of these collections are located in Washington D.C., with eleven of those located on the National Mall . The remaining ones are in New York City and Chantilly, Virginia . As of 2010, one museum, the Arts and Industries Building, is closed in preparation for a substantial renovation, and its newest museum building, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, opened in 2016 . </P> <P> The birth of the Smithsonian Institution can be traced to the acceptance of James Smithson's legacy, willed to the United States in 1826 . Smithson died in 1829, and in 1836, President Andrew Jackson informed Congress of the gift, which it accepted . In 1838, Smithson's legacy, which totaled more than $500,000, was delivered to the United States Mint and entered the Treasury . After eight years, in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution was established . </P>

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