5 surprising facts about National Geographic headquarters

(What was the Cold War – and are we heading into a new one?)

3. The building once even had its own bomb shelter and morgue

Another relic of the Cold War was an air raid shelter with a morgue which was built in the 17th Street building in the 1960s. The city was littered with such hideouts, so that’s true According to the Society’s senior archivist, it was probably intended primarily for Society staff Cathy Hunter.

Unlike most Spartan shelters in Washington at the time, the Society’s bomb shelter had relatively luxurious amenitiesincluding cots, showers, medical supplies, and toothpaste. “This is a five-star fallout shelter that, compared to others, could make nuclear war about as unpleasant as staying at the Ritz,” said a 1982 article in The Washington Post.

4. It has literally been a home for explorers

The headquarters has served as a home base for the Society’s explorers since the organization’s early days, when it supported the work of adventurers such as Hiram Binghamwho explored Machu Picchu in the early 20th century. The society’s buildings have been the setting for lectures and receptions as explorers brought back stories of their adventures.

Some explorers have taken the concept of home base more literally. In the 2000s, conservationist J. Michael Fay sometimes slept in a Society building while in Washington. Known for being Megatransect about the Congo Basin and his Megaflyover project to raise awareness about elephant poaching, Fay’s work aims to protect land and wildlife by highlighting the impact of people on the environment.