National Building Museum

The Museum occupies an awesome building at the center of which is a soaring Great Hall with jetting fountain, colossal 75-foot-tall Corinthian columns, and on the exterior a decorative 1,200-foot terra cotta frieze. 

The Museum is "devoted to interpreting the history and impact of the built environment." By concentrating on architecture, engineering, and design, the permanent collection illuminates the building process and documents changing architectural styles and construction techniques. 

The current collections hold approximately 75,000 photographic images, 68,000 architectural prints and drawings, 100 linear feet of documents, and 10,000 objects, including material samples, architectural fragments, and building toys.