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The clean, modernist lines of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History stand in quiet contrast to the lively stories housed within. Located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., this museum preserves and presents the rich tapestry of American life—from the original Star-Spangled Banner to Dorothy’s ruby slippers, from presidential artifacts to pop culture icons.

This photo captures the museum’s north-facing facade, featuring polished marble panels and a recessed portico that stretches across its monumental elevation. Vertical banners flank the entrance, highlighting the museum’s vibrant rotating exhibitions. The tiered steps and dry fountain in the foreground are part of the museum’s adjacent plaza and amphitheater area, offering a place of reflection in the heart of the capital.

Designed by McKim, Mead & White associate Walker Cain and completed in 1964, the building originally opened as the Museum of History and Technology. Its stripped Classical style aligns with the postwar architectural sensibility seen in several Smithsonian institutions, emphasizing form and function while maintaining a dignified presence on the Mall. In 1980, it was renamed the National Museum of American History to better reflect its evolving mission.

Despite its austere exterior, the museum inside pulses with stories of innovation, struggle, creativity, and identity—making it one of the most visited museums in the United States. The inscription on the facade proudly reads: Kenneth E. Behring Center, recognizing a major donor whose contributions helped fund critical renovations in the early 2000s.

HABS Architectural Survey Standard:
Documented according to standards of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS):

Structure Name: National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center

Location: 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.

Style: Stripped Classical / Modernist

Date of Construction: 1958–1964

Architect: Walker Cain (McKim, Mead & White successor firm)

HABS Reference Number: DC-857

Moynihan Train Hall, opened in January 2021, is a transformative expansion of Penn Station led by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, located within the historic James A. Farley Post Office building in Manhattan. The west facade of the train hall retains the grandeur of the original 1912 Beaux-Arts design by McKim, Mead & White, featuring monumental Corinthian columns, stately granite steps, and ornate details that reflect the building’s historic significance.

National Register # 73002257
NYSRHP # 06101.000007
NYCL # 0232

The ornate ceiling in the James A. Farley Post Office lobby is divided into ten sections. In the center of each section is a seal of one of the first nations in the Universal Postal Union, the organization, created in 1874 in Switzerland, that standardized the rules and rates for delivering mail across national borders.

The James A. Farley Building, New York City's General Post Office (Zip Code 10001), located at 421 Eighth Avenue and occupying eight acres across two full city blocks, consists of the old general post office building and its western annex. The Farley Post Office holds the distinction of being the only Post Office in New York City that is open to the public 24 hours/7 days a week.

The James A. Farley Building was constructed in two stages. The original monumental front half, boasting the longest giantr order Corinthian colonnade in the world, was built by William M. Kendall of McKim, Mead & White from 1908-1913 and opened for postal business as the Pennsylvania Terminal in 1914. The imposing design was meant to match in strength the colonnade of Pennsylvania Station that originally faced it across the avenue. An unbroken flight of steps the full length of the colonnade provides access, for the main floor devoted to customer services is above a functional basement level that rises out of a dry moat giving light and air to workspaces below. Each of the square end pavilions is capped with a low saucer dome, expressed on the exterior as a low stepped pyramid.

In July 1918, the building was renamed the General Post Office Building and was doubled in space in 1934 by James Farley, replacing the 1878 Post Office at Park Row and Broadway. In 1982, the building was renamed once more as the James A. Farley Building. Farley was the nation's 53rd Postmaster General and served from 1933 to 1940. As a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 1940, he was only the second Roman Catholic to receive delegates towards such a nomination after Alfred E. Smith. Farley also served as a campain manager to both Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelt, and is considered the finest Athletic Commissioner/Boxing Commissioner in New York State history.

The building prominently bears the inscription: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." Commonly mistaken as an official motto of the United States Postal Service, it is actually taken from Herodotus' Histories (Book 8, Ch. 98) and describes the faithful service of the Persian system of mounted postal messengers under Xerxes I of Persia.

Moynihan Station, a planned train terminal, would expand Penn Station into the Farley Post Office Building. Plans for the expansion of the the busiest train station in the country, serving more than 550,000 daily passengers, the busiest train station in the country with more than 550,000 daily passengers. It has since gone through a portracted series of delays and redesigns over the years. Phase I of the current plan, "Moynihan Moving Forward", broke ground in 2010 and, with work occuring only on nights and weekends, is expected to be complete by 2016. The phase consists of mostly below-grade, transportation infrastructure improvements including the expansion of the Long Island Rail Road West End Concourse under the Farley building steps to serve Amtrak and New Jersey Transit platforms, new entrances through the Farley Building, and improved ventilation. The second phase includes a sky-lit grand hall with 1 million square feet of retail space. The Farley Building's facade will remain untouched, and it will retain retail postal lobby services . However, all mail processing operations will be relocated one block away to the Morgan Processing and Distribution Center.

The United States General Post Office was designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1966.

National Register #73002257 (1973)

The ornate ceiling in the James A. Farley Post Office lobby is divided into ten sections. In the center of each section is a seal of one of the first nations in the Universal Postal Union, the organization, created in 1874 in Switzerland, that standardized the rules and rates for delivering mail across national borders.

The James A. Farley Building, New York City's General Post Office (Zip Code 10001), located at 421 Eighth Avenue and occupying eight acres across two full city blocks, consists of the old general post office building and its western annex. The Farley Post Office holds the distinction of being the only Post Office in New York City that is open to the public 24 hours/7 days a week.

The James A. Farley Building was constructed in two stages. The original monumental front half, boasting the longest giantr order Corinthian colonnade in the world, was built by William M. Kendall of McKim, Mead & White from 1908-1913 and opened for postal business as the Pennsylvania Terminal in 1914. The imposing design was meant to match in strength the colonnade of Pennsylvania Station that originally faced it across the avenue. An unbroken flight of steps the full length of the colonnade provides access, for the main floor devoted to customer services is above a functional basement level that rises out of a dry moat giving light and air to workspaces below. Each of the square end pavilions is capped with a low saucer dome, expressed on the exterior as a low stepped pyramid.

In July 1918, the building was renamed the General Post Office Building and was doubled in space in 1934 by James Farley, replacing the 1878 Post Office at Park Row and Broadway. In 1982, the building was renamed once more as the James A. Farley Building. Farley was the nation's 53rd Postmaster General and served from 1933 to 1940. As a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 1940, he was only the second Roman Catholic to receive delegates towards such a nomination after Alfred E. Smith. Farley also served as a campain manager to both Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelt, and is considered the finest Athletic Commissioner/Boxing Commissioner in New York State history.

The building prominently bears the inscription: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." Commonly mistaken as an official motto of the United States Postal Service, it is actually taken from Herodotus' Histories (Book 8, Ch. 98) and describes the faithful service of the Persian system of mounted postal messengers under Xerxes I of Persia.

Moynihan Station, a planned train terminal, would expand Penn Station into the Farley Post Office Building. Plans for the expansion of the the busiest train station in the country, serving more than 550,000 daily passengers, the busiest train station in the country with more than 550,000 daily passengers. It has since gone through a portracted series of delays and redesigns over the years. Phase I of the current plan, "Moynihan Moving Forward", broke ground in 2010 and, with work occuring only on nights and weekends, is expected to be complete by 2016. The phase consists of mostly below-grade, transportation infrastructure improvements including the expansion of the Long Island Rail Road West End Concourse under the Farley building steps to serve Amtrak and New Jersey Transit platforms, new entrances through the Farley Building, and improved ventilation. The second phase includes a sky-lit grand hall with 1 million square feet of retail space. The Farley Building's facade will remain untouched, and it will retain retail postal lobby services . However, all mail processing operations will be relocated one block away to the Morgan Processing and Distribution Center.

The United States General Post Office was designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1966.

National Register #73002257 (1973)

Symphony Hall, home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and the Boston Pops, at 301 Massachusetts Avenue, was built to the design of McKim, Mead and White in 1899-1900. Designed in consultation with Harvard assistant professor of physics, Wallace Clement Sabine, it is one of the first auditoria to consider scientifically derived acoustical principles.

Symphony Hall, home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and the Boston Pops, at 301 Massachusetts Avenue, was built to the design of McKim, Mead and White in 1899-1900. Designed in consultation with Harvard assistant professor of physics, Wallace Clement Sabine, it is one of the first auditoria to consider scientifically derived acoustical principles.

Providence, Rhode Island

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The Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall, the center for the Wharton School of Business administration, located at 3620 Locust Walk, was originally built as Steinberg Hall in 1952 by McKim, Mead and White in 1952, and then renovated in 1983 for the Wharton School to the design of Warner Burns, Tone and Lunde. The original building was named after D. Wellington Dietrich, uncle of H. Richard Dietrich and Daniel W. Dietrich, Wharton graduates and benefactors of the University. The 1983 renovation and addition honors Saul Steinberg, CEO of the Reliance Group Holdings and University graduate, trustee and donor of the facility. The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania is the world's oldest collegiate business school, established in 1881 through a donation of from Joseph Wharton, a co-founder of Bethlehem Steel.

The University of Pennsylvania, commonly referenced as Penn or UPenn, is a private Ivy League research university. It is one of nine colonial colleges, established in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin, who first convened the board of trustees in 1749, arguably making it the fifth-oldest institution of higher learning in the country. The current core comps covers 299 acres in a contiguous area of West Philadelphia's University City, with the older heart comprising the University of Pennsylvania Campus Historic District. The university currently has four undergraduate schools serving approximately 10,000 students and 12 graduate and professional schools, serving another approximately 13,000 students.

Columnata del edificio James A. Fairley, de McKim, Mead, and White (1914, sedeen Nueva York del servicio postal de Estados Unidos (USPS), frente a Penn Station. La inscripción en el friso alude al trabajo de los carteros: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds".

The Morgan Library & Museum in Midtown Manhattan, in New York City.

Formerly known as the Pierpont Morgan Library, the Morgan Library & Museum began as the personal library of financier, collector, and cultural benefactor Pierpont Morgan. As early as 1890 Morgan had begun to assemble a collection of illuminated, literary, and historical manuscripts, early printed books, and old master drawings and prints.

Mr. Morgan's library, as it was known in his lifetime, was built between 1902 and 1906 adjacent to his New York residence at Madison Avenue and 36th Street. Designed by Charles McKim of the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, the library was intended as something more than a repository of rare materials. Majestic in appearance yet intimate in scale, the structure was to reflect the nature and stature of its holdings.

The result was an Italian Renaissance-style palazzo with three magnificent rooms epitomizing America's Age of Elegance. Completed three years before McKim's death, it is considered by many to be his masterpiece. In 1924, eleven years after Pierpont Morgan's death, his son, J. P. Morgan, Jr., known as Jack, realized that the library had become too important to remain in private hands. In what constituted one of the most momentous cultural gifts in U.S. history, he fulfilled his father's dream of making the library and its treasures available to scholars and the public alike by transforming it into a public institution.

Over the years—through purchases and generous gifts—The Morgan Library & Museum has continued to acquire rare materials as well as important music manuscripts, early children's books, Americana, and materials from the twentieth century. Without losing its decidedly domestic feeling, the Morgan also has expanded its physical space considerably.

In 1928, the Annex building was erected on the corner of Madison Avenue and 36th Street, replacing Pierpont Morgan's residence. The Annex connected to the original McKim library by means of a gallery. In 1988, Jack Morgan's former residence—a mid-nineteenth century brownstone on Madison Avenue and 37th Street—also was added to the complex.

Information Source:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Library_%26_Museum

The Morgan Library & Museum in Midtown Manhattan, in New York City.

Formerly known as the Pierpont Morgan Library, the Morgan Library & Museum began as the personal library of financier, collector, and cultural benefactor Pierpont Morgan. As early as 1890 Morgan had begun to assemble a collection of illuminated, literary, and historical manuscripts, early printed books, and old master drawings and prints.

Mr. Morgan's library, as it was known in his lifetime, was built between 1902 and 1906 adjacent to his New York residence at Madison Avenue and 36th Street. Designed by Charles McKim of the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, the library was intended as something more than a repository of rare materials. Majestic in appearance yet intimate in scale, the structure was to reflect the nature and stature of its holdings.

The result was an Italian Renaissance-style palazzo with three magnificent rooms epitomizing America's Age of Elegance. Completed three years before McKim's death, it is considered by many to be his masterpiece. In 1924, eleven years after Pierpont Morgan's death, his son, J. P. Morgan, Jr., known as Jack, realized that the library had become too important to remain in private hands. In what constituted one of the most momentous cultural gifts in U.S. history, he fulfilled his father's dream of making the library and its treasures available to scholars and the public alike by transforming it into a public institution.

Over the years—through purchases and generous gifts—The Morgan Library & Museum has continued to acquire rare materials as well as important music manuscripts, early children's books, Americana, and materials from the twentieth century. Without losing its decidedly domestic feeling, the Morgan also has expanded its physical space considerably.

In 1928, the Annex building was erected on the corner of Madison Avenue and 36th Street, replacing Pierpont Morgan's residence. The Annex connected to the original McKim library by means of a gallery. In 1988, Jack Morgan's former residence—a mid-nineteenth century brownstone on Madison Avenue and 37th Street—also was added to the complex.

Information Source:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Library_%26_Museum

The Morgan Library & Museum in Midtown Manhattan, in New York City.

Formerly known as the Pierpont Morgan Library, the Morgan Library & Museum began as the personal library of financier, collector, and cultural benefactor Pierpont Morgan. As early as 1890 Morgan had begun to assemble a collection of illuminated, literary, and historical manuscripts, early printed books, and old master drawings and prints.

Mr. Morgan's library, as it was known in his lifetime, was built between 1902 and 1906 adjacent to his New York residence at Madison Avenue and 36th Street. Designed by Charles McKim of the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, the library was intended as something more than a repository of rare materials. Majestic in appearance yet intimate in scale, the structure was to reflect the nature and stature of its holdings.

The result was an Italian Renaissance-style palazzo with three magnificent rooms epitomizing America's Age of Elegance. Completed three years before McKim's death, it is considered by many to be his masterpiece. In 1924, eleven years after Pierpont Morgan's death, his son, J. P. Morgan, Jr., known as Jack, realized that the library had become too important to remain in private hands. In what constituted one of the most momentous cultural gifts in U.S. history, he fulfilled his father's dream of making the library and its treasures available to scholars and the public alike by transforming it into a public institution.

Over the years—through purchases and generous gifts—The Morgan Library & Museum has continued to acquire rare materials as well as important music manuscripts, early children's books, Americana, and materials from the twentieth century. Without losing its decidedly domestic feeling, the Morgan also has expanded its physical space considerably.

In 1928, the Annex building was erected on the corner of Madison Avenue and 36th Street, replacing Pierpont Morgan's residence. The Annex connected to the original McKim library by means of a gallery. In 1988, Jack Morgan's former residence—a mid-nineteenth century brownstone on Madison Avenue and 37th Street—also was added to the complex.

Information Source:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Library_%26_Museum

The Morgan Library & Museum in Midtown Manhattan, in New York City.

Formerly known as the Pierpont Morgan Library, the Morgan Library & Museum began as the personal library of financier, collector, and cultural benefactor Pierpont Morgan. As early as 1890 Morgan had begun to assemble a collection of illuminated, literary, and historical manuscripts, early printed books, and old master drawings and prints.

Mr. Morgan's library, as it was known in his lifetime, was built between 1902 and 1906 adjacent to his New York residence at Madison Avenue and 36th Street. Designed by Charles McKim of the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, the library was intended as something more than a repository of rare materials. Majestic in appearance yet intimate in scale, the structure was to reflect the nature and stature of its holdings.

The result was an Italian Renaissance-style palazzo with three magnificent rooms epitomizing America's Age of Elegance. Completed three years before McKim's death, it is considered by many to be his masterpiece. In 1924, eleven years after Pierpont Morgan's death, his son, J. P. Morgan, Jr., known as Jack, realized that the library had become too important to remain in private hands. In what constituted one of the most momentous cultural gifts in U.S. history, he fulfilled his father's dream of making the library and its treasures available to scholars and the public alike by transforming it into a public institution.

Over the years—through purchases and generous gifts—The Morgan Library & Museum has continued to acquire rare materials as well as important music manuscripts, early children's books, Americana, and materials from the twentieth century. Without losing its decidedly domestic feeling, the Morgan also has expanded its physical space considerably.

In 1928, the Annex building was erected on the corner of Madison Avenue and 36th Street, replacing Pierpont Morgan's residence. The Annex connected to the original McKim library by means of a gallery. In 1988, Jack Morgan's former residence—a mid-nineteenth century brownstone on Madison Avenue and 37th Street—also was added to the complex.

Information Source:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Library_%26_Museum