The past weekend I was in Washington DC and finally got to visit the National Building Museum. I always wanted to go and see this magnificent building but something or other got in the way. Well I would like to tell you that I was not disappointed the least. If you are interested in architecture I would highly recommend a visit. There are so many aspects to appreciate about this building that I don’t even know where to start. For one it is a brick building in a sea of limestone and glass and a very beautifully detailed one too. Then there is the great interior hall measuring about 320 x 120 feet and seven tall stories high. Wikipedia tells us:
“The National Building Museum is housed in the former Pension Bureau building, a brick structure completed in 1887 and designed by Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs, theU.S. Army quartermaster general.[8] It is notable for several architectural features, including the spectacular interior columns and a frieze, sculpted by Caspar Buberl, stretching around the exterior of the building and depicting Civil War soldiers in scenes somewhat reminiscent of those on Trajan’s Column as well as the Horsemen Frieze of the Parthenon. The vast interior, measuring 316 × 116 feet (96 × 35 m),[9] has been used to hold inauguration balls; a Presidential Seal is set into the floor near the south entrance.”
I also found the public stairs very interesting and upon further research I found out that they were designed to be handicap accessible, pretty advanced for its time.
Reblogged this on RSD Jewelry Findings and commented:
That is awesome