National Building Museum To Reopen April 9 With New Exhibitions

WASHINGTON, DC — The National Building Museum is reopening Friday, April 9 after a 16-month closure for restoration work and due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The museum’s exhibitions and new museum shop will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fridays through Sundays. Masks are required for all visitors and the museum is following all D.C. government COVID guidelines for visitor capacity.

During its closure, the museum moved its public programs to an online format, and this will continue over the coming months until the city’s rules on the size of indoor gatherings allow for in-person events.

New to the museum will be an exhibition about a nonprofit architecture firm that focuses on designs for health, well-being and justice; a memorial dedicated to victims of gun violence; the work of an architectural photography master; and a visitor center that introduces the public to the museum and its mission.

The museum recently announced the appointment of Aileen Fuchs as its new president and executive director. Currently president and CEO of the Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden on Staten Island in New York, Fuchs will join the museum on May 5.

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The new three-room visitor center is located in ground-floor galleries, across the Great Hall from the museum shop. The entry room features a desk for purchasing exhibition tickets, information about upcoming museum programs, and a wall-sized installation of objects from the permanent collection. The second and third galleries provide an orientation and introduction to the complexities and impact of the “built environment" through displays, videos and interactive elements.

Access to the museum is through the building’s 5th Street and G Street entrances; the F Street doorway remains locked.

Visitors may purchase tickets in advance at go.nbm.org/tickets, or at the visitor center upon arrival. Visits to the museum shop and the Gun Violence Memorial Project do not require a ticket purchase.