Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States of America and the seat of the country’s three arms of government, is home to an unrivaled collection of free public museums and the lion’s share of the nation’s most beloved monuments and memorials. The National Mall’s panoramas between the Capitol, Washington Monument, White House, and Lincoln Memorial are internationally renowned.
Beyond the Mall, Washington, D.C. has abandoned its previous image as a dull and violent city in the last two decades, with shopping, eating, and nightlife befitting a world-class metropolis. The city is novel, fascinating, and undeniably cosmopolitan and international, as travelers will discover.
ARCHITECTURE
Washington’s architecture is quite varied. The District of Columbia is home to six of the top ten buildings on the American Institute of Architects’ 2007 list of “America’s Favorite Architecture”: the White House; the Washington National Cathedral; the Thomas Jefferson Memorial; the United States Capitol; the Lincoln Memorial; and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The neoclassical, Georgian, gothic, and contemporary architectural styles are all represented in those six buildings, as well as several other notable Washington landmarks. Notable outliers include the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which was created in the French Second Empire style.
Outside of downtown Washington, the variety of architectural types is much greater. Historic structures are mostly designed in the Queen Anne, Châteauesque, Richardsonian Romanesque, Georgian revival, Beaux-Arts, and other Victorian styles. Rowhouses are particularly prevalent in post-Civil War neighborhoods and are often designed in a Federalist or late Victorian style. Georgetown’s Old Stone House was constructed in 1765, giving it the city’s oldest surviving original structure. Georgetown University was founded in 1789 and boasts a blend of Romanesque and Gothic Revival architecture. The Ronald Reagan Building is the District’s biggest structure, covering an area of about 3.1 million square feet (288,000 m2)
ARTS
Washington, D.C., is a cultural capital of the United States. The National Symphony Orchestra, the Washington National Opera, and the Washington Ballet all call the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts home. Each year, the Kennedy Center Honors recognize individuals in the performing arts who have made significant contributions to the United States’ cultural life. The historic Ford’s Theatre, which was the location of President Abraham Lincoln’s murder, is still in operation as a performance facility and museum.
The United States Marine Band is housed in the Marine Barracks on Capitol Hill; established in 1798, it is the country’s oldest professional musical group.
John Philip Sousa, an American march composer and native of Washington, directed the Marine Band from 1880 until 1892. The United States Navy Band was founded in 1925 and is headquartered at the Washington Navy Yard. It plays at official occasions and public performances across the city.
HISTORIC SITES AND MUSEUMS
Between the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Capitol sits the National Mall, a wide, open park in downtown Washington. Due to the mall’s popularity, political demonstrations, concerts, festivals, and presidential inaugurations often take place there. The Washington Monument and Jefferson Pier are located south of the White House, near the mall’s center. The National World War II Memorial, located at the east end of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, as well as the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, are also located on the mall.
The Tidal Basin, located just south of the mall, is lined with rows of Japanese cherry blossom trees that were given as presents by the Japanese country. The Tidal Basin is surrounded by the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, the George Mason Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and the District of Columbia War Memorial.
The National Archives is home to hundreds of historic documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The Library of Congress, housed in three buildings on Capitol Hill, is the world’s biggest library complex, with a collection of over 147 million books, manuscripts, and other items. The United States Supreme Court Building opened in 1935; before, the court met in the Capitol’s Old Senate Chamber.
The Smithsonian Institution is a congressionally established educational organization that operates the majority of the nation’s official museums and galleries in Washington, D.C. The United States government partly finances the Smithsonian and its free public access to its treasures. In 2013, the Smithsonian’s venues had a combined 30 million visitors. The National Museum of Natural History, located on the National Mall, is the most visited museum. The National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of African Art, the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Sackler and Freer galleries, both of which focus on Asian art and culture, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Arts and Industries Building, the S. Dillon Ripley Center, and the Smithsonian Institution Building (also known as “The Castle”) are additional Smithsonian Institution museums and galleries on the mall.
The Old Patent Office Building, in Washington’s Chinatown, houses the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. The Renwick Gallery is technically affiliated with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, but is located in a separate building near the White House. Several other Smithsonian museums and galleries are located in Southeast Washington, including the Anacostia Community Museum, the National Postal Museum at Union Station, and the National Zoo in Woodley Park.
The National Gallery of Art is located near the Capitol on the National Mall and exhibits masterpieces of American and European art. Although the gallery and its holdings are owned by the United States government, they are not affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution. Congress created the National Building Museum, which is housed in the old Pension Building in Judiciary Square. The museum has exhibitions on architecture, urban planning, and design.
