What's on in Washington, DC
Open collections storage shelving in Visible Vault

National Building MuseumJudiciary Square

Visible Vault: Open Collections Storage

Now showingPermanent collection$10

Open storage putting more than 2,500 previously unseen artefacts on view: models and tools from I.M. Pei, Cesar Pelli and Frank Gehry, Pension Building material and architectural toys.

Exhibition website Book tickets

More in Washington, DC

On nowAll of October 2026

Free in the same building

Plan a visit to National Building Museum

Also at National Building Museum

On now nearby

Black-and-white George Hurrell portrait of Joan Crawford, chin lifted, in dramatic studio lighting

Star Power: Photographs from Hollywood's Golden Age by George Hurrell (A Sequel)

National Portrait Gallery

Early photograph of the neoclassical Patent Office Building used as the exhibition's key image

The Spirit of Invention: Patent Office and Patentees

National Portrait Gallery

Gold Portrait of a Nation award trophies shaped as a face in profile

Portrait of a Nation: 2025 Honorees

National Portrait Gallery

All exhibitions in Washington, DC this month Coming up in November

Nearby

The Greek Revival south (F Street) portico of the Old Patent Office Building, home of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC

National Portrait Gallery

ArtFree5 min walk
The Greek Revival portico and columned facade of the Old Patent Office Building, home of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC

Smithsonian American Art Museum

ArtFree5 min walk
The neoclassical National Archives Building with its Corinthian colonnade, seen from Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC

National Archives Museum

ArchitectureFree8 min walk
The neoclassical West Building of the National Gallery of Art on the National Mall, Washington, DC

National Gallery of Art

ArtFree8 min walk

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