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. Head to Washington to see it. It was established in 1980.
A museum inside Washington
You can stay in Washington
National Building Museum is inside Washington, which has 247 places to stay, so you won’t need a base farther out. Where to stay ↓
A day trip from Baltimore
Baltimore is about 35 miles northeast (straight-line). Where to stay ↓
Best months: Apr, May, Sep and Oct
April, May, September and October are the mild months, with highs of 67–80°. When to go ↓
An airport 3 miles away
Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) has airline service, about 3 miles from National Building Museum.
Established in 1980
National Building Museum dates from 1980. About ↓
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
Picking a season
Use the months below to time a visit to National Building Museum.
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.
- Type
- Museum
- Established
- 1980
- Listed
- National Historic Landmark (1985) · National Register of Historic Places (1969) · District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites (1964)
- Wikipedia readers
- 14K a year
A base for National Building Museum
The closest towns with hotels, motels or campgrounds are Washington (247) and Arlington (58).
- 1White House
- 2Washington Monument
- 3Smithsonian Institution
- 4United States Triumphal Arch
- 5Arlington National Cemetery
- 6Lincoln Memorial
- 7Ford's Theatre
- 8National Mall
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From National Building Museum | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | in town | — | 247 201 hotels · 2 motels · 24 inns & B&Bs · 6 lodges & cabins · 12 hostels · 2 campgrounds | 693,645 | $737K | D− |
| Arlington | 5 mi west | 5 min | 58 54 hotels · 1 motel · 1 inn or B&B · 2 lodges & cabins | 236,254 | $895K | — |
| Alexandria | 7 mi southwest | 10 min | 44 41 hotels · 2 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins | 160,662 | $735K | C |
| Bethesda | 8 mi northwest | 10 min | 26 23 hotels · 1 inn or B&B · 2 lodges & cabins | 69,397 | $1,170K | — |
| College Park | 8 mi northeast | 10 min | 17 16 hotels · 1 motel | 35,418 | $438K | — |
| Tysons | 11 mi west | 15 min | 25 25 hotels | 28,936 | $640K | — |
| Lake Arbor | 10 mi east | 15 min | 13 13 hotels | 14,335 | $461K | — |
| National Harbor | 8 mi south | 10 min | 10 9 hotels · 1 inn or B&B | 4,454 | $473K | — |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
More near National Building Museum
You can reach each of these within 4 miles.
Big draw1in town National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw2in town National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw3in town MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw42 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw53 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw62 mi National MemorialLincoln Memorial7.7M visitors a year
Big draw7in town National Historic SiteFord's Theatre National Historic Site394K visitors a year
Big draw8in town National park siteNational MallPhoto credits
White House: This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire port, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Washington Monument: Oren Rozen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Smithsonian Institution: Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer, Public domain · United States Triumphal Arch: Hstoops, CC0 · Arlington National Cemetery: Protoant, Public domain · Lincoln Memorial: Aerial_view_of_Lincoln_Memorial_-_east_side.jpg: Carol M. Highsmith derivative w, Public domain · Ford's Theatre National Historic Site: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National Mall: Raul654 at en.wikipedia. Later version(s) were uploaded by Michael Shields at e, CC BY-SA 3.0
Questions about National Building Museum
Is National Building Museum in Washington?
Yes. It’s inside Washington, DC.
When is the best time to visit National Building Museum?
April, May, September and October, with highs of 67–80°.
How far is National Building Museum from Baltimore?
About 35 miles northeast of Baltimore, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to National Building Museum?
Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA), about 3 miles away.
Where should I stay near National Building Museum?
Washington (in town, 247 places to stay), Arlington (5 mi, 58 places to stay) and Alexandria (7 mi, 44 places to stay).
Local know-how from Washington
No one has shared advice yet; Washington’s Town Square takes questions.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.