National Building Museum

Pension Building
National Building Museum in 2023
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Location401 F St. NW, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Coordinates38°53′51.0″N 77°1′5.2″W / 38.897500°N 77.018111°W / 38.897500; -77.018111
Built1887
ArchitectMontgomery C. Meigs
Architectural styleRenaissance Revival
NRHP reference No.69000312[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 24, 1969
Designated NHLFebruary 4, 1985

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.

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.