For Immediate Release: November 2, 2010
Media Contacts: Emma Filar, Marketing & Communications Associate
Visit the Press Room
Remembering our vets with a historic building tour: Media Advisory
The National Building Museum offers special tours of its facility on Veterans Day
WHAT
This Veterans Day, the National Building Museum will be offering special tours of its historic home. Originally built in the 1880s as an office for the U.S. Pension Bureau, architect Montgomery C. Meigs designed this spectacular building with veterans in mind. Visitors will learn about the history of the pension building, as well as architectural features designed not only to honor the brave fighters of the Civil War, but accommodate the wounded veterans as they navigated the building to collect their pensions.
Fascinating and fun, the tours will focus on aspects of the pension building that are especially relevant on Veterans Day, such as:
• The building is encircled by a 1,200-foot-long terra cotta frieze depicting Union infantry, cavalry, artillery, navy, quartermaster, and medical units.
• Special consideration had to be made to prevent fire and protect the soldiers’ records in the “New Pension Office,” which led to Meigs’ decision to construct the building out of bricks—15,500,000 of them.
• Some believe that the bureaucratic term “red tape” originated at the Pension Bureau, thanks to the red tape used to seal pension documents.
• The stairs between the first three floors of the building were constructed with a low rise and deep tread to accommodate wounded soldiers on crutches.
• The Pension Bureau moved to another location in 1926 and later merged with other agencies to form the predecessor to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
After Veterans Day, the Museum will return to its regular historic building tour schedule of 11:30 am, 12:30 pm, and 1:30 pm, seven days a week. Groups larger than 10 can arrange a custom tour online.
WHERE
National Building Museum
401 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
(Judiciary Square Metro, Red Line)
FREE. No registration required. Space is limited to 25 people per tour.
WHEN
Thursday, November 11, 2010
These special historic building tours will be offered at 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, 3:30.
CONTACT
Marketing and Communications Department, 202.272.2448, ext. 3458
The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to advancing the quality of the built environment by educating people about its impact on their lives. Through its exhibitions, educational programs, online content, and publications, the Museum has become a vital forum for the exchange of ideas and information about the world we build for ourselves. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org. Connect with us on Twitter: @BuildingMuseum and Facebook.
