What Washington, D.C., building displays the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights?

The National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., displays the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights.

These documents are collectively known as the Charters of Freedom. They are exhibited in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, a specially designed gallery inside the National Archives Building on Constitution Avenue. The documents are protected in cases that help control light, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric conditions.

The Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776, the Constitution was signed in 1787, and the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791. Together, they express the nation’s independence, governmental structure, and protections for individual liberties.

The building was designed by architect John Russell Pope and completed in 1935. The National Archives and Records Administration preserves federal records, but the Rotunda display is not the Library of Congress or the U.S. Capitol. Visitors can see the documents as part of the permanent public exhibition.