Collections

By Laura Hicken, Assistant Registrar Tools and equipment are essential components of the work done by architects, engineers, and builders. The Museum’s Tool Collection includes a variety of tools from different fields and time periods. Highlights from the Collection include a complete set of woodworking...

By Nancy Bateman, Registrar Since 2012, the Museum’s Summer Block Party has focused on the construction of a large showpiece in the Museum’s Great Hall. From the BEACH to this past summer’s Hive, these feats of engineering and imagination have showcased the designs of prominent...

By Laura Hicken, Assistant Registrar We are used to seeing curators and collections staff in museums wearing gloves whenever they handle artifacts. These gloves serve many purposes, including protecting artifacts from the dirt and oils on our hands. At the Museum we avoid using the...

By Nancy Bateman, Registrar In 1985, Olga Hirshhorn, widow of the famous art collector and benefactor Joseph Hirshhorn, saved a Miami Herald article about the grand opening of a new museum dedicated to architecture: the National Building Museum. Olga, an accomplished art collector and supporter...

By Laura Hicken, Assistant Registrar In 2015, the Museum received an incredible donation of more than 32,000 materials related to the design and construction of the Washington National Cathedral and other historic buildings on the 57-acre campus in Northwest D.C. The Construction Archives Collection dates...