A permanent exhibit at the National Building Museum in D.C. called “House & Home” invites visitors to explore how American domestic life has evolved over the centuries and to reconsider what the idea of “home” really means.
Cathy Frankel, Deputy Director for Interpretive Content at the National Building Museum explained how the exhibit captures both the physical and emotional dimensions of home.
“Everybody understands home and understands house,” Frankel said. “This is what’s most familiar. This is what children understand from the moment they’re born. They’re in their little room, they’re in their home, they’re in their neighborhood.”
That sense of familiarity is immediately apparent in the first gallery, where the walls are covered in photographs. Some images show the exteriors of homes — everything from apartment buildings to a lighthouse — while others offer intimate glimpses of daily life inside them: Families gathering around dinner tables, children watching television and people moving through their everyday routines. The photos span decades, mixing black‑and‑white images with vivid color.
“Home isn’t just about the structure, it’s about the people that are inside it and what they create in the community,” Frankel said. “It’s the people and it’s the things and it’s the activities that make it home.”
Moving into the main gallery, visitors encounter more than a dozen scale models of iconic American houses. These include detailed recreations of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and George Washington’s Mount Vernon, offering a look at how architectural styles have evolved across centuries.
The exhibit also highlights different construction styles — featuring materials like brick, wood, and glass — with walls that visitors are allowed to touch.
Frankel said one of the most popular parts is the display of hundreds of household objects, some dating back nearly 200 years. The collection ranges from nostalgic to quirky: an American flag, a piñata, a pink George Foreman grill, antique furniture, and Farrah Fawcett’s famous red swimsuit poster are just some examples.
“(This) is really how you make a home. It’s with the objects. It’s with the traditions. It’s with the family,” she said.
Frankel said curators had fun assembling the collection, which includes items lent from museums and staff members.
“(We) came up with this wonderful display, which I think really delights everybody and makes them think about what they’ve done in their own homes to make it their own,” Frankel said. “It’s great fun to watch our visitors come in here, especially the intergenerational groups, and be like, ‘Oh, my grandma had one of these. I remember this.’”
A timeline traces the development of the modern mortgage system and highlights key moments in the history of homeownership. The final section of the exhibit shifts from individual houses to the broader idea of community.
Displays explore different types of neighborhoods — from public housing to master‑planned developments — and emphasize how where we live shapes our daily experiences. The goal is to help visitors see their homes as parts of larger neighborhoods and networks.
“It’s a multi-generational audience,” Frankel said. “Everybody understands it and understands the importance of home.”
The National Building Museum is open Thursday through Monday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and is located at 401 F Street NW.
[custom_gallery]
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
Related stories
