Building 45 - The Natcher Building
The Natcher Building, completed in 1994, includes office space for 600 NIH extramural staff, a 1,000-seat auditorium, and the state-of-the-art multi-use Natcher Conference Center. The office space accommodates 51,500 net square feet for the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and 29,000 net square feet for the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).
NIH Events Management provides comprehensive conference/meeting support services for NIH conference facilities on the Bethesda campus and surrounding locale. The Natcher Conference Center in Building 45 is the largest conference facility on the Bethesda campus, with multiple conference rooms as well as the Ruth Kirschstein Auditorium that can host up to 1,000 guests. In addition, it features several multimedia services, including presentation and audio equipment as well as special services such as video conferencing, video production and editing, videocasting, and captioning.
Directions to Building 45
Metro
- Take the Red Line to the Medical Center Station. When you arrive, the escalators will take you directly to NIH campus.
Waliking to the Natcher Building
- Exit the metro. At the top of the escalators you will see the NIH Visitor /Gateway Center.
- Go to the left up the stairs.
- Walk through a turnstile. You will need your NIH ID.
- Follow the sidewalk. There will be a sign pointing towards Natcher.
- After about 30-40 yards, you will see the building on your left. The building is characterized by a wide sweeping curvature of glass windows.
Shuttle- If you’re traveling from outside campus, you can ride one of NIH shuttle services. It will drop you off at the metro stop (usually the first stop once inside campus). You can catch a campus shuttle from there or walk to Natcher.
Parking
If you drive to campus, the Natcher Conference Center has its own underground parking garage. To park here, you must have an NIH Parking Permit. There is additional surface parking adjacent to the building.
If you wish to park on campus and do not have parking permit, then you can obtain a temporary parking permit through the NIH Division of Amenities and Transportation Services.
If you are a remote worker who is required to come to the NIH campus, you can apply online for a temporary remote parking permit. Each remote worker will be limited to five temporary daily parking permits per month (as long as any parking hangers assigned to them are returned.) For remote workers who have questions, review the FAQs on the Parking FAQ page.
On-Site and Local Amenities
The Building 45 Cafeteria is now serving breakfast Monday through Friday from 7:00AM - 9:00AM and lunch Monday through Friday from 11:00AM to 2:00PM. The menu includes hot weigh-and-pay, grab-n-go salads and sandwiches, assorted sushi, snacks and bottled beverages. The Pop-Up Service Days program will still be considered for large volume, in-person event days for Monday and Friday service opportunities. All inquiries can be directed to the Office of Research Services, Division of Amenities and Transportation Services (DATS) Food Program Office at ORSWEPB@ors.od.nih.gov or through the program’s general-purpose line at 301-827-3248.
If you're looking for more refreshment options or want to know about any service changes you can find that information here.
