Historic Building Tour

In 1885, Grover Cleveland began the tradition of hosting presidential activities in the Great Hall; a tradition that lives on in present day.

Harper's Weekly, p. 209, 16 March 1889

Join knowledgeable National Building Museum docents for an in-depth tour of the Museum's historic home and go back in time to when Civil War veterans climbed the shallow brick-paved stairs to receive their pensions and guests of President Grover Cleveland's inaugural ball danced beneath the 75-foot Corinthian columns in the Great Hall!

Did you know...?

The Pension Building was the largest brick building in the world when it was built (1882-1887)--over 15 million bricks were used in its construction. There are 70,000 bricks in each of the 4 Corinthian columns alone!
Fifteen of the building's columns are time capsules for our nation—sealed inside are War Department records, newspapers and even a copy of the Declaration of Independence!
The Great Hall is 116 x 316 feet, about the size of a football field, and the ceiling is 159 feet at its peak, tall enough for the Statue of Liberty to stand off her base!
The building's architect and engineer, Montgomery C. Meigs, designed an innovative ventilation system that replaced the building's air with a fresh supply every 2 minutes!

The Great Hall’s Corinthian columns are among the tallest interior columns in the world, measuring 75 feet high, 8 feet in diameter, and 25 feet in circumference.

Click here for more National Building Museum facts!

Only visitors who go on a Historic Building Tour are allowed access to the Museum's fourth floor where there will find themselves face to face with the colossal capitals of our 75 feet high Corinthian columns! Additionally, each docent has their own unique unscripted tour so you will never hear the same tour twice.

Learn more about these interesting facts as well as many others on the National Building's Museum's Historic Building Tour!

Free walk-in tours for individuals and groups fewer than 10 are offered daily at 11:30 am, 12:30 pm, and 1:30 pm and last approximately 45 minutes.

No reservations required for groups smaller than 10. All tours are subject to docent availability. Please meet your docent at the Museum's Information Desk located in the center of the Great Hall. For groups of 10 or more please see Custom Tours for scheduling information.

For information about other Adult Walk-In Activities, including exhibition tours, please see Tours of the National Building Museum.

Questions or concerns? Please contact the Tour & Volunteer Office.