National Building Museum

Adopt an Artifact: Hand Fan, Pension Building Artifact

The National Building Museum is home to the nation’s foremost archive of American architectural and design heritage. The Adopt an Artifact program allows you to directly support the proper care and preservation of objects with critical conservation needs, helping the Museum continue its mission to inspire curiosity about the world we design and build. To support this initiative, click here.

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Program Details

Although the United States had been administering pensions since at least 1792, the number of veterans receiving federal benefits grew dramatically after the Civil War. By 1881, the demand had increased so significantly that Congress commissioned Montgomery C. Meigs, the Union Army’s former quartermaster general, to design and construct a dedicated building for the Pension Bureau. When the new headquarters opened in 1887, pensions accounted for nearly one-third of the federal budget, and the building housed more than 1,500 clerks and officers.

In 1926, the Pension Bureau vacated the building as its functions were absorbed into what is now the Department of Veterans Affairs. This fan is part of the Pension Building Collection, a group of artifacts uncovered during recent renovations by the General Services Administration and later transferred to the National Building Museum. The collection offers a glimpse into the everyday lives of the many employees who worked in the building over the years. It includes items such as kitchen utensils, clothing, matchboxes, and even artist’s models.