Photo by Grundlepuck.

The National Building Museum, which hosts interesting events like the SAVOR Craft Beer Festival and 24-Hour City Project, and is often considered one of the city’s more plugged-in museums, will begin charging for admission to exhibits on June 27.

Admission to the NBM has been completely free since it opened in 1985; starting on he 27th, though, non-Museum members will have to pay $8 (adults) or $5 (under 17, students, seniors) to enter certain exhibits. The good news: access to the Museum’s Great Hall, shop, and cafe will continue to be free. Tours of the Museum’s historic building and its three annual family festivals — Discover Engineering Family Day, the National Cherry Blossom Family Festival, and the Big Build — will also remain fee-free. And obviously, admission will be waived for members: an annual NBM membership costs anywhere between $30-80.

Executive director Chase W. Rynd said that the economy has forced the museum to institute the admission charge. “Over the past few years, the recession has been particularly devastating for the culture and arts community, as well as the building and design industry,” Rynd said in a statement released this morning. “The many people who have deep affinity for the National Building Museum understand all too well, therefore, that this institution has been greatly impacted by the economic crisis.”

“We will certainly look for opportunities in the future to ensure that the admission fee does not serve as a barrier to those who cannot otherwise afford it. There is much to be proud of here and much to support. Now we need to turn to our audiences and ask for that support,” added Rynd.

The Museum is one of the last remaining private non-profit museums in the District to install an admission fee.