For about 42 years one of the best free views in Washington was 270 feet above Pennsylvania Avenue. The Old Post Office Tower, run by the National Park Service, let anyone ride up past the Congress Bells to an open observation level with views across the city.
Status, October 2026: the National Park Service closed the tower on October 1, 2025, while the building's future was settled. After the June 2026 sale, the tower reopened in mid-July 2026, now run by the Waldorf Astoria hotel. Local press reported free admission on Wednesday to Saturday mornings, with the entrance at the rear of the building on the 12th Street side. Hours can change, so check with the hotel before you go.
What the tower offered
Visitors entered from the light court and took elevators to the observation level at about the twelfth-floor height. Three great arched openings on each side, protected by glass and grilles, framed the Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument and, on clear days, views of more than twelve miles. On the way up, windows looked into the bell chamber of the Congress Bells. Rangers or volunteers explained the building's history, and admission was free.
Tower facts
- Tower height
- About 315 feet
- Observation level
- About 270 feet
- Operated by
- National Park Service, 1983 to 2025; the hotel since July 2026
- Closed
- October 1, 2025 to July 2026
- Admission
- Free (as reported in 2026)
- Nearest Metro
- Federal Triangle (Blue, Orange, Silver lines)
Why public access matters
Keeping the tower open was one of the goals written into the redevelopment from the start. The 2013 environmental assessment described the clock tower as remaining open to the public under the hotel plan, and the National Park Service kept running it through the Trump International and Waldorf Astoria years. GSA said in 2026 that the sale permanently secured public access to the tower and protected the building's architecture and public artworks through covenants. Within weeks of the sale the hotel reopened the tower, with staff instead of rangers taking visitors up. Background is on the redevelopment timeline.
Other views of the city
- Washington Monument: the classic view, from about 500 feet. Timed tickets are usually required and can sell out.
- Rooftop bars: several downtown hotels have rooftop terraces with views of the Monument and the Capitol.
- The Capital Wheel at National Harbor: a 180-foot observation wheel on the Potomac in Maryland, next door to a casino resort. See our DC weekend itinerary.
Seeing the building anyway
You can still admire the exterior from Pennsylvania Avenue and 12th Street, visit the Benjamin Franklin statue in front of the building, and see the light court from the hotel's public bars and restaurants. Our photo essay shows what to look for, and the architecture page explains it.