Five Cheap Washington DC things that you can do in five days. Day three: The National Building Museum

For my wife's birthday a few years ago I took her down to see the beautiful National Building Museum. Old timers in DC know it as the Old Pension Building. The building was designed by Montgomery C. Meigs who hailed from my native state of Georgia and is one of my favorite unsung heroes of the American Civil War.

Built before modern artificial ventilation, the building was designed to maximize air circulation: all offices not only had exterior windows, but also opened onto the court, which was designed to admit cool air at ground level and exhaust hot air at the roof. Made of brick and tile, the stairs were designed for the limitations of disabled and aging veterans, having a gradual ascent with low steps. In addition, each step slanted slightly from back to front to allow easy drainage: a flight could be washed easily by pouring water from the top. wikipedia

Admission to the building is "free" but there are always some special exhibits that you might want to see and they will charge a few bucks admission for those. Or don't see any special exhibits. Frankly, just a trip to see the grand lobby of the building and to walk around the interior will make your day. The building constructed in 1887 is all brick, and the massive Greek style columns in the open interior court are worth the trip alone. The museum is located between G and F streets, just a short walk from the Judiciary Square Metro Station.

Now is the best time to go because if there are no special events scheduled you are pretty much assured that there will be few other visitors around to cramp your views. However, if you can wait until next summer then the coolest thing to see is the Annual Indoor Mini Golf Course.