Which neoclassical building in London houses the Elgin Marbles?

The neoclassical building in London that houses the Elgin Marbles is the British Museum.

The museum’s principal Bloomsbury building was designed by Sir Robert Smirke in a grand neoclassical style, with a monumental South Colonnade inspired by Greek architecture. Construction of the main building began in 1823 and continued in phases for more than two decades. Its design helped make the museum itself a major example of nineteenth-century classicism.

The Elgin Marbles, more commonly called the Parthenon Sculptures in Greece, are ancient Greek sculptures from the Parthenon and other buildings on the Acropolis. Agents of Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, removed them from Ottoman-controlled Athens between 1801 and 1812. Parliament approved their purchase for Britain in 1816, and they were transferred to the British Museum.

The collection includes sections of the Parthenon frieze, metopes, and pedimental sculpture. The term “Elgin Marbles” can be misleading because not every related sculpture in the museum came from Elgin. Their ownership and potential return to Greece remain subjects of longstanding international controversy.