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c.1766
1792
1793
Old Stone House
Located in Georgetown, the Old Stone House is the oldest structure in Washington, D.C., that still sits on its original foundation. It was built circa 1766, predating the Revolutionary War and the subsequent founding of the United States. Since the 19th century, this National Historic Landmark has housed some sort of shop or retail space on its ground floor. Today, you can still find a shop inside, as well as exhibits about the house's history in the original kitchen.
White House
Though George Washington selected the site for the White House, with construction beginning in 1792, the first president to live there was John Adams, who took up residence in 1800. The original neoclassical structure was designed by Irish-born architect James Hoban. It was burned by the British in 1814 during the War of 1812 and Hoban was appointed to rebuild it. James Monroe moved into the presidential residence in 1817, later adding the South Portico; the North Portico was added by Andrew Jackson in 1829.
The U.S. Capitol
The Capitol is another neoclassical icon in Washington, D.C., emulating the great architecture of ancient Greece and Rome with its grand 287-foot-high dome and stately columns. In 1792, Congress established a contest for the design of the Capitol, which was won by Dr. William Thornton, a doctor and amateur architect living in the British Virgin Islands (then the British West Indies).
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1815
1848
1855
1897
c.1880s–1910s
1907
1963
1928
1977
2006
1982
2016
2019
Tudor Place
Dr. William Thornton was not only responsible for the Capitol, but also Tudor Place, a private residence that housed six generations of Martha Washington's descendants. For this home, he turned to Federal-style architecture—a distinctly American design movement that evolved from Georgian architecture in the post-Revolutionary years. Today, it's well-preserved inside and out, holding some 18,000 decorative objects.
Washington Monument
Perhaps the most easily recognizable of D.C.'s icons, the Washington Monument stands 555 feet, 5 1/8 inches tall—at the time of construction, which began in 1848 and finished in 1884, it was the world's tallest building. The obelisk was designed by Robert Mills and completed by Thomas Casey and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Smithsonian Institution Building (the Castle)
The Smithsonian Institution Building, better known as the Castle, was the first building of the entire Smithsonian Institution, which now spans 21 museums and is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex. It was designed by architect James Renwick, Jr. in the Norman Revival style, drawing from late Romanesque and early Gothic typologies, and was constructed out of red sandstone from Maryland's Seneca Creek.
Victorian Row Homes in Adams Morgan
Colorful Victorian homes line 18th Street NW in the Adams Morgan neighborhood, featuring many display elements of the specific Queen Anne style, such as turrets and colorful, asymmetrical façades. While Victorian homes were popular in D.C. at the turn of the 20th century, many have been demolished over time.
The Library of Congress
The original Library of Congress, established in 1800, did not have a home of its own—it simply was housed in the Capitol building. Its permanent home was built nearly a century later. The Thomas Jefferson Building opened in 1897 to great fanfare, featuring highly ornamental Beaux Arts architecture that reflects the wealth and optimism of a Gilded Age America.
Washington National Cathedral
It took 83 years for the Washington National Cathedral to be completed, but it was well worth the wait. The extraordinary house of worship, which is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, displays classic Gothic architecture with flying buttresses supporting a vaulted ceiling, stained-glass windows, and gargoyles and grotesques.
The Hay–Adams
On the site of the since-demolished homes of John Hay and Henry Adams stands The Hay-Adams, one of D.C.'s most famous historic hotels. Designed by Armenian-American architect Mihran Mesrobian in the Italian Renaissance style, the 145-room luxury hotel has architectural motifs from a variety of movements, including columns of the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders, as well as ceiling treatments with Elizabethan and Tudor motifs.
Watergate Complex
Forget the political scandal associated with the Watergate Complex—this mixed-use site itself was an architectural scandal when it opened in 1965. Built between 1963 and 1971, the six buildings feature an undulating, modern design by Italian architect Luigi Moretti that contrasted greatly with D.C.'s largely neoclassical landscape. The Watergate Hotel is still open today if you want to enjoy midcentury-inspired decor—and nods to the dramatic event that unfolded there.
Dupont Circle Metro Station
Opened in 1977, D.C.'s Metro system features architecture by Harry Weese, who desired to create a public transportation system with spacious, monumental flair—the antithesis of the New York City subway. As such, he designed stations like Dupont Circle to have vaulted ceilings decorated with concrete blocks, a hallmark of the polarizing brutalist style.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
More than 58,000 names adorn the black granite walls of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, another originally controversial work during D.C.'s transition from neoclassicism to modernism. It was designed by Maya Lin, then an undergraduate architecture student, who won a public design competition for the memorial.
House of Sweden
For the House of Sweden, home to the Embassy of Sweden and the Embassy of Iceland, architects Gert Wingårdh and Tomas Hansen turned to—you guessed it—Scandinavian architecture. It's all about openness and transparency, two descriptors not commonly associated with civic architecture, which is why glass is the main material for this light and bright structure.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
The newest addition to the lineup of Smithsonian museums, the National Museum of African American History and Culture was designed by David Adjaye and Philip Freelon of Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup. The building is surrounded by a metal lattice inspired by the ironworks produced by enslaved peoples in the American South.
The LINE DC
A neoclassical church from 1912 has a second life as The LINE DC, a boutique hotel whose transformation was managed by the New York–based firm INC Architecture & Design. Many of the church's original elements remain, notably the 60-foot vaulted ceiling, which now arches over a cafe and restaurant rather than parishioners on pews.
The REACH at the Kennedy Center
Expanding upon the modernist Kennedy Center by architect Edward Durell Stone, Steven Holl Architects designed the REACH, a largely subterranean addition to the performing arts center. Three concrete pavilions with both stark and swooped edges break the surface, connected by a lush lawn and a reflecting pool.
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2017
2019
Click
for more information
c.1766
1792
1793
Old Stone House
Located in Georgetown, the Old Stone House is the oldest structure in Washington, D.C., that still sits on its original foundation. It was built circa 1766, predating the Revolutionary War and the subsequent founding of the United States. Since the 19th century, this National Historic Landmark has housed some sort of shop or retail space on its ground floor. Today, you can still find a shop inside, as well as exhibits about the house's history in the original kitchen.
White House
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The U.S. Capitol
The Capitol is another neoclassical icon in Washington, D.C., emulating the great architecture of ancient Greece and Rome with its grand 287-foot-high dome and stately columns. In 1792, Congress established a contest for the design of the Capitol, which was won by Dr. William Thornton, a doctor and amateur architect living in the British Virgin Islands (then the British West Indies).
LEARN MORE
1815
1848
1855
1897
c.1880s–1910s
1907
1963
1928
1977
2006
1982
2016
2019
Tudor Place
Dr. William Thornton was not only responsible for the Capitol, but also Tudor Place, a private residence that housed six generations of Martha Washington's descendants. For this home, he turned to Federal-style architecture—a distinctly American design movement that evolved from Georgian architecture in the post-Revolutionary years. Today, it's well-preserved inside and out, holding some 18,000 decorative objects.
Washington Monument
Perhaps the most easily recognizable of D.C.'s icons, the Washington Monument stands 555 feet, 5 1/8 inches tall—at the time of construction, which began in 1848 and finished in 1884, it was the world's tallest building. The obelisk was designed by Robert Mills and completed by Thomas Casey and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Smithsonian Institution Building (the Castle)
The Smithsonian Institution Building, better known as the Castle, was the first building of the entire Smithsonian Institution, which now spans 21 museums and is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex. It was designed by architect James Renwick, Jr. in the Norman Revival style, drawing from late Romanesque and early Gothic typologies, and was constructed out of red sandstone from Maryland's Seneca Creek.
Victorian Row Homes in Adams Morgan
Colorful Victorian homes line 18th Street NW in the Adams Morgan neighborhood, featuring many display elements of the specific Queen Anne style, such as turrets and colorful, asymmetrical façades. While Victorian homes were popular in D.C. at the turn of the 20th century, many have been demolished over time.
The Library of Congress
The original Library of Congress, established in 1800, did not have a home of its own—it simply was housed in the Capitol building. Its permanent home was built nearly a century later. The Thomas Jefferson Building opened in 1897 to great fanfare, featuring highly ornamental Beaux Arts architecture that reflects the wealth and optimism of a Gilded Age America.
Washington National Cathedral
It took 83 years for the Washington National Cathedral to be completed, but it was well worth the wait. The extraordinary house of worship, which is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, displays classic Gothic architecture with flying buttresses supporting a vaulted ceiling, stained-glass windows, and gargoyles and grotesques.
The Hay–Adams
On the site of the since-demolished homes of John Hay and Henry Adams stands The Hay-Adams, one of D.C.'s most famous historic hotels. Designed by Armenian-American architect Mihran Mesrobian in the Italian Renaissance style, the 145-room luxury hotel has architectural motifs from a variety of movements, including columns of the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders, as well as ceiling treatments with Elizabethan and Tudor motifs.
Watergate Complex
Forget the political scandal associated with the Watergate Complex—this mixed-use site itself was an architectural scandal when it opened in 1965. Built between 1963 and 1971, the six buildings feature an undulating, modern design by Italian architect Luigi Moretti that contrasted greatly with D.C.'s largely neoclassical landscape. The Watergate Hotel is still open today if you want to enjoy midcentury-inspired decor—and nods to the dramatic event that unfolded there.
Dupont Circle Metro Station
Opened in 1977, D.C.'s Metro system features architecture by Harry Weese, who desired to create a public transportation system with spacious, monumental flair—the antithesis of the New York City subway. As such, he designed stations like Dupont Circle to have vaulted ceilings decorated with concrete blocks, a hallmark of the polarizing brutalist style.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
More than 58,000 names adorn the black granite walls of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, another originally controversial work during D.C.'s transition from neoclassicism to modernism. It was designed by Maya Lin, then an undergraduate architecture student, who won a public design competition for the memorial.
House of Sweden
For the House of Sweden, home to the Embassy of Sweden and the Embassy of Iceland, architects Gert Wingårdh and Tomas Hansen turned to—you guessed it—Scandinavian architecture. It's all about openness and transparency, two descriptors not commonly associated with civic architecture, which is why glass is the main material for this light and bright structure.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
The newest addition to the lineup of Smithsonian museums, the National Museum of African American History and Culture was designed by David Adjaye and Philip Freelon of Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup. The building is surrounded by a metal lattice inspired by the ironworks produced by enslaved peoples in the American South.
The LINE DC
A neoclassical church from 1912 has a second life as The LINE DC, a boutique hotel whose transformation was managed by the New York–based firm INC Architecture & Design. Many of the church's original elements remain, notably the 60-foot vaulted ceiling, which now arches over a cafe and restaurant rather than parishioners on pews.
The REACH at the Kennedy Center
Expanding upon the modernist Kennedy Center by architect Edward Durell Stone, Steven Holl Architects designed the REACH, a largely subterranean addition to the performing arts center. Three concrete pavilions with both stark and swooped edges break the surface, connected by a lush lawn and a reflecting pool.
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2017
2019