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Pension Building
Photo: APK, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · tap to enlarge
★ National Historic Landmark

Pension Building

One of 75 National Historic Landmarks in District of Columbia74 of them in Washington, the highest tier of the National Register
VictorianListed 1969Washington
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About

About Pension Building

Pension Building, at 4th and 5th Sts. between F and G Sts., NW, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Mar 24, 1969. It was named a National Historic Landmark on Feb 4, 1985, one of 75 in District of Columbia. The Register lists it for its engineering, politics and architecture, at the national level. It describes its style as Victorian, as it does for 19 other District of Columbia listings. 15 more Register listings are within a quarter mile.

What it isMuseum in Washington, D.C. From Wikidata (CC0). Read about it on Wikipedia ↗

PDFRead the original nominationThe form that put it on the Register, with its history, photos and a map · 53 MB · National Archives↗
Through the years

1887 to today

  1. 1887Built, designed by Montgomery C. Meigs
  2. 1969Added to the National Register of Historic Places
  3. 1985Named a National Historic Landmark
  4. 2026On the Register for 57 years
Visit

Make it a walk: 5 landmarks in about 10 minutes

4th and 5th Sts. between F and G Sts., NW, Washington · about 0.3 miles on foot, as the crow flies

DirectionsWalk the tour in Google Maps
  1. 1Pension BuildingStart here
  2. 2US General Accounting Office BuildingModerne · next door
  3. 3U.S. Court Of Military AppealsLate Federal · next door
  4. 4City HallBuilding · next door
  5. 5District of Columbia Municipal Center and PlazaBuilt 1941 · next door
Around it

41 more Register listings within half a mile

★ National Historic Landmark · D district · B building · S site. Each opens its own page.

BMoran BuildingSecond Empire · Built 18890.1 miBMyrene Apartment BuildingLate Victorian0.1 miBBulletin BuildingArt Deco0.1 miBDistrict of Columbia Recorder of DeedsBuilding0.2 miBAdas Israel SynagogueClassical0.2 miBHarrison Apartment BuildingLate Victorian0.2 miBOriental Building Association No. 6 BuildingRenaissance Revival0.2 miBGermuiller RowLate Victorian0.2 miBOn Leong Chinese Merchants AssociationBuilding0.2 miBOld Engine Company No. 6Italianate0.2 miBJefferson Apartment BuildingLate Victorian0.2 miBFederal Home Loan Bank Board BuildingClassical Revival0.3 miBNational Bank of Washington, Washington BranchRichardsonian Romanesque0.3 mi★General Post OfficeGreek Revival0.3 miBEight Hundred Block of F St. NW19th Century Commercial0.3 miDDowntown Historic DistrictVernacular0.3 mi★National Portrait GalleryGreek Revival0.3 miBWheatley, Phyllis, YWCA (Additional Documentation)Colonial Revival · Built 19200.3 mi
Show the other 23
BMary E. Surratt HouseEarly Republic · Built 18430.3 mi★National Archives BuildingBuilt 19310.4 miOFranklin Delano Roosevelt MemorialBuilt 19970.4 miOTemperance FountainVictorian · Built 18840.4 miDPennsylvania Avenue National Historic SiteEarly Republic0.4 miBNational Union BuildingRichardsonian Romanesque · Built 18900.4 miBRiggs National Bank, Washington Loan And Trust Company BranchRichardsonian0.4 miBEquitable Co-operative Building AssociationClassical Revival · Built 19110.4 miBLansburgh, Julius, Furniture Co., Inc.French Renaissance · Built 18700.4 miBKing, Martin Luther, Memorial LibraryInternational Style · Built 19720.4 miB2nd Baptist ChurchLate Gothic Revival0.4 miBCentral Public Library (Additional Documentation)Beaux Arts · Built 19020.4 miBEmily Wiley HouseLate Victorian0.4 miDMount Vernon Triangle Historic DistrictLate Victorian0.4 miStL'Enfant Plan of the City of Washington, District of ColumbiaMonumental Classicism · Built 17910.5 miBCentral National BankLate Victorian · Built 18600.5 miBFord's Theatre National Historic SiteBuilt 19650.5 miBSun BuildingVictorian Gothic0.5 miBMcLachlen BuildingClassical Revival0.5 miBSt. Aloysius Catholic ChurchRenaissance Revival · Built 18590.5 miBBuildings at 1000 Block of Seventh Street, and 649-651 New York Avenue NWItalianate0.5 miDCivil War Fort SitesDistrict0.5 miBYale Steam LaundryGeorgian Revival0.5 mi
More like it

Other National Historic Landmarks nearby

The nearest Landmarks with a photo, within 25 miles, and the year each was named.

City Hall0.2 mi away · 1960
General Post Office0.3 mi away · 1971
National Portrait Gallery0.3 mi away · 1965
National Archives BuildingBuilt 1931 · 0.4 mi away · 2023

Memories of Pension Building

The record says what it is. Neighbors know what it means.

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Questions about Pension Building

Is Pension Building on the National Register of Historic Places?

Yes. It was added on Mar 24, 1969 (Register number 69000312).

Is Pension Building a National Historic Landmark?

Yes, since Feb 4, 1985. District of Columbia has 75 National Historic Landmarks, 74 of them in Washington.

Can you visit Pension Building?

Yes: it is open to visitors. Check opening times before you go.

Where can I read the history of Pension Building?

In its National Register nomination, the form that put it on the Register: a 53 MB PDF at the National Archives, linked on this page.

Sources: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places (05/22/2026) · National Archives catalog record 117692407 · Wikidata. Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.