The National Building Museum will close this winter so its Great Hall can undergo repairs.
The U.S. General Services Administration will replace the concrete floor with a modern foundation. After construction, the museum will be much easier to navigate, according to a press release.
The museum will close Dec. 2 and isn't expected to reopen until March 2020.
The National Museum Building says its building first opened in 1885 as the United States Pension Building. When it was converted to a museum, a mandate required the historic architecture be preserved.
"It was a difficult decision for the Museum to close its doors, even for a short period,” Chase W. Rynd, executive director of the National Building Museum, said in a statement. "This is a necessary investment in our historic building’s infrastructure."
The Museum already has a slate of programming planned for when it reopens in spring, including the Architecture & Design Film Festival: D.C. and an exhibit on the proposed border wall from the perspective of design and architecture.
