National Postal Museum Building Celebrating 100th Anniversary

The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the building it calls home with a lunchtime program of events Thursday, Sept. 25, from noon until 2 p.m. September 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Washington, D.C., city post office building, located at 2 Massachusetts Ave., next to Union Station.

Although the building still has an operating post office, the bulk of the space was turned over to other agencies after an extensive renovation of the building at the end of the 20th century. Among the new tenants to the building was the National Postal Museum, which opened in 1993.

Educational and fun activities have been planned to provide Washington employees, residents and visitors a great way to spend their lunchtime period. In celebration of building’s prestigious history, special activities, tours and programs will be offered from noon until 2 p.m.:

• Cupcake Giveaway—No celebration is complete without cupcakes; visitors can enjoy free petite cupcakes by Sweet Lobby (while supplies last).
• Live Music by the Capitol Hillbillies—The neighborhood’s beloved band will perform tunes from the early 20th century, featuring their infamous rolling piano.
• Architectural Tours—20-minute tours of the building will be provided by G. Martin Moeller, senior curator at the National Building Museum. Tours will be offered at 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. and begin at the museum’s information desk, located in the center of the building’s historic lobby. A special self-guided version of the tour will also be available at the information desk.
• Historic Printing Press Demonstration—A demonstration of a spider press, a historic printing press that was used to print postage stamps in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, will take place in the museum’s William H. Gross Stamp Gallery. Visitors will be provided letter-pressed postcards as souvenirs of the celebration event.
• Historic Photos Slideshow—Historic photographs and interesting facts about the building and of lifestyles in the early 20th-century life will be on display.

The National Postal Museum is devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service and showcasing one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of stamps and philatelic material in the world. It is located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue N.E., Washington, D.C., across from Union Station. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). For more information about the Smithsonian, call (202) 633-1000 or visit the museum website at www.postalmuseum.si.edu.

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SI-452-2014