What is the City Action Hall?

Hold your next meeting at the National Building Museum Provide an unforgettable meeting, conference, or strategy session at the Museum for your organization! The City Action Hall at the National Building Museum is a collaboration space where organizations committed to improving cities can meet, strategize, and take action. Located within the Coming Together exhibition, which explores the pandemic's impact on America’s downtowns, the Hall connects inspiration with real-world planning. The space includes flexible seating, AV capabilities, and a pin-up board where groups can share their outcomes, fostering a growing record of urban innovation.

When is it available?

City Action Hall reservations are 2-3 hours long and can accommodate a maximum of 50 guests. There is one morning (10am to 12pm) and one afternoon (1pm to 4pm) slot available on select Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The group does not need to use the space for the full time and special accommodation can be made upon request for extended days and times. Reservations are open by application to any organization committed to improving urban areas.

What features does the room include?

The furniture in the City Action Hall is highly modular and can be configured for theatre style events, roundtable discussions, and small group conversations. The room can seat up to 50 attendees in theatre style and up to 20 attendees around a single table. Attendees are responsible for their own furniture arrangements. Possible configurations are provided in the registration email. The City Action Hall also includes a large pin-up board for groups to share key takeaways and action items from their meetings. We request groups submit one poster highlighting their contributions related to revitalizing downtowns to add to this timely national conversation. Poster submission guidelines will be sent to the organizer once their application has been approved.

Application: Submit your application through the online portal <a id="menurgqd" class="fui-Link ___1q1shib f2hkw1w f3rmtva f1ewtqcl fyind8e f1k6fduh f1w7gpdv fk6fouc fjoy568 figsok6 f1s184ao f1mk8lai fnbmjn9 f1o700av f13mvf36 f1cmlufx f9n3di6 f1ids18y f1tx3yz7 f1deo86v f1eh06m1 f1iescvh fhgqx19 f1olyrje f1p93eir f1nev41a f1h8hb77 f1lqvz6u f10aw75t fsle3fq f17ae5zn" title="https://forms.office.com/r/zqdykkhxjp" href="https://forms.office.com/r/ZQDYKkHxjp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Link here"> here . Confirmation: If your application is approved, you will receive a confirmation email from the National Building Museum with important know-before-you-go information. Meeting: At the time of the meeting, groups will check in at the museum Visitor Center on the ground floor to collect their wrist bands. Groups may proceed to the Coming Together exhibition on the second floor, where they will be greeted by a Visitor Services Representative to grant access to the City Action Hall.

Are there any guidelines?

There is no food and drink allowed in the City Action Hall. If left in poor condition after the event, there will be a cleaning fee applied. Attendees are responsible for their own furniture arrangements.

Building Together Monday, October 26–Friday, November 20 What kind of city would you build? Imagine, design, and build a city together in the Museum’s City Action Hall. Using LEGO® bricks, visitors can add buildings, streets, parks, public spaces, and their own ideas to an evolving cityscape that grows and changes with every contribution. Prompts throughout the space encourage visitors to think about the choices that shape our cities: What makes a neighborhood welcoming? Where should people live, work, gather, and play? What does a city need to serve the people who call it home? And what happens as new people, places, and ideas are added? Inspired by ideas explored in Coming Together, Building Together turns city-making into a shared, intergenerational experience. Each contribution becomes part of something larger, inviting visitors to consider how the choices we make together shape the places we share.