Historic Building Tour
11:30 am | 12:30 pm | 1:30 pm
Step back in time to the 1880s learn about the design, construction,
and history of our building, formally known as the Pension Bureau.
Free to attend. Meet in the Great Hall.
House & Home Exhibition Tour
11:30 am | 1:30 pm
Tour houses both familiar and surprising, through past and present, challenging our ideas about what it means to be at home in America.
Making Room Exhibition Tour
2:30 pm
Explore how changing housing needs have led to alternatives at all levels of the market, from micro-units, tiny houses, and accessory apartments to cohousing, co-living, and beyond. Free to attend. Meet in front of the exhibition.
Evicted Exhibition Tour
[time]
Learn about the current rise in evictions, reasons for evictions in different markets, and explore the history of rent resistance and eviction struggles. Free to attend. Meet in front of the exhibition.
Secret Cities Exhibition Tour
[time]
Examine the design and construction of Oak Ridge, Hanford, and Los Alamos– three “Secret Cities” acquired by the U.S. Army Corp of engineers, and built up for the men and women recruited to work on the Manhattan Project. Free to attend. Meet in front of the exhibition.
Arches & Trusses Discovery Cart
2:00 pm
Geared toward children five years older, this hands-on interactive cart explores what it means to be an architect by examining building materials and practices.
Free to attend. Look for the blue cart in the Great Hall.
Bridging the Gap Discovery Cart
2:00 pm
Geared toward children five years older, this hands-on interactive cart explores basic forces that impact structures, the five different types of bridges and their advantages and disadvantages.
Free to attend.
*Please note: The National Building Museum is grateful to our volunteer docents for sharing their time and expertise. Occasionally, due to unforseen circumstances or emergencies, a volunteer may have to cancel at the last minute. Please check at the information desk to confirm your tour is still available on the day of your visit.