Posjetite National Building Museum

O

Rýchle fakty: The Great Hall is one of the largest indoor spaces in Washington, soaring 159 feet high with eight colossal Corinthian columns, each 75 feet tall and painted in a warm terracotta hue. More than 1,200 tons of iron and brick were used to construct the massive atrium, which has hosted inaugural balls for every U.S. president since Grover Cleveland.

Zaujímavosti: Walk into the Great Hall and look up: the massive interior columns are hollow, built as clever engineering to save weight while still supporting the 1.5-acre skylit roof. During the Civil War, the unfinished building served as a makeshift hospital and later as a barracks, with soldiers carving their names into the brickwork that you can still spot today.

Insiderské tipy

• Grab a spot on one of the benches in the Great Hall center and look straight up to see the full scale of the 159-foot skylight without craning your neck.
• The gift shop stocks surprisingly unique architecture-themed souvenirs like building block sets and blueprint posters that make great gifts.
• Head to the mezzanine level for a quieter vantage point overlooking the main hall, especially pretty when afternoon light pours through the windows.
• Check the calendar before visiting: the building occasionally hosts free design workshops and family building activities on weekends.

Praktické informácie

Trasa

Oficiálna stránka

Viac atrakcií v Washington

National Mall

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

United States Capitol

Lincoln Memorial