National Building Museum facts for kids
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Pension Building
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National Building Museum in 2023
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| Location | 401 F St. NW, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
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| Built | 1887 |
| Architect | Montgomery C. Meigs |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 69000312 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | March 24, 1969 |
| Designated NHL | February 4, 1985 |
The National Building Museum is a cool place in Washington, D.C. where you can learn all about how buildings are designed, engineered, and constructed. It also covers urban planning, which is how cities are planned out. This museum was created by the U.S. Congress in 1980 and is a private, non-profit organization.
You can find the museum at 401 F Street NW. It's right next to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and close to the Judiciary Square Metro station. Inside, the museum has a huge main hall called the Great Hall. It hosts many different temporary exhibits throughout the year.
The building itself is very old and interesting. It was finished in 1887 and was originally called the Pension Building. It used to house the United States Pension Bureau, which helped veterans. It was also a popular spot for presidential inauguration parties! The building is famous for its tall columns and a large central hall. It's a great example of Renaissance Revival architecture and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1985.
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The Historic Pension Building: A Look Inside
The National Building Museum is located in what was once the Pension Bureau building. This brick building was finished in 1887. It was designed by Montgomery C. Meigs, who was a general in the United States Army.
The building is famous for its amazing architecture. It has spectacular columns inside. There's also a long, sculpted band called a frieze on the outside. This frieze was created by Caspar Buberl.
What Does the Frieze Show?
The frieze wraps around the entire outside of the building. It shows scenes of Civil War soldiers. These scenes are a bit like the famous carvings on Trajan's Column in Rome. They also remind people of the Horsemen Frieze on the Parthenon in Greece.
The frieze is very long, about 1,200 feet (365 meters). It features over 1,300 figures! Because it was so expensive to sculpt, the artist, Caspar Buberl, made 28 different scenes. These scenes were then mixed and slightly changed to create the continuous parade of figures. If you look closely, you can see some figures repeated.
The sculptures show different parts of the army. You can see infantry (foot soldiers), navy, artillery (cannons), and cavalry (soldiers on horseback). It also shows people involved in supplies and logistics. This is because Meigs, the designer, worked in that area during the Civil War.
Meigs specifically asked for a Black teamster to be included in the frieze. This figure, a formerly enslaved person freed by the war, was placed in a central spot over the building's west entrance.
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Why Was the Pension Building Built?
After the Civil War, the U.S. Congress passed laws to help veterans and their families. This included pensions for widows and orphans. Because of these new benefits, the number of staff needed to handle the paperwork grew to over 1,500 people. They needed a huge new building to work in.
Meigs was chosen to design this new building. He decided to try something different from other government buildings in Washington, D.C. Most buildings at the time looked like ancient Greek or Roman temples. Meigs based his design on Italian Renaissance buildings, like the Palazzo Farnese in Rome.
Smart Design for Airflow and Access
The Pension Building was built before modern air conditioning. So, Meigs designed it to have great air circulation. All the offices had windows facing outside and also opened onto the central courtyard. This design allowed cool air to come in at the ground level and hot air to escape through the roof.
The building also had special stairs made of brick and tile. They had a gentle slope and low steps. This made it easier for disabled and older veterans to use them. Each step also slanted slightly forward. This helped with cleaning, as water could easily drain off when the stairs were washed.
The completed building needed more than 15 million bricks! Some people jokingly called it "Meigs Old Red Barn."
From Government Office to Museum
The building was used for federal government offices until the 1960s. By then, it was in bad shape, and some people thought about tearing it down. But people who cared about old buildings fought to save it.
An architect named Chloethiel Woodard Smith suggested a new idea. In 1967, she proposed turning the building into a museum about building and design. Because of these efforts, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. Even then, it was still being used as a local draft office.
In 1980, Congress officially created the National Building Museum. It became a private, non-profit organization. The building itself was formally renamed the National Building Museum in 1997.
For many years, the annual Christmas in Washington TV show was filmed at the museum. The President and First Lady would attend until the show ended in 2015.
Museum Shop: A Place for Cool Gifts
The National Building Museum has a gift shop that has won many awards. In 2007, Niche magazine called it the "Best Museum Store" in the country. The Washington Post said it was the "Best All-Around Museum Shop" in the area.
The shop sells books about buildings and design. You can also find unique housewares, educational toys, and office items. Everything has a focus on good design.
The Museum and American Politics
The National Building Museum has also been a setting for important moments in American politics. For example, on June 7, 2008, Hillary Clinton held a farewell rally there. She announced the end of her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.
During this event, she shared some famous quotes. One was: "If we can blast fifty women into space, we will someday launch a woman into the White House."
Awards Given by the Museum
The National Building Museum gives out three awards each year:
- The Honor Award: This award recognizes people and groups who have made important contributions to building and design in the U.S.
- The Vincent Scully Prize: This prize honors great work, research, or ideas in architecture, saving historic places, and urban design.
- The Henry C. Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction Technology: This award celebrates leaders and new ideas in construction methods.
Learning Programs for Teens
The museum offers cool programs for young people.
Investigating Where We Live
"Investigating Where We Live" is a summer program for teenagers from the Washington, D.C. area. Students spend four weeks working in teams. They get cameras and sketchbooks to explore local communities.
The program teaches students about photography. Then, they investigate different neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. They document the history, famous places, and homes in these areas. This helps them understand the community's identity. The students' original photos and writings are then shown in an exhibition at the museum.
Since 1996, over 500 students have participated. They have learned a lot about different communities in D.C.
- When they finish the program, participants:
- Receive a digital camera to keep.
- Meet professional photographers, designers, and museum staff.
- Get to keep their photos for future projects or college applications.
- Can use the program to meet community service requirements for school.
One past exhibit was "Investigating Where We Live: Recapturing Shaw's Legacy." In this program, high school students learned about D.C.'s Shaw neighborhood.
Images for kids
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National Building Museum with the Capitol building in the background.
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The National Building Museum seen from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
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A view of the National Building Museum.
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Corner figures from the exterior frieze.
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The south entrance of the museum.
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A Black teamster figure from the exterior frieze.
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The Great Hall during the 2010 Honor Award ceremony.
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The 2005 Vincent Scully Prize ceremony.
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A gallery from the 2008-2009 "Green Community" exhibition.
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A family activity at the 2008 Festival of the Building Arts.
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The AIDS Memorial Quilt on display in the Great Hall, 2012.
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See also
In Spanish: Museo Nacional de la Construcción para niños
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Washington, D.C.
- National Building Arts Center
