Discover the original United States Pension Bureau, now home to the National Building Museum. This book reveals the architectural and engineering ingenuity of the National Historic Landmark, known as one of Washington's most spectacular structures and celebrated as 'the most astonishing space in America' by the late architect Philip Johnson. It traces the building's history, from the 1880s to its present state as a museum dedicated to architecture, design, engineering, urban planning and construction. Designed in 1881 by civil engineer and U.S. Army General Montgomery C. Meigs, and built with more than 15 million bricks, the building was home to varying government agencies as well as the United States Pension Bureau before a 1980 Congressional Charter transformed it into a museum dedicated to the building arts. The building is an amazing architectural example and a marvel of engineering. The grand exterior is modelled on the elegant Palazzo Farnesse in Rome. The famous Great Hall spans more than 30