Hello educational travelers!

Jeff is back for you today with another wonderful Washington, D.C. post. Enjoy!

Educational tours to Washington, D.C. are encouraged to stop at the National Building Museum, located at 401 F. Street NW. Historically known as the Pension Building, the museum is dedicated to the study of architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning. It hosts various temporary exhibits in galleries around the spacious Great Hall. The building itself was completed as a brick structure in 1887 and is notable for several architectural features, including the spectacular interior columns and a frieze which stretches around the exterior of the building, depicting Civil War soldiers. The building originally housed federal employees needed to implement and administer the pension benefits Congress passed after the Civil War to care for veterans and their survivors and dependents.

Educational student tours to Washington, D.C. will discover that the old Pension Bureau Building was reconstituted in the 1960’s to become a museum devoted to the building arts. It is also the locale for the annual Christmas in Washington program, filmed at the museum with the President and First Lady. It also serves as a stunning site for one of the quadrennial Presidential balls. Student tours to Washington, D.C. will also want to include a stop at the National Building Museum Shop which has been honored as the “best all-around museum shop by the Washington Post. The shop sells books about the built environment and an array of housewares, educational toys, watches, and items for offices, all with an emphasis on design.

Until next time,

Jeff.