Adopt An Artifact

The National Building Museum is home to the nation’s foremost archive of American architectural and design heritage. The Adopt an Artifact initiative allows you to directly ensure the proper care and preservation of the Museum’s permanent collections, which contain approximately 100,000 photographic images and negatives, 130,000 architectural prints and drawings, 100 linear feet of documents, and more than 20,000 additional objects. By symbolically adopting objects with critical conservation needs, participants contribute to sustaining the Museum’s ongoing efforts to inspire curiosity about the world we design and build.

Artifact adoption lasts for one year from the date of adoption and may be renewed annually. Donations are fully tax-deductible and support both the preservation of the selected item and the broader conservation goals of the Museum’s Collections team.