NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM | The National Building Museum welcomes visitors to experience stories about the world we design and build through exhibitions, public

programs, and more.

ONLINE PROGRAMS

Online Programs. The Museum looks forward to resuming in-person public programs when we are able to. Until then, we are producing smart, timely, and thought-provoking presentations and panel discussions that can be experienced online. A number of these include opportunities to WHAT EXACTLY DOES A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT DO? Landscape architecture covers a huge spectrum, perhaps best understood by the profession’s mantra: achieving a balance between the built and natural environments. It requires a multidisciplinary approach involving environmental science, art, ecology, and much more, leading to extraordinary results like restoring endangered wetlands, reducing HOOPS – NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM HOOPS presents a rich and diverse selection of private and community basketball courts from around the nation and across the globe—from the deserts of Arizona to the hills of Appalachia, and from the streets of the Northeast to the playgrounds of South Africa. Bamberger has taken nearly 22,000 photographs since the series was launched in

2004

TEEN PROGRAMS VOLUNTEER COOL & COLLECTED: RECENT ACQUISITIONS Cool & Collected: Recent Acquisitions. March 8, 2014–April 1, 2018. Tools and models and toys and drawings: the many extraordinary objects in the National Building Museum’s collection illustrate the varied ways in which we can learn from architecture and design. These physical pieces of the world we design and build—from the tools that PREPARING FOR YOUR SCHOOL PROGRAM VISIT Directions & Parking. The Museum is located at 401 F Street NW (between 4th and 5th Streets). A wheelchair accessible entrance is available through the G Street entrance. The Museum is located across the street from the Judiciary Square Metro (Red Line) and two blocks east of the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro (Red, Yellow, and Green

Lines).

THE AMERICAN BRICK COLLECTION AT THE @BUILDINGMUSEUM The American Brick Collection contains 1,800 bricks, most from the late 19th- and early 20th-century, each stamped with the manufacturer’s name, logo, or hometown. Donor Raymond Chase spent 24 years collecting them. There are examples of decorative, face, fire, paving, pressed, and common bricks from around the nation. DESIGNING FOR DISASTER Designing for Disaster. May 11, 2014–September 13, 2015. As a result of research conducted after the 1988 Yellowstone Fires, a new fire management plan outlined strict guidelines for managing natural fires and allocated greater funding for fire management. Billings Gazette, James Woodcock. Natural disasters can impact any of us, anywhere, at ALAN KARCHMER & SANDRA BENEDUM PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVE Prominent architectural photographer Alan Karchmer has promised his collected body of work to the National Building Museum collection. The Alan Karchmer and Sandra Benedum Photographic Archive will include all works produced over the course of his career and comprises thousands of photographs featuring landmarks across the United States and

abroad.

NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM | The National Building Museum welcomes visitors to experience stories about the world we design and build through exhibitions, public

programs, and more.

ONLINE PROGRAMS

Online Programs. The Museum looks forward to resuming in-person public programs when we are able to. Until then, we are producing smart, timely, and thought-provoking presentations and panel discussions that can be experienced online. A number of these include opportunities to WHAT EXACTLY DOES A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT DO? Landscape architecture covers a huge spectrum, perhaps best understood by the profession’s mantra: achieving a balance between the built and natural environments. It requires a multidisciplinary approach involving environmental science, art, ecology, and much more, leading to extraordinary results like restoring endangered wetlands, reducing HOOPS – NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM HOOPS presents a rich and diverse selection of private and community basketball courts from around the nation and across the globe—from the deserts of Arizona to the hills of Appalachia, and from the streets of the Northeast to the playgrounds of South Africa. Bamberger has taken nearly 22,000 photographs since the series was launched in

2004

TEEN PROGRAMS VOLUNTEER COOL & COLLECTED: RECENT ACQUISITIONS Cool & Collected: Recent Acquisitions. March 8, 2014–April 1, 2018. Tools and models and toys and drawings: the many extraordinary objects in the National Building Museum’s collection illustrate the varied ways in which we can learn from architecture and design. These physical pieces of the world we design and build—from the tools that PREPARING FOR YOUR SCHOOL PROGRAM VISIT Directions & Parking. The Museum is located at 401 F Street NW (between 4th and 5th Streets). A wheelchair accessible entrance is available through the G Street entrance. The Museum is located across the street from the Judiciary Square Metro (Red Line) and two blocks east of the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro (Red, Yellow, and Green

Lines).

THE AMERICAN BRICK COLLECTION AT THE @BUILDINGMUSEUM The American Brick Collection contains 1,800 bricks, most from the late 19th- and early 20th-century, each stamped with the manufacturer’s name, logo, or hometown. Donor Raymond Chase spent 24 years collecting them. There are examples of decorative, face, fire, paving, pressed, and common bricks from around the nation. DESIGNING FOR DISASTER Designing for Disaster. May 11, 2014–September 13, 2015. As a result of research conducted after the 1988 Yellowstone Fires, a new fire management plan outlined strict guidelines for managing natural fires and allocated greater funding for fire management. Billings Gazette, James Woodcock. Natural disasters can impact any of us, anywhere, at ALAN KARCHMER & SANDRA BENEDUM PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVE Prominent architectural photographer Alan Karchmer has promised his collected body of work to the National Building Museum collection. The Alan Karchmer and Sandra Benedum Photographic Archive will include all works produced over the course of his career and comprises thousands of photographs featuring landmarks across the United States and

abroad.

MUSEUM SHOP GUIDE

Host Events. Museum Shop Guide. March 11, 2019. Categories: Articles. The National Building Museum’s award-winning Museum Shop features a wide selection of gifts inspired by architecture and classic design from around the world. From home design elements and jewelry to building kits and books, you’ll find gifts that combine function and PENSION BUILDING COLLECTION AT THE NATIONAL BUILDING In the 1980s, during the restoration of the National Building Museum’s historic home, a number of original building elements were recovered and now form the core of the Museum’s Pension Building Collection.Highlights from the Museum’s collection include a beam signed by the building’s architect and designer, Montgomery C. Meigs; original tiles and baseboards from the Great Hall 20TH CENTURY SOUVENIR BUILDINGS David Weingarten Collection. Donated in 2019. The David Weingarten Collection of 20 th Century Souvenir Buildings comprises more than 3,000 three-dimensional miniatures of actual buildings and monuments that exist or have existed in the real world. Amassed over 40 years and representing buildings from over 60 countries, the 20 th Century Souvenir Buildings Collection is the leading and TEEN PROGRAMS VOLUNTEER Teen Programs is looking for design professionals in all fields, educators, and those interested in working with teenagers for our multi-visit, experiential programs, CityVision, Design Apprenticeship Program, and Investigating Where We Live.These programs teach local teens how to observe more closely and look for ways to change the

world around them.

HOMESCHOOL PROGRAMS FOR FAMILIES AT THE NATIONAL BUILDING Homeschool programs accommodate ages 4–14 and a range of ability levels and learning styles. SUMMER 2019. Homeschool families and groups are invited to participate in our popular Summer Block Party programming. Register for our email list for more information about 2019-20 school year homeschool programming. MAKING ROOM: HOUSING FOR A CHANGING AMERICA Making Room: Housing for a Changing America. NOVEMBER 18, 2017–JANUARY 6, 2019. The post–World War II suburbanization of America was driven by the housing needs of nuclear families, the nation’s leading demographic. In 1950, these families represented 43% of our households; in 1970, it was 40%. Since then, unprecedented

shifts in

A BRIEF HISTORY OF MAZES The hedge maze was once a mainstay of British formal gardens and estates. Known as “the most famous maze in the history of the world,” the Hampton Maze was originally planted from hornbeam in 1690 for William of Orange and is still there—it now includes a half mile of paths. Hedge mazes became popular all over England in the 18th

century

NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CHASE RYND TO Institution’s fourth leader will end his 17-year tenure in September 2020. WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today the National Building Museum announced that Executive Director Chase Rynd, Hon. ASLA, will retire at the end of September 2020. Rynd is the institution’s fourth leader and was appointed to the role in mid-2003. PREPARING FOR YOUR SCHOOL PROGRAM VISIT Directions & Parking. The Museum is located at 401 F Street NW (between 4th and 5th Streets). A wheelchair accessible entrance is available through the G Street entrance. The Museum is located across the street from the Judiciary Square Metro (Red Line) and two blocks east of the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro (Red, Yellow, and Green

Lines).

UNBUILT WASHINGTON

Unbuilt Washington. November 19, 2011–May 28, 2012. Preliminary proposal for the National Cultural Center, unbuilt (later Kennedy Center), Edward Durell Stone, 1959. Stone’s curvilinear original design contrasts sharply with the boxy design that was executed. NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM | The National Building Museum welcomes visitors to experience stories about the world we design and build through exhibitions, public

programs, and more.

ONLINE PROGRAMS

Walter Hood / March 25, 2021. Hear Walter Hood, founding principal and creative director of Hood Design Studio in Oakland, California, describe how the elevation of neglected spaces in urban neighborhoods through landscape interventions and public art offers opportunities to address stories of marginalized communities.He also discusses his book Black Landscapes Matter, a collection of essays WHAT EXACTLY DOES A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT DO? 401 F Street NW Washington, DC 20001 info@nbm.org 202.272.2448 HOOPS – NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM Bamberger has taken nearly 22,000 photographs since the series was launched in 2004, and the 75 large-format prints featured in the exhibition are the largest and first comprehensive overview of the

work.

TEEN PROGRAMS VOLUNTEER DESIGNING FOR DISASTER By showcasing innovative research, cutting-edge materials and technologies, and new thinking about how to work with natural systems and the environment, the exhibition presents a range of viable responses that are functional, pragmatic, and beautiful. COOL & COLLECTED: RECENT ACQUISITIONS March 8, 2014–April 1, 2018. Tools and models and toys and drawings: the many extraordinary objects in the National Building Museum’s collection illustrate the varied ways in which we can learn from architecture and design. These physical pieces of the world we design and build—from the tools that help create it to the toys that help explain it—inspire new perspectives on the built PREPARING FOR YOUR SCHOOL PROGRAM VISIT 401 F Street NW Washington, DC 20001 info@nbm.org 202.272.2448 THE AMERICAN BRICK COLLECTION AT THE @BUILDINGMUSEUM The American Brick Collection contains 1,800 bricks each stamped with the manufacturer's name, logo, or hometown. The collection weighs

10,000 pounds.

ALAN KARCHMER & SANDRA BENEDUM PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVE Prominent architectural photographer Alan Karchmer has promised his collected body of work to the National Building Museum collection. The Alan Karchmer and Sandra Benedum Photographic Archive will include all works produced over the course of his career and comprises thousands of photographs featuring landmarks across the United States and

abroad.

NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM | The National Building Museum welcomes visitors to experience stories about the world we design and build through exhibitions, public

programs, and more.

ONLINE PROGRAMS

Walter Hood / March 25, 2021. Hear Walter Hood, founding principal and creative director of Hood Design Studio in Oakland, California, describe how the elevation of neglected spaces in urban neighborhoods through landscape interventions and public art offers opportunities to address stories of marginalized communities.He also discusses his book Black Landscapes Matter, a collection of essays WHAT EXACTLY DOES A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT DO? 401 F Street NW Washington, DC 20001 info@nbm.org 202.272.2448 HOOPS – NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM Bamberger has taken nearly 22,000 photographs since the series was launched in 2004, and the 75 large-format prints featured in the exhibition are the largest and first comprehensive overview of the

work.

TEEN PROGRAMS VOLUNTEER DESIGNING FOR DISASTER By showcasing innovative research, cutting-edge materials and technologies, and new thinking about how to work with natural systems and the environment, the exhibition presents a range of viable responses that are functional, pragmatic, and beautiful. COOL & COLLECTED: RECENT ACQUISITIONS March 8, 2014–April 1, 2018. Tools and models and toys and drawings: the many extraordinary objects in the National Building Museum’s collection illustrate the varied ways in which we can learn from architecture and design. These physical pieces of the world we design and build—from the tools that help create it to the toys that help explain it—inspire new perspectives on the built PREPARING FOR YOUR SCHOOL PROGRAM VISIT 401 F Street NW Washington, DC 20001 info@nbm.org 202.272.2448 THE AMERICAN BRICK COLLECTION AT THE @BUILDINGMUSEUM The American Brick Collection contains 1,800 bricks each stamped with the manufacturer's name, logo, or hometown. The collection weighs

10,000 pounds.

ALAN KARCHMER & SANDRA BENEDUM PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVE Prominent architectural photographer Alan Karchmer has promised his collected body of work to the National Building Museum collection. The Alan Karchmer and Sandra Benedum Photographic Archive will include all works produced over the course of his career and comprises thousands of photographs featuring landmarks across the United States and

abroad.

MUSEUM SHOP GUIDE

401 F Street NW Washington, DC 20001 info@nbm.org 202.272.2448 PENSION BUILDING COLLECTION AT THE NATIONAL BUILDING In the 1980s, during the restoration of the National Building Museum’s historic home, a number of original building elements were recovered and now form the core of the Museum’s Pension Building Collection.Highlights from the Museum’s collection include a beam signed by the building’s architect and designer, Montgomery C. Meigs; original tiles and baseboards from the Great Hall HOMESCHOOL PROGRAMS FOR FAMILIES AT THE NATIONAL BUILDING Architecture 101 7–14 year olds, 2 hours Students engage in observation, drawing, and math exercises to build the skills crucial to being an architect: model-making, architectural drafting, and

communication.

TEEN PROGRAMS VOLUNTEER Teen Programs is looking for design professionals in all fields, educators, and those interested in working with teenagers for our multi-visit, experiential programs, CityVision, Design Apprenticeship Program, and Investigating Where We Live.These programs teach local teens how to observe more closely and look for ways to change the

world around them.

20TH CENTURY SOUVENIR BUILDINGS David Weingarten Collection. Donated in 2019. The David Weingarten Collection of 20 th Century Souvenir Buildings comprises more than 3,000 three-dimensional miniatures of actual buildings and monuments that exist or have existed in the real world. Amassed over 40 years and representing buildings from over 60 countries, the 20 th Century Souvenir Buildings Collection is the leading and most A BRIEF HISTORY OF MAZES 401 F Street NW Washington, DC 20001 info@nbm.org 202.272.2448 MAKING ROOM: HOUSING FOR A CHANGING AMERICA The post–World War II suburbanization of America was driven by the housing needs of nuclear families, the nation’s leading demographic. In 1950, these families represented 43% PREPARING FOR YOUR SCHOOL PROGRAM VISIT 401 F Street NW Washington, DC 20001 info@nbm.org 202.272.2448

UNBUILT WASHINGTON

Proposal for the completion of the Washington Monument by Vinnie Ream Hoxie, c. 1876-78. Construction of the Washington Monument began in 1848 but was halted in 1856, leaving an unfinished stump on the National Mall for more than two decades. NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CHASE RYND TO Institution’s fourth leader will end his 17-year tenure in September 2020. WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today the National Building Museum announced that Executive Director Chase Rynd, Hon. ASLA, will retire at the end of September 2020. Rynd is the institution’s fourth leader and was appointed to the role in mid-2003.

* Tickets

* Get News

* Donate

__

__

__ MENU

CLOSE

* Visit __

* back

* Tickets

* Group Tours

* School Groups

* Accessibility

* Exhibitions __

* back

* Current

* Upcoming

* Past

* Publications

* About __

* back

* News

* History

* Awards

* Press

* Host Events

* Staff

* Board

* Jobs & Internships

* Financials

* Calendar

* Learn __

* back

* Adults

* Families

* Schools & Teachers

* Teens

* Collections

* Shop

* Members __

* back

* Join / Renew

* Current Member Login

* Support

Explore our latest summer installation, _Lawn_. Open through

September 2.

Step Inside

Explore the greatest stories of architecture, engineering, and

design.

Visit

Celebrate the power of basketball to transcend place & build

community in HOOPS.

Learn More

View our exhibitions and discover the world we build for ourselves.

Learn More __ __

__ Mon–Sat 10 am–5 pm | Sun 11 am–5 pm __ 401 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20001 __ Metro: Judiciary Square (Red Line)

WHAT’S ON

ANIMALS, COLLECTED

Animals, Collected showcases a selection of architectural objects depicting animals—both real and mythological—as decorative

elements.

Learn More

HOUSE & HOME

Through interactive displays, historic home objects, and film, discover houses both familiar and surprising, challenging ideas about what it means to live at home in America.

Learn More

FOR YOU BY YOUTH: URBAN LANDSCAPES REIMAGINED This summer’s Investigating Where We Live participants visited D.C. parks and neighborhoods and considered what makes a public space inclusive, accessible, and welcoming.

Learn More

LAWN

Lawn is an immersive installation in the Great Hall, and the centerpiece of the 2019 Summer Block Party.

Learn More

HOOPS

This exhibition of photographer Bill Bamberger’s work celebrates the power of basketball to transcend place and build community.

Learn More

FLICKERING TREASURES Flickering Treasures invites visitors to travel in time through a survey of Baltimore’s movie-going past from 1896 to the present, using photography, oral histories, and architectural fragments.

Learn More

ANIMALS, COLLECTED

Animals, Collected showcases a selection of architectural objects depicting animals—both real and mythological—as decorative

elements.

Learn More

HOUSE & HOME

Through interactive displays, historic home objects, and film, discover houses both familiar and surprising, challenging ideas about what it means to live at home in America.

Learn More

FOR YOU BY YOUTH: URBAN LANDSCAPES REIMAGINED This summer’s Investigating Where We Live participants visited D.C. parks and neighborhoods and considered what makes a public space inclusive, accessible, and welcoming.

Learn More

LAWN

Lawn is an immersive installation in the Great Hall, and the centerpiece of the 2019 Summer Block Party.

Learn More

HOOPS

This exhibition of photographer Bill Bamberger’s work celebrates the power of basketball to transcend place and build community.

Learn More

FLICKERING TREASURES Flickering Treasures invites visitors to travel in time through a survey of Baltimore’s movie-going past from 1896 to the present, using photography, oral histories, and architectural fragments.

Learn More

prev

next

LAWN

Lawn is an immersive installation in the Great Hall, and the centerpiece of the 2019 Summer Block Party.

Learn More

HOOPS

This exhibition of photographer Bill Bamberger’s work celebrates the power of basketball to transcend place and build community.

Learn More

FLICKERING TREASURES Flickering Treasures invites visitors to travel in time through a survey of Baltimore’s movie-going past from 1896 to the present, using photography, oral histories, and architectural fragments.

Learn More

ANIMALS, COLLECTED

Animals, Collected showcases a selection of architectural objects depicting animals—both real and mythological—as decorative

elements.

Learn More

HOUSE & HOME

Through interactive displays, historic home objects, and film, discover houses both familiar and surprising, challenging ideas about what it means to live at home in America.

Learn More

FOR YOU BY YOUTH: URBAN LANDSCAPES REIMAGINED This summer’s Investigating Where We Live participants visited D.C. parks and neighborhoods and considered what makes a public space inclusive, accessible, and welcoming.

Learn More

View All

Events

August 26

Tour: How'd You Build That?

August 28

Lawn Late Night

August 29

Movies on the Lawn: The Goonies

August 14

Lawn Late Night

August 15

Movies on the Lawn: Grease

August 18

Yoga on the Lawn

Tour: Why'd You Build That?

August 21

Lawn Late Night

August 22

Movies on the Lawn: Homeward Bound

August 25

Yoga on the Lawn

August 26

Tour: How'd You Build That?

August 28

Lawn Late Night

August 29

Movies on the Lawn: The Goonies

August 14

Lawn Late Night

August 15

Movies on the Lawn: Grease

August 18

Yoga on the Lawn

prev

next

View All

Experience

“FAVORITE DC MUSEUM/BUILDING” “I have visited the National Building Museum on three trips to Washington, and have enjoyed my visit each time. The architecture is striking from the interior and exterior. Each exhibit generally describes the history of building materials and methods, which has had a greater impact on U.S. history and culture than most realize.” JOSHUA CLEMENTS, TRIPADVISOR REVIEWER

Plan Your Visit

Monday–Saturday: 10 am–5 pm Sunday: 11 am–5 pm 4 blocks from the National Mall METRO: Judiciary Square (Red Line) Free access to the Great Hall, historic building tours, Museum Shop, & cafe. � 2019 National Building Museum 401 F Street NW Washington, DC 20001

202.272.2448

* Host Events at the Museum

* Press Inquiries

* Jobs & Internships

* Volunteer

* Contact

* Privacy Policy

* __

* __

* __

* __

f