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Get an exclusive look inside the 500,000-item vault at DC’s National Building Museum

Get an exclusive look inside the 500,000-item vault at DC’s National Building Museum

Ever been curious about how some of D.C.’s most intricate buildings were made?

The National Building Museum is displaying never-before-seen items from their storage space, in an exhibit called “Visible Vault.” The archives tell the story of how the District, and the country, were built.

In today’s episode of “Matt About Town,” Ƶapp’s Matt Kaufax went to downtown D.C. for a behind-the-scenes tour.

But Matt didn’t just tour the “Visible Vault” exhibit. In a rare and exclusive sneak peek, he went up to the normally off-limits top floor of the museum and got to see the real “vault,” where more than 500,000 items from the building’s history are kept behind lock and key in a climate-controlled environment.

During his visit, Matt got to see everything from a room dedicated to the blueprints for the National Cathedral to floor-to-ceiling cabinets filled with models of mini buildings from around the world, and concepts of some of D.C.’s most intricate monuments.

Also spotted was an entire toy collection documenting the history of Legos, Lincoln Logs and other kids items that have fostered building creativity over the years.

The museum said the whole “Visible Vault” exhibit is dedicated to exploring the built environment that we inhabit every day, especially right here in the nation’s capital. It’s a video exploration that’ll make you want to check out the exhibit for yourself!

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Matt Kaufax

If there's an off-the-beaten-path type of attraction, person, or phenomenon in the DC area that you think more people should know about, Matt is your guy. As the features reporter for Ƶapp, he's always on the hunt for stories that provide a unique local flavor—a slice of life if you will.

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