About National Building Museum

The National Building Museum is a museum of architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning in Northwest Washington, D.C., U.S. It was created by an act of Congress in 1980, and is a private non-profit institution. Located at 401 F Street NW, it is adjacent to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and the Judiciary Square Metro station. The museum hosts various temporary exhibits in galleries around the spacious Great Hall.

The building, completed in 1887, served as the Pension Building, housing the United States Pension Bureau, and hosted several presidential inaugural balls. It is centered around a high-columned interior central courtyard hall often used for various events. It is an important early large-scale example of Renaissance Revival architecture, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Founded
1980
Architect
Montgomery C. Meigs

More museums in Washington →Best museums in District of Columbia →

Photos of National Building Museum

Follow on Instagram
  1. National Building Museum, Washington01WashingtonAPK · CC BY 4.0
  2. Green Community Gallery02Green Community GalleryNational Building Museum; Photo by Anne McDonough · CC BY-SA 2.0
  3. National Building Museum - Buberl signature03Buberl signatureDaderot · Public domain
  4. National Building Museum04National Building MuseumDaderot · Public domain
  5. Judiciary Square Metro, Building Museum05Judiciary Square Metro, Building Museumdbking · CC BY 2.0
  6. Aerial view of Judiciary Square06Aerial view of Judiciary SquareCarol M. Highsmith · Public domain

Shared by photographers under free licenses on Wikimedia Commons. Tap a photo to see it full size there.

Visitor reviews

No one has reviewed National Building Museum yet. If you've been, tell other visitors what stood out and when you went. Anyone who has visited can write one, with or without their name, and we read each review before it appears.

No reviews yet. Been here? Be the first to share your visit.

Visited National Building Museum? Write a review

No account needed. We read every review before it appears.

Nearby museums

Make a day of it. 4 more museums are within a mile of National Building Museum; the closest, National Law Enforcement Museum, is practically next door.