WATCH: WTOP’s Top Local Headlines for September 1

September 1, 2026 | 8:37 AM

WTOP morning anchors John Aaron and Kristin Diaz take you through the latest local news from the D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia region. WTOP’s Top Local Headlines is presented by G.E.H.A. and broadcast live from the Jim Farley Glass-Enclosed Nerve Center studio.

Heat wave, East Potomac Park, Latino museum, Washington Manassas Airport

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National Museum of the American Latino to be housed in historic Smithsonian building

By Neal Augenstein
September 1, 2026 | 10:36 AM

The Smithsonian Institution has decided to put the National Museum of the American Latino into an existing, historic building, rather than constructing a new one. The Smithsonian Board of Regents on Monday designated the Arts and Industries Building, a 145-year-old redbrick Victorian structure located between the Smithsonian Castle and the Hirshhorn Museum, as the permanent site of the National Museum of the American Latino, which Congress authorized in 2020. In 2022, the Smithsonian narrowed its survey for permanent locations for the National Museum of the American Latino and the American Women's History Museum to four locations near the National Mall on land owned by the National Park Service. The Arts and Industries Building, located at 900 Jefferson St. SW, was one of the four sites. New construction on National Park Service land would require congressional approval. However, since the Smithsonian already owns the Arts and Industries Building, the institution can place the National Museum of the American Latino in the existing building without additional legislation.

Heat wave, East Potomac Park, Latino museum, Washington Manassas Airport

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