The National Building Museum, at 401 F St. NW, was created in 1980 in the historic old Pension Building. The Pension Building was constructed in 1887 to handle the increasing pension administration needed for Civil War veterans and their families.
The building was designed by Montgomery C. Meigs, in the Italian Renaissance style. The frieze above the door is by Caspar Buberl. It contains 28 scenes of the Civil War, which are in repeating blocks to cover the 1300 feet of the perimeter of the building. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.