Along with printing currency, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing also advises federal agencies on matters of document security. Also, it processes claims for the redemption of currency that has been damaged. The bureau has ongoing research efforts to improve automated production of currency and deter counterfeiting in currency and other security documents.

This photo from the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing's website shows a sheet of notes being inspected for quality.

The Bureau's main building was completed in 1914 and its annex (next to the main building) opened in 1938. 

Want to learn more about the history of the American banking and monetary system? Consider this comprehensive book from Princeton University Press.

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Free ebook-History of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing

As part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing  (BEP) is responsible for the printing of all currency notes. The bureau prints billions of Federal Reserve Notes, or dollars, each year for delivery to the Federal Reserve System, which makes sure enough currency and coins are in circulation. The coins are produced at the Mint. The organization offers tours and exhibits, and researchers can use the Bureau's Historical Resource Center which includes two million objects related to the history of engraving and printing for the federal government. 


Paper money was not utilized until the start of the Civil War, so the Bureau of Engraving and Printing has its origins in legislation enacted to help fund the Union Army. In the first years of paper money, workers printed and trimmed currency notes by hand. Over time, the Bureau was also tasked with printing stamps. In 1877, the BEP became the sole producer of all United States currency. Today, the BEP no longer produces postage stamps and has an additional production facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

Bureau of Engraving and Printing

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During
World War II, President Roosevelt was under pressure to provide a larger, more
accommodating location for what was then known as the Department of War, what
is now known as the Department of Defense. The original site chosen for the
building was known as Arlington Farm and was located just to the east of
Arlington Cemetery; this area’s roadways required that the building be designed
in the shape of a Pentagon to maximize space. Congress was forced to change
locations when protesters said that the proximity of such a building to
Arlington Cemetery was inappropriate. The new site was in a place called Hell’s
Bottom, and to save time the pentagon shape of the original design was still
used although it was unnecessary. 

This new
building would be designed to accommodate up to 40,000 government employees. With
a total floor area of about 6.6 million square feet, the Pentagon building has
twice the office space of the Empire State Building. When the building was
constructed, bathrooms throughout the US were still segregated so the complex
has twice the necessary number of restrooms. Today, the building holds about
25,000 civilian and military employees, at its height during the Korean War the
staff reached 33,000 people. 

The first
major threat to the building was during the Cold War. As the Russians developed
nuclear technology, the Pentagon was viewed as a likely target for a nuclear
missile. Security measures were heightened and nerves were high as employees in
Department of Defense prepared for possible nuclear attack. During the Korean
War, the Pentagon was at its height and became the center of all military
activity in the US. After the war, because of its prominence, the Pentagon
became a major tourist attraction. The massive office building takes up 29 acres and has more than 17 miles of corridors. Because of its unique design, it takes only 7 minutes to walk to any two points in the building. At its peak, it housed 33,000 workers. The building is most noted because of its five-sided shape. A total of 680,000 tons of sand and gravel were used to make the concrete for the building.Because it was built during war years, the building contains no marble or much of the other ornamentation found in other Federal buildings.In October
of 1967, 35,000 Vietnam War protesters faced off 2,000 federal troops armed
with tear gas at the Pentagon. The protesters had rallied and marched across
Memorial Bridge in the direction of the Pentagon and shouted down the war. To
the protesters, the Pentagon represented the totalitarian nature of the US
government and military during the war. Skirmishes arose throughout the night,
but no shots were fired by either side. The arrests made and tensions arose
that night only worsened the relationship between the government and the
protesters. A massive billion dollar renovation project began in the early 1990s. Then on September 11, 2001, an American Airlines flight was hijacked and crashed into the west side of the building as part of that day’s terrorist attacks on the United States. Everyone on the plane was killed as were 100 people in the building. That section was rebuilt while renovations were ongoing. It has been noted that because of the renovations at the time, several offices that were destroyed during that terrorist act were unoccupied and therefore many lives were spared.

On
September 11, 2001, the same group of terrorists who attack the World Trade
Center flew a plane into the Pentagon. 189 people were killed in the crash and
resulting fires, including the hijackers of the plane, workers in the Pentagon,
and passengers; because of ongoing construction to modernize the building, far
fewer people were in that area of the building than normal, this coincidence
saved countless lives. The fire caused by the crash burned for 36 hours total,
extending the damage to the building. It took only one year to complete the
renovations to the building and repair the damage caused by the attack, but the
effect it had will linger forever. There is now a memorial at the Pentagon
honoring those who lost their lives at the hands of the terrorists on that
fateful day.&nbsp;

Designed by the US Army Corps of Engineers and completed in 1943, the Pentagon is a symbol of the United States’ military power and strength. The Pentagon has been the site of military planing, anti-war protests, ceremonies honoring soldiers and officers, and foreign terrorist attacks. This unique building houses the US Department of Defense and is the hub of activity during war time. It faced the threat of nuclear attacks during the Cold War and was the site of a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.

The Pentagon

September 11, 2001 was one of the most tragic&nbsp;days in American history, as terrorist attacks led to the death of over two thousand civilians. The attack on the Pentagon began when five terrorists boarded American Airlines
Flight 77 at Dulles International Airport.&nbsp; The flight was scheduled to travel to&nbsp;California, but
the five terrorists gained control of the aircraft and&nbsp;crashed it into the Pentagon killing 184
men, women, and children. This memorial honors those victims.&nbsp;

The contract to build and design the memorial was awarded to
Centex-Lee, LLC, initially, but then Balfour Beatty, PLC, gained ownership of
Centex-Lee, LLC.&nbsp; The construction of the
Pentagon Memorial began on June 5, 2006 and was completed by September 11,
2008.&nbsp; There lays 184 cantilevered bench,
each with the individual’s name engraved.&nbsp;
Beneath the benches is a stream of water that flows throughout the day,
and at night it illuminates.&nbsp; However, every
day the flow of water stops at 9:37 a.m. to remember the time the attack
occurred and to share a moment of silence with those who has lost their
lives.&nbsp; There are also 85 Crape Myrtle trees
to provide shade over the memorial. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Pentagon Memorial is the historic place
where visitors from all around the world come to pay tribute to the 184 victims
who lost their lives during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the
Pentagon.&nbsp; Some of the victims were on
board the plane and some were workers or visitors to&nbsp;the Pentagon. The age of the victims&nbsp;range from as young as 3-years-old
to 70-years-old.

The National September 11th Pentagon Memorial is located on the southern side of the Pentagon and was constructed in remembrance of the 184 people who lost their lives in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon. The Pentagon Memorial was the first memorial of its kind to be completed and was dedicated on September 11, 2008. Since that time, many other memorials have been created throughout New York, the District of Columbia, and Pennsylvania. 

The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial

The land that now comprises the cemetery was part of a 1,100
acre plot owned by George Washington Parke Custis, the grandson of Martha
Washington. The Custis-Lee mansion that still stands today was originally intended
as a living memorial to George Washington. Custis devoted much of the mansion
to storing Washington memorabilia that he regularly acquired including Washington's personal notes and papers and the command tent the president had used at
Yorktown. The property was willed to Custis’ daughter Mary Anna Randolph
Custis, wife of Robert E. Lee.The Lee family abandoned the property at the onset of the&nbsp;Civil War in 1861. After the family’s departure, Union troops used the land as a
camp and headquarters. Additionally, the estate became the home for many
newly-freed slaves. A village named Freedman's Village&nbsp;sprang up around the estate where
former-slaves grew food that was used for the Union’s war effort. In January
1864, the Lee family lost the possession of their property due to a property
tax dispute in the amount of $92.07. Congress had passed a law that empowered commissioners
to assess and collect taxes on real-estate in “insurrectionary districts” and
mandated the taxes be paid in person. The law was intended both to raise
revenue and to punish traitors like the Lee family. The estate was listed in a public auction and was purchased
by the federal government. Later, Mary’s son sued the federal government for violating
the family’s right to due process. The case made it to the Supreme Court and
the Lee family won, and the property was returned, however they sold it back to
the government for $150,000.As the war dragged on and the number of casualties grew,
there was a growing need for a suitable graveyard. The first of many military
burials was held in 1864. The decision to use the land for a cemetery was both
a practical and political one. The land provided a site for the influx of
bodies, and it was highly symbolic to bury Union soldiers on the land of the respected
Confederate general.The estate became less recognizable with every passing year.
Many of the residents of Freedman's Village remained and&nbsp;raised families in the houses
built by the Army until it was closed in 1900. &nbsp;Brig. Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs served as Quartermaster
General of the cemetery for two decades after the war and shaped its
development. He is responsible for the construction of a large, wooden amphitheater,
which has since been replaced by the Tanner Amphitheater, and the
massive red arch at the cemetery’s entrance.Today, the cemetery is home to a variety of memorials
including the&nbsp;Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, USS Maine Memorial, John F.
Kennedy&nbsp;Grave site&nbsp;and many more.Mission Statement-













“On behalf of the American people, lay to rest those who
have served our nation with dignity and honor, treating their families with
respect and compassion, and connecting guests to the rich tapestry of the
cemetery's living history, while maintaining these hallowed grounds befitting
the sacrifice of all those who rest here in quiet repose.”&nbsp;

Nestled among the rolling hills overlooking the capital city Washington D.C. and the Potomac River, Arlington National Cemetery honors those who have died in service to our country. The cemetery sits on land that was once part of Robert E. Lee’s family estate and was appropriated by the Union after the Lee family fled at the onset of the Civil War. In an ironic move born of political ill-will and necessity, the Union began burying their soldiers on the Confederate general’s estate. Through an illegal tax ordinance, the federal government took control of the estate and purchased it at a public auction. After the war, the family sued the government and won back the estate, however they had no desire to return so they sold it back to the federal government. Through many years of military burials and the addition of new memorials, the Lee family estate has become the Arlington National Cemetery we know today. Currently, the gardens and grounds of this 624 acre cemetery serve as a tribute to the service and sacrifice of every individual laid to rest within.

Memorial Amphitheater, Arlington National Cemetery

Japan began to capture a number of islands throughout the Pacific in the early years of World War Two&nbsp;to maintain control of oil and other resources they needed. Each island served as a buffer against the United States so that they could build their fighting forces to a level that would match the United States. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii.&nbsp;The U.S. Navy's main fleet&nbsp;survived the ill-fated attack because it was at sea during the raid.&nbsp;A retaliatory attack against&nbsp;Japan was ordered by U.S. officials. Subsequently, U.S. forces began to recapture each island that the Japanese had taken and by 1945 were poised to take the island of Iwo Jima as a staging ground for an assault against the Japanese mainland.&nbsp; On February 19, 1945, following an ineffective bombing campaign, the United States Marine Corps invaded the island of Iwo Jima. U.S. Marines surrounded Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima and climbed to the top to take control of the island in less than four days. On February 23,&nbsp;a small flag was raised at the top of the volcanic mountain. Many of the soldiers could not see the small flag, six Marines raided a second, much larger flag. The Marines were Michael Strank, Harlon Block, Frank Sousley, Ira Hayes, Rene Gagnon, and Harold Shultz. Strank, Block, and Sousley would die less than a month after the flag raising.&nbsp; The surviving three Marines toured the nation, rallying support and advertising war bond when they made it home. Because of the tour, the Seventh War Loan Drive raised over $26.3 million for the war.&nbsp; It was believed that the sixth soldier was Navy Corpsman, John Bradley. Harold Shultz was misidentified until 2016 and was never publicly identified. John Bradley is now known to have taken part in the first flag raising. Bradley's son, James Bradley, wrote a book about his father's role in the flag raising called&nbsp;Flag of Our Fathers, and later a movie was made with the same title.&nbsp; President Eisenhower presided over the dedication of the memorial on November 10, 1954. This date was chosen for its symbolism as the 179th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Marine Corps. The memorial is situated near the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Memorial, and the U.S. Capitol on the National Mall.&nbsp;Beginning in the spring of each year and running through mid-August, musical and marching units from Marine Barracks honor their fellow Marines during Sunset Parades, which take place on the lawn adjacent to the memorial.&nbsp;

Dedicated by President and former Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954, the US Marine Corps War Memorial is based on one of the most iconic images in American military history. The memorial depicts six men raising the American flag over the island of Iwo Jima as a sign that the Marines had won control of that strategic island after a long-fought battle. The American victory and control of Iwo Jima gave U.S. forces control of an island and airfields that was within striking distance of Japan, a feat that demonstrated that the nearly three-year-long struggle in the Pacific was finally coming to a close. 

U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial

In 1795, Washington, DC’s first recorded public market
opened for business. Previously, the property had been a butcher’s market,
which had at some point been replaced by a debtor’s jail. The jail was moved in
1795, however, in order to make way for the frame of what was to be a frame
market house. The frame market did not remain long in the town, however, as the
town experienced a surge in growth and required a more substantial market. As a
result, the market was torn down in 1796 and replaced with a much larger
marketplace. Over the years, the market was expanded several times over in
accordance with the continued growth of Georgetown, but as the American Civil War
raged on, the market was damaged numerous times. By the time the war had ended,
the market seemed to be beyond repair, and the town tore what remained down. In
1865, a new market was built, and it still remains in Georgetown today.

The Georgetown Corporation owned and operated the market
following its construction, but in 1871, Georgetown was incorporated into the
District of Columbia. As a result of the incorporation, DC’s government began
regulation of the market. DC government leased out the building to multiple
businesses in the following years beginning in 1935, but in 1966, Congress ordered
the District Government to begin a preservation effort for the building and
re-convert it into a public market. It was not until May 6th of 1971
that the Georgetown Market was actually added to the National Register of
Historic Places, however. As per the orders of Congress, the Georgetown Market
building currently serves as a market for the Georgetown neighborhood area.

The Georgetown Market is a historic market house in the Georgetown area of Washington, DC. Built in 1865, the market was built into a pre-existing market structure dating back to 1795. On May 6th of 1971, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The market underwent renovations in recent years, and it currently hosts a number of businesses.

Georgetown Market

In 1791, George Washington selected his Major Pierre L’Enfant to create a plan for what was then the nation’s capital. In his draft for the capital city, L’Enfant also drafted a design for a church that could fulfill purposes on a national level. This plan did not gain any momentum, however, until 1893, when Congress gave the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation a charter that would allow for the construction of a cathedral and spaces of education.

In 1896, the Rt. Reverend Henry Yates Satterlee secured a spot for the Cathedral on Mount Saint Alban. The first stone of the Cathedral was laid on September 29, 1907, which signaled the beginning of the Cathedral’s construction. A majestic Gothic structure began to rise, its bell tower just over 300 feet tall. Throughout construction,&nbsp;it remained open and a center of spirituality for the nation. Construction was completed in 1990, and President George H. W. Bush was present for the finishing ceremony. In March 2014, work on the Cathedral began in response to&nbsp;a&nbsp;magnitude 5.8 earthquake in 2011.&nbsp;These efforts have involved repairing&nbsp;broken masonry and stabilizing the structure. The Cathedral&nbsp;received support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Save America's Treasures Program and a number of other sources.&nbsp;Over the years, the Cathedral has witnessed historical moments. For example, the Cathedral was the site of three Presidential funerals and of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s last Sunday sermon. The Cathedral has&nbsp;also offered memorial services for leaders such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Nelson Mandela, and is the resting place of figures including President Woodrow Wilson,&nbsp;First Lady Edith Wilson, Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan.&nbsp;Initiatives at the&nbsp;National Cathedral also echo broader current events in the United States. Through prayers, programs, and events, the National Cathedral&nbsp;is a notable champion of veterans, LGBT and racial equality, interfaith dialogue, and&nbsp;efforts to end gun violence. For example, the Cathedral bells rang in celebration of the Supreme Court's June 2013 decision that recognized same-sex marriage. They also rang&nbsp;in mourning for each person who died in the&nbsp;October 2017 Las Vegas shootings.The Cathedral carries on the traditions of Gothic architecture, with large towers, vaulted ceilings,&nbsp;pinnacles, flying buttresses, statues, gargoyles, grotesques,&nbsp;and stained glass&nbsp;windows. At the same times, these artworks tell a compelling story of United States history and values. Visitors to the Cathedral stand among statues of important figures including&nbsp;George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Helen Keller, and Martin Luther King, Jr.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Space Window depicts the wonders of science and technology and has a piece of Moon rock collected on the Apollo 11 mission embedded in the glass. Perhaps the most beloved work of art is a grotesque (bust) of Darth Vader from the Star Wars films.&nbsp;The Cathedral has also responded to representations of history in current events. Most notably, in August 2016,&nbsp;the Cathedral unanimously voted to&nbsp;remove images of Confederate flags from a&nbsp;stained glass window honoring&nbsp;Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee.&nbsp;While the window currently remains in place, the National Cathedral is planning a replacement that can "adequately represent the history of race, slavery, and division in America." The National Cathedral, therefore, is very much a living document of American history that strives to include a variety of narratives.The National Cathedral is open daily for Episcopal services and interfaith services through the year. Visitors can also take part in tours of the architecture, bell tower,&nbsp;and behind-the-scenes areas. Concerts celebrate holidays and music from around the world, while changing exhibits display artifacts and works of art. Gardens maintained by the All Hallows Guild&nbsp;also provide a beautiful outdoor space for contemplation and enjoying nature.

The Washington National Cathedral is an Episcopal Church that serves as the national church of the United States. A spiritual and social gathering place for people across the country and the world, the National Cathedral offers Episcopal and interfaith services, concerts, tours, and exhibits. The National Cathedral is an architectural marvel, standing as the second largest cathedral in the United States and the sixth largest in the world. Plans for the Cathedral were commissioned by George Washington in 1791, though construction did not begin until 1907. It was formally completed in 1990, with some work continuing on decorative aspects of the interior and in repairing damage from a 2011 earthquake. The Cathedral has been open throughout most of its construction, with numerous events of historical note taking place within its walls including memorial services, prayer services, speeches, political events, and inaugurations. 

Washington National Cathedral

Since its establishment in the mid-19th Century,
Naval center has been headed by a Superintendent that works with the Naval
Meteorology, and Oceanography Command. It was first under the command of Lieutenant
Louis Goldbergh. Goldbergh was then followed by Charles Wilkes until he was
discharged by James M. Gillis. Under Gillis, it was moved from its former
location at Foggy Bottom in central Washington DC to its present site on Massachusetts
Avenue. Soon after which it came under the head of Lieutenant Matthew Fontaine
Maury. From There, the observatory would become a scientific center for both
American and foreign scientists whose impacts would go beyond use for the United
States Navy. 

&nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Many of
the major achievements of the Naval Observatory’s early years occurred in the
field of Astronomy. Lieutenant Maury himself would be at the center of some of
these major discoveries including the splitting of Biela’s comet in 1846. An
even more important discovery was made by Sears Walker, who discovered that the
orbiting planet named “Neptune” was actually a star. Walker would later conduct
work on that star and its orbit. Another development made in astronomy at U.S.
Naval Observatory was the discovery of minor planets by those such as James
Ferguson. One of their more well-known achievements would occur in after the
end of the Civil War, with the establishment of their time service, which would
contribute greatly to the developments of communication and transportation that
were taking place.&nbsp; 

&nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the
20th century more similar developments would take place for the
observatory which would help shape science especially dealing with time. Working
with British physicists, they were able to help establish the system of time
keeping and telling that would contribute to the establishment of Universal
time. They also were known for determining the relationship between Atomic Time
and Ephermis time in 1958. Work on Astronomy, continues right up to this very
day, despite the establishment of NASA. In 1974, Congress designated the site
as the temporary home of the Vice President. Today it serves both as the home
for Vice President as well as the center for scientific work of the United
States Navy.

The Naval Observatory was established in 1830 as a small operation intended to repair and rate navigational instruments. In 1842, Congress provided funding to convert this small instrument shop into an institute for the study of oceanography, geography, and astronomy. The Observatory was originally located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. In 1893, it was moved to its present location atop Observatory Hill. The grounds of the Observatory include Number One Observatory Circle, the official residence of the Vice President of the United States. 

US Naval Observatory 

The
embassy maintains relations with the United States on a variety concerns
relating to both countries. British diplomats are responsible&nbsp;for
communicating British interests to the American administration and advocating
trade between the two nations. The British Embassy in Washington, D.C. focuses
on providing consular assistance to British nationals within the District, as
well as in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. Additional branches
of the embassy are located in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles,
Miami, New York, and San Francisco.1

In 1946, Winston
Churchill characterized the exceptionally close relationship between the United
Kingdom and United States as a “special relationship.” The countries’ shared
history and alliance have had great influence on diplomacy, politics, military
actions, economics, culture, and human rights initiatives around the world. Britain
and the United States formally established a diplomatic relationship on June 1,
1785, at the American Legation in London. John Adams, prior to his Presidency
and Vice Presidency, served as the first ambassador to Britain. The first
British representative, George Hammond, arrived in the young United States in
1791. Relations were briefly suspended during the War of 1812, in which the two
countries clashed over American sovereignty, an economic blockade in France,
and Native American relations. In 1814, British forces occupied Washington and
burned the White House and the Capitol Building. After the war, Britain and the
United States resumed their diplomatic relations and have been allies ever
since. The countries have come to each other’s aid in the World Wars, the
Korean War, the Persian Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and in Afghanistan. Britain
and the United States are founding members of both the United Nations and the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) following World War II.2

The British Embassy
complex in D.C. helps capture the history of British-American relations, as well
broader stories of Washington, D.C.’s growth. While the city of Washington was
being built, diplomatic activities were based in Philadelphia, the former
national capital. Once in D.C., the British legation moved ten times between
1815 and 1867, residing in places such as the <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://theclio.com/web/entry?id=20499">Decatur House</a> and Ringgold House.
In the 1860s, the British legation decided it was more practical and cost-effective
to build their own permanent residence. In 1872, the legation commissioned a
large Second Empire mansion at the junction of Connecticut Avenue and N Street
near Dupont Circle. As British-American relations strengthened, the British
legation upgraded to an embassy in 1893. In turn, the British embassy outgrew
their mansion on Connecticut Avenue by the 1920s. In 1925, the British Embassy forged
a partnership with real estate developer Harry Wardman, who purchased the
embassy mansion in exchange for an empty site on Massachusetts Avenue. Wardman,
known turning the city’s unusually-shaped intersections into useful housing,
oversaw construction of what would become an expansive complex where the
Embassy resides today. English architect Sir Edwin Lutyens designed the
Ambassador’s Residence, a beautiful Queen Anne mansion inspired by those found
in the English countryside. By 1931, the British Embassy vacated their former
home on Connecticut Avenue, which Wardman demolished the following year. In the
coming decades, the British Embassy absorbed surrounding plots of land for security
reasons, landscaped gardens, and new buildings to accommodate the exponential increase
in staff during World War II. Additional offices spaces were leased throughout
the city, further fragmenting the Embassy staff.3&nbsp;

By the 1950s, it was clear
the British Embassy needed more space to conduct diplomacy effectively in D.C.
England’s chief architect in the Ministry of Works, Eric Bedford, and his staff designed a contemporary structure that would contrast Lutyen’s grand mansion. Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II laid foundation stone of the new chancery&nbsp;on October 19, 1957. The
building represented a modern, innovative Britain with subtle nods to history.
It incorporated the same red brick and Indiana limestone found in the
Ambassador’s Residence and marble from Dorset, England. It was also the first
building in the United States to install float glass windows. Invented by the
British glass company, Pilkington, the float glass process created
high-quality, uniform sheets of glass and revolutionized window manufacturing. For
some, these materials came together and represented both past and present Britain.
For others, the design was more reminiscent of a hospital or factory. Though
its architectural appeal has been debated, the building is still home to the
British Embassy and it has undergone renovations and upgrades over the years.4

The British Embassy on
Massachusetts Avenue has witnessed almost a century of diplomacy between
Britain and the United States. The complex has welcomed notable visitors, such
as the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1939, the first reigning British
monarchs to visit the United States, Winston Churchill over the course of
thirteen visits, and the Beatles in 1964, who attended a reception following
their first American concert at the Washington Coliseum. It has also been a
place where Britain and the United States have expressed their international friendship.
After the July 7, 2005 bombings in London, the United States Army Band
performed “God Save the Queen” in memory the victims at the British Embassy.
This was a symbolic response to the military performance of “The Star-Spangled
Banner” at Buckingham Palace after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The
British Embassy hosts world leaders, works with British nationals on a daily
basis, and is occasionally open to the public.5

The British Embassy in Washington, D.C. maintains a close relationship with the United States and provides consular assistance to British nationals. Britain and the United States have one of the longest and most significant international alliances, dating back to 1785. The British representative body moved around D.C. eleven times before establishing the complex on Massachusetts Avenue in the 1920s. The complex consists of the Ambassador’s Residence, built in the 1920s and part of the Massachusetts Avenue Historic District, landscaped grounds and gardens, and a contemporary office space built in the 1950s. Though not open for tours, the British Embassy occasionally hosts public events such as the EU Open House. 

British Embassy, Washington, D.C.

Watergate Gallery &amp; Frame Design started out as a picture framing business 1986. The current owner, Dale Johnson, worked at the shop after graduating from American University with a degree in Art History. After several years, she bought the business and features picture framing and placing and exhibitions and sales of professional artwork. She is always willing to share her knowledge of the artists and their work. Johnson is also part of the team of artistic advisors for the community's Arts in Foggy Bottom Biennial Exhibition.The Watergate complex is a group of six residential and commercial buildings in Foggy Bottom and covers a total of 10 acres. Built between 1963 and 1971, it was designed by Italian architect Luigi Moretti. For more than a century, the land now occupied by the Watergate complex belonged to the gas works of the Washington Gas Light Company, which produced "manufactured gas" for heating, cooking, and lighting throughout the city. The demolition of the gas works 1947 eliminated the smoke and odors and triggered the revitalization and renovation of the area's row and alley houses .

Walking out of the Historic District, you can continue to appreciate area art by heading to the Watergate Complex. At the corner of 25th and H Streets, cross Virginia Avenue to the Watergate lower level. In the courtyard area you'll see a variety of sculptures and artwork. Dale Johnson, owner of Watergate Gallery and Frame Design, supports a diverse group of artists by exhibiting their work in the open space. The sculptures change, but there are always several pieces on display.By now, you might want to take a break from all you have seen. You can stop at one of the places in the lower courtyard or head back to street level and try Tazza Cafe on New Hampshire Avenue across from the side steps of the Kennedy Center. Or head back to Circa, Tonic/Quigley, GW Deli, or any of the restaurants in the Foggy Bottom/GWU area.As you walked through the Historic District and it peaked your curiosity about he narrow modest row houses and neighborhood history, try our "Foggy Bottom Historic District Walking Tour" (see link below). Use your phone, tablet, or desktop to visit the 19 stops and learn about the Historic District's people, lifestyles, history, art, and architecture. The tour tracks the neighborhood’s transition from working class in the 1870s to its current status. Each stop features a summary, descriptive details, images from past to present, and sources for additional information.  Thank you so much for selecting this walking tour. Our Foggy Bottom Historic District Walking tours show that this once industrial neighborhood, which was saved from destruction, now has much to offer. We hope you will return often to walk the tree-lined streets as they change with the seasons.

Sculptures at the Watergate 

The U.S.&nbsp;Depot of Charts and Instruments was founded by the&nbsp;Secretary of the Navy in 1830. It was in charge of researching, inventing&nbsp;and improving a range of nautical instruments, methods, charts, and methodologies. In 1838 they began making use of regular astronomical observations, and required that a permanent observatory be built in Washington. In 1842, the federal government&nbsp;agreed to supply the Secretary of the Navy with up to&nbsp;$25,000 to build an observatory. In 1843 the main building and its small, metal dome were&nbsp;constructed. It became highly regarded as a center of&nbsp;oceanography
and navigational research in the following two decades. The observatory was managed by Superintendent Matthew
Fontaine Maury—the so-called "Scientist of the Seas" owing to his work as a naval astronomer—who later served as a&nbsp;Confederate for Virginia&nbsp;during the&nbsp;Civil War. The metal dome once covered a tremendous&nbsp;9.6-inch refractor telescope, and had a "time ball" attached atop it, which would drop every day at noon to allow the residents of the city and ships on the river&nbsp;to set their timepieces. In 1847 the observatory began publishing its results in the journal Wind and Current Charts and Sailing
Directions,&nbsp;which provided scientists around the world with a standardises system for recording oceanographic data.&nbsp;In 1854, the complex was renamed as the&nbsp;United States Naval Observatory and Hydrographical Office. Soon after, Superintendent&nbsp;Maury&nbsp;published the first textbook on modern oceanography:&nbsp;The Physical Geography
of the Sea (1855). In 1873 a round&nbsp;extension was built on the southern side of the main building. A 26-inch refracting&nbsp;telescope, designed by&nbsp;Alvan Clark and Sons, was installed inside. The telescope&nbsp;is still used at the&nbsp;Naval Observatory on&nbsp;Massachusetts Avenue, where it was brought in 1893.&nbsp;By 1893, the building had extensions built to the west and&nbsp;east.&nbsp;However, the mud flats&nbsp;upon which the observatory was built were far too swampy. Furthermore, the nearby Potomac River frequently caused heavy fog to gather around the complex, rendering the telescope useless.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1893 the Naval Observatory decided to relocate to the higher land of northwest Washington, a plot on&nbsp;Massachusetts Avenue.&nbsp;By 1906, the area surrounding the observatory was being increasingly used for office buildings and flats. The Observatory consists of a main two-story building, upon which the observatory dome is located, and three branching wings. It has been refurbished a number of times in the last century, and although it&nbsp;remains largely intact and authentic—complete with an elaborate cornice design and&nbsp;Doric pilaster ornamentation—all of the original astronomic equipment is gone.&nbsp;The complex is currently owned by the U.S. Naval&nbsp;Bureau of Medicine
and Surgery, and has been subject to a program of restorations that have taken place&nbsp;in Navy Hill since 2014.

The Old Naval Observatory is located on Navy Hill in the historic neighborhood of Foggy Bottom. The observatory contains the oldest refracting telescope in the country, a device that was installed in 1873 and is still operational. The observatory was the institutional home of the pioneering oceanographer and astronomer Matthew Fontaine Maury. The complex contained a photographic zenith tube that helped furthered mankind's understanding of time by marking the position of stars crossing the zenith and giving the world the conception of Greenwich Mean Time (Universal Time). The building was added to the List of National Historic Landmarks in Washington, D.C. in January, 1965, and was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places the following year.

Old Naval Observatory

<div>The history of the memorial originates from a non-profit organization called the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Fund (VVMF). The mission of creating this memorial was so veterans would have a physical representation of their service recognized by the American people. The hope was that this would bring some closure and reconciliation among the veterans and civilians.</div><div> </div><div>	There was backing for funding for the memorial at the national level, early on. Senator Charles McC. Mathais Jr. formed legislation to establish a site on national park land for this project on November 8, 1979. Sen John Warner was also an early supporter with his financial contributions that launched a fundraising campaign on the national level. A staggering eight million dollars&nbsp;was raised for the memorial, all of which came from private funding. Although many organizations and groups contributed to the funding, more than a quarter of a million individual Americans gave money for the project. In fact, this&nbsp;is where the majority of the funding&nbsp;came from. This is extremely significant, considering that the American&nbsp;public so strongly opposed the war.&nbsp;Ultimately, three acres of land were allocated to the memorial in Constitution Gardens beside the Lincoln Memorial on July 1, 1980.</div><div> </div><div>In October, the VVMF held a national competition for the design of the memorial and had 2,537 registrants. 1,421 entries were submitted by the deadline in March and subsequently judged by eight award-winning artists and designers selected by the VVMF. &nbsp;The panel of judges selected the winner on May 1, 1981: 21-year-old Maya Ying Ling, a senior at Yale University. The design was approved and accepted eagerly by the VVMF. The foundation&nbsp;hired an architect to bring Ying Ling's design to fruition and she served as a design consultant. Ground was broken for construction on March 26, 1982.&nbsp;</div><div> </div><div>The design of the memorial consisted of two granite walls, which are about 10 feet high. The vertical edges of the walls taper to around eight inches. The stone used for the walls was imported from India, where it was chosen for its reflectiveness, and then shipped to Tennessee--where the etching of the names was completed using a sunblasting process. One wall points towards the Washington monument while the other points in the direction of the Lincoln Memorial. The reflective quality of the wall is a metaphor for unity of the past with the present. There is a pathway to walk alongside the memorial. The names start at the 1E panel, beginning with those who were killed in&nbsp;1959.&nbsp; </div>About 1,200 of the names on the wall are military personnel who went M.I.A.&nbsp;There are twelve women listed on the wall, even though there were far more female casualties in the Vietnam War.&nbsp;Many visitors to the wall etch the names of loved ones on paper.&nbsp;

This memorial to the 58,272 American military personnel who perished or were declared missing in action (MIA) during the Vietnam War was completed in 1982. The wall, in addition to the Three Servicemen Statue and the Vietnam Women's Memorial, is part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The memorial demonstrates the way that public perception of monuments can change over time. The initial design for the monument at the National Mall received criticism from leading conservative politicians who hoped to create a memorial that was similar to other war monuments that depicted soldiers and military leaders. Some politicians and commentators even attacked the designer, 21-year old student May Lin, because she was the daughter of Chinese immigrants. By the time of the monument's dedication, however, most Americans approved of the monument's design. Those who saw the monument in person were moved to see the reflections of the living in the Black granite wall as they reflected upon the names of the dead.  

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall

Talk of
building a monument for this national hero began while President Abraham Lincoln was
still on his deathbed in 1865. The country&nbsp;knew he was going to
be remembered as one of the most influential men of all time. The Lincoln Memorial Association&nbsp;drafted&nbsp;plans for a memorial in 1867, deciding on a colossal design with&nbsp;38 statues,&nbsp;bronze equestrian figures, and numerous columnns, though it proved too expensive. The idea resurfaced in the early twentieth century as the National Mall began to fill with monuments, memorials, and museums, as it is known today.&nbsp;&nbsp;President Taft created the Lincoln Memorial Commission and set aside $2 million to fund the project. In 1914, construction began on a memorial designed by Henry Bacon. While some felt it was still to&nbsp;














ostentatious for a man who embodied humility, it&nbsp;instead can be seen as a temple to Lincoln's values. The Lincoln Memorial&nbsp;was modeled after
the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. It contains&nbsp;three chambers; the central chamber which contains an
imposing statue of Lincoln that towers over visitors at 19 feet tall. Designed by Daniel Chester French and carved by the Piccirilli Brothers, this representation of the 16th president overlooks the 2,029 foot&nbsp;long Reflecting Pool and faces the Washington
Monument. The memorial's left and right chambers contain engraved copies of the Gettysburg
Address and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. Each address is accompanied by&nbsp;a mural painted by Jules Guerin.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Gettysburg Address mural, entitled "Emancipation," represents the values of freedom, liberty, justice, law, and immortality. In the central panel, the Angel of Truth releases slaves from bondage. The Second Inaugural Address mural, "Unity,"&nbsp;depicts the Angel of Truth bringing together the North and South and protecting the values of science, the arts, the future, and fraternity. Other architectural details of the Lincoln Memorial were designed by Ernest C. Barstow and Evelyn Beatrice Longman. Visitors to the Lincoln Memorial are greeted by an inscription by Royal Cortissoz that captures the essence of President Lincoln:<blockquote>“In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.”&nbsp;</blockquote>On
the outside of the Lincoln Memorial building, there are 36 columnns which represent the states
that Lincoln was fighting to unite. Engraved around outside of the monument are
the names of the 48 states in the Union at the time of the monument’s
completion (excluding Hawaii and Alaska which were added in a plaque at the
foot of the monument in 1959). 

This historic
monument was dedicated by former President Taft on May 30, 1922. This
dedication was meant to serve as a reminder of Lincoln’s work towards equality,
freedom, and national unity, yet, although the ideals of a united nation
prevailed, the truth of racial equality was not fully realized. Much of the
crowd at the ceremony was segregated, a fact that disturbed many who were there.
A rededication ceremony occurred in 2009 on the bicentennial of Lincoln’s
birth; it was partially meant to right the wrong of the first dedication and to
remind the people again of the importance of fighting for equality. 

Since its
1922 opening, the site has been the backdrop for many demonstrations on behalf
of civil rights. Most famous among these is the March on Washington for Jobs
and Freedom of 1963. This march saw 200,000 people come together to demand
equality for all races; it was the day of Martin Luther King Jr.’s world
renowned “I Have a Dream” speech. Another rally, often known as the Prayer Pilgrimage
of 1957, saw 25,000 people come together to protest the slow progression of
desegregation and the economic plight of African Americans. This protest was a
prototype for the march to be led by King years later. The steps of the
monument also saw singer Marian Anderson perform a concert on Easter Sunday in
1939. It was a nationally funded event sponsored by the Roosevelt administration
and was heard across the country via radio.Today, the Lincoln Memorial is a symbol of equality and of the struggles we have
overcome in fighting for civil rights. It honors the president who strove to
unite a torn nation and who desired to see equality reign. Visitors from all
over the world flood the steps of this monument every day to see the memorial
to one of our nation’s greatest presidents.&nbsp;

An iconic symbol of freedom stands in the center of our nation’s capital: the Lincoln Memorial. This grand monument to one of our most influential presidents has been the site of countless concerts, speeches, and protests -- including Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Dedicated to the Savior of the Union, the memorial and its history call to mind the human rights struggles our nation has faced, from the Civil War to the March on Washington. Today, it is overseen by the National Park Service and is part of the National Mall and Memorial Parks.

The Lincoln Memorial

The Korean War began in 1950 when a Soviet backed North Korea invaded South Korea. Five years earlier, Soviet Premier Stalin and American President Truman agreed to the division of Korea at the 38th parallel. The USSR was to occupy the industrial north while the United States occupied the agricultural south. From split until war, the United States became preoccupied with rebuilding Western Europe and did not list Korea under the American defense perimeter in Asia. Eager to reunite North and South Korea, the newly appointed Prime Minister of North Korea, Kim Il Sung, asked for Stalin’s blessing to invade his southern neighbor while American attention was elsewhere. On June 25, 1950, North Korean forces invaded South Korea. In response, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution calling member states to aide South Korea and send military assistance. The bulk of the fighting force was American, and the famous General Douglas MacArthur became Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Command.  The War was fought in five distinct phases, each more trying than the last. The first phase was defensive and led to UN forces being driven back to Seoul, the capital of South Korea. It was not until the second phase that the UN forces went on the offensive under Operation CHROMITE. This military operation involved reinforcing the cornered forces and cutting off supply lines to the North. Upon completion of Operation CHROMITE, MacArthur famously claimed that American troops would be, “home by Christmas.” It seemed that the conflict would end quickly and the establishment of a non-communist government in a unified Korea. Unfortunately, the fighting was just beginning as Chinese forces entered the fray. Upon arrival, the Chinese turned the tide back in favor of the North Koreans and forced the longest retreat in American military history. The Chinese entrance into the Korean War changed the political scope of the engagement. The goal of the war became unclear and ultimately resulted in General MacArthur being excused from his commanding role. MacArthur sought to invade China and believed that without significant increases in troop numbers, the original aim to unify Korea was unachievable. This war’s connection to the Cold War began to show how difficult it would be to achieve even limited objectives against communism. With the Soviet Union, China, and the United States involved in the Korean War, the stage was set for future conflicts to become ideological rather than for land. As the UN forces mounted a counteroffensive against the Chinese advance, improvements in either sides territorial gain became limited. Negotiations for a cease fire continued throughout the last phase of war. Eventually, North and South Korea agreed to cease hostilities but did not sign a formal treaty. As a result of the Korean War, over 37,000 Americans lost their lives. The numbers lost by the native armies were much more staggering. More than 250,000 South Koreans perished and nearly 1.3 million are thought to have lost their lives on the North Korean and Chinese side of fighting. To this day, the United States maintains a strong presence in South Korea along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The Korean War Veterans Memorial was built to honor the memories of those soldiers. The memorial was commissioned by the U.S. Congress on October 28, 1986 and the design and construction of the monument was jointly managed by the Korean War Veterans Memorial Advisory Board and the American Battle Monuments Commission. The memorial was finished being built in 1995 and its dedication occurred on July 27th of that year. As the number 38 has significance of the conflict, it is also important within the memorial. The Korean War Veterans Memorial contains nineteen statues of soldiers. When viewed in the reflecting pool, these soldiers become thirty-eight. This is representative of the 38th parallel and the thirty-eight months that the Korean War raged. On top of its beauty, the Korean War Veterans Memorial serves as a reminder of the importance of America’s influence in Asia and its fight against communism during the twentieth century.

The Korean War Veterans Memorial, situated just off of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall, honors those who served in the Korean War. The memorial was commissioned by the U.S. Congress on October 28, 1986 and the design and construction of the monument was jointly managed by the Korean War Veterans Memorial Advisory Board and the American Battle Monuments Commission. The final design selected for the monument was created by Washington architectural firm Cooper-Lecky, following a bitter dispute that involved a government-sponsored design contest and four students from The Pennsylvania State University (see NY Times article below). The groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 14, 1992 and the memorial was dedicated on the 42nd anniversary of the end of the conflict-- July 27, 1995. The memorial is managed by the National Mall and Memorial Parks division of the National Park Service. 


Korean War Veterans Memorial

First Lady Helen Herron Taft traveled to the Philippines in 1901 and saw Lunete, a beautiful park space that inspired her to develop a cultivated landscape in Washington, DC a years later when her husband was president. While she worked with DC socialites on developing new park spaces, Japanese chemist Jokichi Takamine heard her plans to plant cherry trees and suggested acquiring them from Japan to strengthen ties between the two countries. This "landscape diplomacy" transformed the city. Japan offered to donate 2000 cherry trees of several varieties, representing different regions of Japan. The first shipment of trees, arriving in Seattle in 1910, had to be burned after USDA officials discovered pests and disease during inspection. The second batch of over 3000 trees arrived in 1912 with a letter from the Mayoress of Tokyo, Yei Theodora Ozaki, wife of the city's mayor. The first planting took place March 27, 1912. Helen Taft and Viscountess Iwa Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted two Yoshino cherries (Prunus x yedoensis), the first of over 3700 cherry trees planted in the capital. Taft gave the VIscountess a bouquet of American Beauty roses at the event. The trees began to bloom four years later. The city held its first Cherry Blossom Festival in 1935. Some trees were vandalized after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, but the landscape diplomacy continued after the end of World War II with the US giving budwood from the trees to the city of Tokyo to replenish the cherry grove of Adachi Ward. Fewer than 200 of the over 3000 original trees from the first plantings survive. Several times throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, more trees have been planted by American and Japanese diplomats in commemoration of the original planting ceremony and as a symbol of international friendship.

These Yoshino cherry trees, or sakura, were a gift from the city of Tokyo, Japan to the United States and were planted in 1912 in a small ceremony with First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Iwa Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador to the United States. The trees symbolized the friendship between the two nations, and was the culmination of several years' work trying to transport trees to the US without disease or pests. These trees were the first of over 3,000 trees from Japan planted in the nation's capital. The city began celebrating the Cherry Blossom festival in 1935 and the symbolic planting of two cherry trees has been a reoccurring event in Japanese-American diplomacy for decades.

Japanese Cherry Trees

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born into a middle-class family on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. The second of four siblings, he was the eldest son of Martin Luther King, Sr., a Baptist minister, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher. Growing up, King attended the city’s segregated public schools. An extremely bright student, he graduated high school at the age of fifteen. King matriculated at Atlanta’s Morehouse College, where he studied medicine and law. While at Morehouse, he came under the mentorship of the college’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, a theologian and racial justice advocate. Inspired by Mays, King decided to follow in the family tradition by entering the ministry. After graduating from Morehouse in 1948, he enrolled at Crozer Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in divinity in 1951. King then attended Boston University to complete his graduate studies. While attending the university, he joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and married Coretta Scott, a young woman from Alabama enrolled at the city’s New England Conservatory of Music. The marriage ultimately produced four children. After completing his required coursework at Boston University, King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama in 1954. The following year, the organizers of the Montgomery Bus Boycott selected him as their leader and official spokesman. The successful protest transformed King, then only in his late twenties, into a national figure and a leader of the civil rights movement. In 1957, he and other African American ministers formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a civil rights organization that he led until his death. An advocate of non-violent protest influenced by the likes of Henry David Thoreau and Mahatma Gandhi, King organized the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, held in August 1963. At the landmark event, he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to a crowd of between 200,000 to 300,000 people. The following year, King received the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1964, he led a march from Selma, Alabama to the state capital of Montgomery, which helped influence the passage of the Voting Rights Act the following year. In the late 1960s, with racial segregation dismantled, federal protections for African American suffrage in place, and the rise of more militant Black leaders, King turned his attention to other issues affecting African Americans, including workers’ rights, poverty, and the Vietnam War. On the evening of April 4, 1968, while in Memphis to lend his support to striking sanitation workers, he was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel by James Earl Ray. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill into law establishing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a federal holiday. Nearly thirty years after King’s death, Congress authorized his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, to erect a memorial in his honor in the nation’s capital. After its formation, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation selected West Potomac Park’s Tidal Basin as the memorial’s site and held a design competition, which drew more than 900 entrants. In 2000, the foundation selected the proposal submitted by ROMA Design Group. To execute the work, the group hired Chinese sculptor Lei Yixin. Dedicated in 2011, the memorial consists of a thirty-foot-tall rough granite mountain with a large section sliced from it. The section features a relief of King, standing defiantly with arms crossed. The design was inspired by a line from the civil rights leader’s famous “I Have a Dream Speech” in which he states: “With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.” Soon after it was unveiled, the memorial generated controversy because of a paraphrased quote featured on it. Critics argued that the paraphrased quote (“I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness”) sullied King’s memory by making him seem arrogant. In late 2012, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced his decision to remove the controversial quote. The following year, Yixin removed the quote from the memorial.

This West Potomac Park memorial commemorates one of the leaders of the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968). A Baptist minister and advocate of non-violent protest, he rose to prominence within the movement and became a national figure as a result of the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956). Between 1957 and 1964, King founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, organized the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and received the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership efforts. On April 4, 1968, while in Memphis to lend his support to striking sanitation workers, he was assassinated by James Earl Ray. Nearly thirty years after King’s death, Congress authorized his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, to erect a memorial in his honor in the nation’s capital. After its formation, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation selected West Potomac Park's Tidal Basin as the memorial’s site and held a design competition, which drew more than 900 entrants. In 2000, the foundation selected the proposal submitted by ROMA Design Group. To execute the work, the group hired Chinese sculptor Lei Yixin. Dedicated in 2011, the memorial consists of a thirty-foot-tall rough granite mountain with a large section sliced from it. The section features a relief of King, standing defiantly with arms crossed. The design was inspired by a line from the civil rights leader’s famous “I Have a Dream Speech” in which he states: “With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born into a wealthy and well-connected family on January 30, 1882 in Hyde Park, New York. The only child of James and Sara Delano Roosevelt, he was educated at home by private tutors and at the elite Groton School in Massachusetts before enrolling at Harvard College. Following his graduation from Harvard in 1903, Roosevelt attended law school at Columbia University. During this time, he married a distant cousin and niece of President Theodore Roosevelt, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. The marriage produced six children, five of whom survived to adulthood. After passing the bar, Roosevelt left law school before earning his degree and took a job with a prominent New York City law firm.  In 1910, Roosevelt entered politics when he successfully ran for a seat in the New York State Senate as a Democrat. Three years later, President Woodrow Wilson appointed him assistant secretary of the Navy, a position he would occupy for seven years. In 1920, the Democratic Party chose Roosevelt to be its vice-presidential nominee. That November, he and his running mate, Ohio Governor James Cox, were soundly defeated by Republicans Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge. Less than a year later, in the summer of 1921, a paralytic illness (most likely Guillain-Barré syndrome, not polio as it was believed to be at the time) robbed Roosevelt of the use of his legs in the prime of his life. Determined to overcome the devastating development, he endured years of physical therapy and learned to walk short distances with heavy leg braces and the help of an aid. Roosevelt resumed his political career in 1928, when he successfully ran to become governor of New York. Two years later, the people of New York reelected him by a wide margin. In 1932, as the country slipped deeper into the Great Depression, Roosevelt captured his party’s nomination for President of the United States and trounced incumbent Republican Herbert Hoover in the general election.  Roosevelt ultimately won reelection to the presidency three consecutive times (1936, 1940, and 1944), serving for a total of just over twelve years. During his time in office, he enacted the New Deal, the collective term used to describe a series of government programs and reform measures aimed at combating the effects of the Great Depression and preventing something like it from happening again. Some of the lasting features of the New Deal include Social Security and the FDIC. Later in his tenure, Roosevelt shepherded the nation through the Second World War, the deadliest conflict in human history. Although he was popular among most Americans at the time, his failed attempt to pack the Supreme Court and purge his party of conservatives, in addition to a self-inflicted recession in 1937, tarnished his reputation. On April 12, 1945, while vacationing in Warm Springs, Georgia, Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was sixty-three years old.  Following Roosevelt’s death, Congress established the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Commission in 1955. After nearly two decades of delay, the commission chose landscape architect Lawrence Halprin to design the memorial in 1974. Dedicated on May 2, 1997 by President Bill Clinton, it consists of five loosely-defined outdoor areas, four of which focus on Roosevelt’s four terms in office. Constructed of over four and a half tons of South Dakota red granite and utilizing 100,000 gallons of water, the memorial features several bronze sculptures and reliefs designed by various artists, in addition to a large waterfall, reflecting pool, and numerous quotations etched into the granite walls. After the National Organization on Disability criticized the memorial for not adequately addressing Roosevelt’s disability, a bronze sculpture of the president in his wheelchair was added in 2001.

This West Potomac Park memorial commemorates the thirty-second President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945). Elected to the presidency four consecutive times (1932, 1936, 1940, and 1944), he served for a total of just over twelve years. During his time in office, Roosevelt enacted the New Deal to combat the effects of the Great Depression and prevent something like it from happening again. Later in his tenure, he shepherded the nation through the Second World War, the deadliest conflict in human history. On April 12, 1945, while vacationing in Warm Springs, Georgia, Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of sixty-three. Following his death, Congress established the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Commission in 1955. After nearly two decades of delay, the commission chose landscape architect Lawrence Halprin to design the memorial in 1974. Dedicated on May 2, 1997 by President Bill Clinton, it consists of five loosely-defined outdoor areas, four of which focus on Roosevelt’s four terms in office. Constructed of over four and a half tons of South Dakota red granite and utilizing 100,000 gallons of water, the memorial features several bronze sculptures and reliefs designed by various artists, in addition to a large waterfall, reflecting pool, and numerous quotations etched into the granite walls. After the National Organization on Disability criticized the memorial for not adequately addressing Roosevelt’s disability, a bronze sculpture of the president in his wheelchair was added in 2001. 

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

The
Thomas Jefferson Memorial Commission was created by an Act of Congress in 1934,
to design a memorial honoring the Founding Father and third President of the
United States. This memorial was part of larger efforts throughout the
twentieth century to populate the National Mall and surrounding areas with
memorials and monuments to American history and culture. With the Washington Monument
and Lincoln Memorial already completed, federal planners, including President
Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Commission of Fine Arts, felt that a memorial to
Jefferson was an appropriate next step. Additionally, the Jefferson Memorial fulfilled
part of the McMillan Commission Plan of 1902, used as a guide for urban
planning in Washington, D.C., which envisioned a grand memorial on the Tidal
Basin on the cross axis of the White House and Washington Monument. Originally,
this was a proposed site for the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial.&nbsp;

In 1937,
the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Commission chose the Tidal Basin as the site and
hired architect John Russell Pope, designer of the National Gallery of Art. Frederick
Law Olmstead, Jr. oversaw landscape design, which redirected streets,
established grassy areas, and removed some trees to improve the viewshed. Though
it may have seemed like all the pieces were coming together, there were a
number of debates over the memorial location and design. Some members of the Commission
of Fine Arts and the National Capital Parks and Planning Commission disliked
the Pantheon design or thought the neoclassical architecture was too similar to
the Lincoln Memorial. Due to delays, President Roosevelt overrode the authority
of the Commission of Fine Arts and ordered construction begin. The President laid
the cornerstone on November 15, 1939, in which a number of documents were
placed: copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the 1939 Thomas
Jefferson Memorial Commission Report, the "Writings of Thomas
Jefferson" by Paul Leicester Ford, Jefferson's “The Life and Morals of Jesus
of Nazareth,” and one edition each of four prominent Washington, D.C., newspapers.
It was dedicated on April 13, 1943, the bicentennial of Jefferson's birth.

Architect
John Russell Pope took inspiration for the memorial from civilizations both
young and old. He borrowed designs from Jefferson’s most famous buildings,
Monticello and the University of Virginia Rotunda, along with the ancient Pantheon
in Rome, which Jefferson admired. These designs reflected Jefferson’s
architectural tastes. Pope planned a memorial that would symbolize all the roles
Jefferson played in American history—statesman, architect, drafter of the
Declaration of Independence, founder of the University of Virginia, and President
of the United States. Pope designed a circular, open air structure with 54
columnns. The porch, or portico, supports a triangular pediment with sculptures
by Adolph A. Weinman depicting Jefferson and members of the Declaration of Independence
drafting committee. Jefferson stands at the center, with (from left to right) Benjamin
Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. The granite steps
lead up to a floor of pink Tennessee marble, with Georgia marble on the
interior walls.

The
interior of the memorial contains five of Jefferson’s most famous quotations. The
memorial designers often edited or combined quotes so that they would fit on
the wall panels:

<ul><li>Inscription under the dome: Jefferson’s statement on
protecting “against every form of tyranny over the mind of man,” taken from an
1800 letter to Founding Father Benjamin Rush.</li><li>"We hold these truths to be self-evident..."&nbsp;is the introduction the 1776 Declaration of Independence,
affirming “all men are created equal.”</li><li>"Almighty God hath created the mind free..." addresses&nbsp;Jefferson’s view on the freedom of
religion, from his 1779 “Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom.”</li><li>"God who gave us life gave us liberty..." is a&nbsp;combination of six quotes from a
variety of writings, including his 1786 “Notes on Virginia” and “Summary View”
on the topics of slavery and public education, his autobiography, and letters.</li><li>"I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions..." captures&nbsp;Jefferson’s sentiments on establishing laws and institutions that are both strong and adjustable to "keep pace with the times." This is inspired by&nbsp;an 1816 letter to Virginia lawyer Samuel Kercheval.</li></ul>









Rudulph
Evans designed the 19-foot statue of Jefferson at the center of the memorial
rotunda. His design was selected from a group of 101 proposals in a nationwide
competition. From 1943 to 1945, the memorial displayed a temporary plaster
statue because of wartime restrictions on metal. After the war, the plaster
statue was replaced with a 5-ton bronze replica on a granite pedestal, which
has stood in the Jefferson Memorial ever since. The statue depicts a
middle-aged Jefferson looking toward the White House and holding the
Declaration in Independence in his left hand.




















Protected
by the National Park Service, the Jefferson Memorial is an iconic part of the National
Mall. Walkways along the Tidal Basin provide beautiful views of the Jefferson
Memorial, while the vista from the memorial of Washington, D.C. and the Potomac
is equally stunning. Cherry trees brought from Japan in 1912 bloom each spring
around the Tidal Basin. The statue of Jefferson continues to look toward the
White House and the democracy he helped found.

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial is a presidential memorial in Washington, D.C. dedicated to Thomas Jefferson, an American Founding Father and the third President of the United States. Built between 1939 and 1943, the Jefferson Memorial was designed by John Russell Pope in neoclassical architecture styles reminiscent of Jefferson's estate Monticello, the Rotunda at the University of Virginia, and the Pantheon in Rome. The memorial interior includes a bronze statue of Jefferson by Rudulph Evans and five of Jefferson's notable quotations. It is situated on the picturesque Tidal Basin on the National Mall, managed by the National Park Service.

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

On November 1, 1978, President Jimmy Carter created the President’s Commission on the Holocaust. Commission members were tasked to create a report on the feasibility and cost of a Holocaust memorial that would provide a place of memory and education. The Commission was chaired by Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel. After almost a year of deliberation, the Commision created a plan for a memorial which included a museum, educational foundation, and a “Committee on Conscience.” The plan was unanimously approved by Congress in 1980 and the United States Holocaust Memorial Council was created to oversee the project.The federal government seized 1.9 acres of land adjacent to the Washington Monument. The director of the project was Richard Krieger and the project was also oversaw by chairman of the council Miles Lerman. Almost $190 million dollars were made to fund the construction and to expand attempts at collecting old artifacts for display. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan helped lay out the cornerstone of the museum and that was designed by architect James Ingo Freed. A dedication ceremony was hosted by American President Bill Clinton, Israeli President Chaim Herzog, chairman Harvey Meyeroff, and Elie Weasel. The museum officially opened in 1993 and the first visitor was the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet.Today, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum welcomes millions of visitors per year and continues its educational mission with exhibits and programs. The permanent exhibit takes users through three floors of exhibits starting with the origins of the Second World War and the early history of racism and discrimination in Hitler's Germany. Visitors can view documents, photographs, film, and historical artifacts and there are also options for guided tours as well. Visitors can also observe personal objects from people who lost their lives in concentration camps. The self-guided walk through the museum displays a chronological narrative of events from the Holocaust. On average, it takes several hours to explore the entire memorial and museum. For those who wish to explore further, kiosks and computers are available and offer the chance to go into more depth about the history of the Holocaust.

Established in 1993, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is dedicated to educating citizens about the events of the Holocaust and strives to confront contemporary instances of genocide and anti-Semitism. The museum contains a permanent exhibit that operates on a free ticketing system owing to continued public demand and the importance of allowing each visitor to experience the exhibits at their own pace. The museum also offers a variety of temporary exhibits and special events such as conversations with Holocaust survivors and lectures by scholars and artists. The museum also operates a research library with a vast collection of publications, photographs, documents, and other artifacts related to the Holocaust.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Following his leadership as the commander of the nation's military forces in the Revolutionary War, and his leadership of the Constitutional Convention, Washington received the unanimous support of the first Electoral College and became the first American President. In this role, Washington shaped the Presidency and established many of the expectations for future presidents. The Washington National Monument Society (WNMS) proposed the idea of a monument that would be unlike any other in the world. After considering several designs, the organization selected a plan submitted by Robert Mills that called for a 600-foot Egyptian obelisk flanked by thirty 100-foot columns. The committee selected a site on what would become the National Mall directly south from the White House and west of the Capitol. At the time, much of the land south and west of the monument were wetlands. The location and size of this monument would later dictate the shape of the National Mall, especially after the Core of EngineersThe cornerstone for the project was laid on July 4th, 1848. The event was one of the most spectacular events, with notable guests in attendance, including President Polk and the wives of James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. Workers toiled to create the foundation of the monument, an 80 foot square-step pyramid structure. Once this task was completed, the builders turned their attention to building the above-ground marble structure. They used a system of pulleys, a block and tackle system, and a mounted derrick to push stones to workers who completed each section. The WNMS also invited states, cities, and organizations to design memorial stones to help build the monument. They received 193, some of which are now visible through the elevator windows. By 1854, the monument was 156 feet above the ground.A new group within the Know-Nothing Party took control of the WNMS, a change that proved a detriment to the monument’s progress. This new alignment alienated potential donors, and the already struggling Society was forced to file for bankruptcy. These events put the construction of the monument on hold. Congress tried to offer financial aid, but the nation was soon embroiled in the Civil War. During a period known as Reconstruction, government leaders focussed on the status of formerly enslaved persons and the readmission of former Confederate states. This monument became a literal symbol of the period, with the construction of a national monument to a leader who was revered by both Northern and Southern leaders serving as a symbol of hope. Congress took control of building the monument through a joint resolution on July 5, 1876.The US Army Corps of Engineers, headed by Lt. Col. Thomas Lincoln Casey, was tasked with completing the massive project. The new leadership decided the base could not support the weight that would need to be added to reach the monument's planned height. As a result, the Corps of Engineers began reconstruction by adding more stone to the base, a process that lasted four years. Attaining the quantity of stone to complete the monument was another challenge. The quarry in Baltimore that was used for the base could not provide the needed quantity, so engineers looked elsewhere and selected a quarry in Massachusetts. A series of irregular deliveries and some inconsistent stone color caused concern, but builders continued until a third quarry was selected. The monument was completed with stone from Baltimore, and while the stone colors are close, they do not match perfectly. The three types of stone used are marble, granite, and blue gneiss. The color changes at about two-thirds up the monument.During construction, some of the original plans for the monument were abandoned. For example, the ornamentation intended to adorn the base of the obelisk was canceled for simplicity. The monument stands at 555 feet instead of 600 feet, a decision that reflected a change from nine-inch walls instead of the original thirteen inches.The memorial was completed and dedicated on February 21, 1885. An iron staircase was added later, and the monument opened to the public in 1886. An electric elevator was added in 1901 to shorten the trip to the top of the obelisk. On the aluminum cap which covers the capstone, there are names and dates of the monument’s construction inscribed as well as the Latin phrase “Laus Deo” meaning “Praise be to God." Beginning in the 1920s, American flags appeared around the monument for celebrations and special occasions. In 1958, flagpoles were permanently installed. Fifty flags representing each state have flown continuously since 1971.The Washington Monument has since become a major tourist attraction and an iconic symbol for the country. Visitors to Washington, D.C., flock to the monument, which offers astounding views of the Lincoln Memorial, Reflection Pool, Jefferson Memorial, and the Capitol Building. It has also been the site of many protests and events since its opening. For example, protesters during the Vietnam War and Korean War came to the monument to demonstrate against US involvement in those conflicts. The Washington Monument has undergone numerous restorations to clean, repair, and stabilize this important historic icon. On August 23, 2011, A 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck 90 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., causing damage to the Washington Monument walls and stability. The National Park Service gathered teams of engineers and architects to repair the structure using a blend of high-tech science and centuries-old masonry techniques. The monument's interior was closed for a period to renovate the interior and reopened in 2019.

Perhaps the most iconic monument in the nation's capital, the Washington Monument honors America's first president, George Washington. The monument dates back to 1833 when the National Monument Society began raising funds for the completion of this and other monuments. The Society ran out of funds in 1856, leaving the base of the monument unfinished until 1876, when construction resumed. The monument was completed in 1885. In the early 20th century, the monument became the centerpiece of the National Park Service's National Mall and Memorial Parks. Discerning visitors will notice that the base and the top of the monument feature slightly different colors of stone, something that reflects the two different phases of construction. The two decades when construction was paused created a situation where the original quarry was not available for the second phase.

The Washington Monument

The National World War II Memorial commemorates the United States' involvement in the deadliest and most widespread conflict in history. Between 1939 and 1945, Allied powers fought against the Axis powers' authoritarian and fascist regimes. The United States entered the war after the Japanese bombed a military base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. Soldiers and civilians mobilized to support the war, sacrificing their resources, time, and sometimes their lives.The first efforts to build a World War II memorial began in 1987, with veteran Roger Durbin and Ohio Representative Marcy Kaptur. After multiple unsuccessful attempts, legislation passed in the Senate and House in 1993 to establish a national memorial. On May 25, 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the World War II Memorial Act into law. This law gave the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), an independent federal organization, and a Memorial Advisory Board (MAB) authority to develop the project. For the next eleven years, these authorities partnered with other organizations, including the National Park Service, the Commission of Fine Arts, the National Capital Planning Commission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the General Services Administration.Choosing the memorial's location was one of the earliest and most important decisions. Congress passed a joint resolution in 1994, allowing the memorial to be built within the bounds of the National Mall. Protected by the National Park Service and nicknamed "America's Front Yard," the National Mall preserves and interprets to the world "the symbols and icons of our nation and its ideals." But choosing where on the National Mall, a space already cramped with monuments, museums, and tourists, would be a challenge. Seven sites around the National Mall were up for consideration. After almost a year, the involved organizations decided on a site between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Reflecting Pool. This open and central space would make the National World War II Memorial a very prominent part of the National Mall. Design plans would also incorporate the existing Rainbow Pool designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. and Henry Bacon.With the location chosen, the next step was to find a winning design. Throughout 1996, more than 400 entries were submitted to an open competition. The ABMC and General Services Administration chose a grand proposal by Friedrich St. Florian, an Austrian-American architect. Because this memorial held great significance, debates continued over the location and design. Various stakeholders argued the memorial was too large, interrupted the view between the Washington Monument and the Reflecting Pool, and eliminated an open space traditionally used for demonstrations. Despite some criticism, construction began in September 2001 and moved quickly, as many expressed concern about losing veterans and witnesses to the war. Senator Bob Dole, a veteran, and Frederick W. Smith led the fundraising campaign that totaled $197 million; the federal government provided $16 million, and the rest came through generous donations.In April 2004, the National World War II Memorial opened to the public. In May, the memorial was dedicated in a ceremony with 150,000 attendees. The ABMC transferred ownership to the National Park Service, which maintains, operates, and interprets the memorial. Since 2007, the memorial has also been supported by the Friends of the National World War II Memorial, a nonprofit that raises funds and plans events such as observances of Veterans Day and Memorial Day.The memorial's large, sunken terrace and loud fountains give a powerful sense of the magnitude of war and the determination of its victors. The modified Rainbow Pool is the memorial's central feature, where water from surrounding fountains seems to join together. Though common in other parts of the National Mall, the National Park Service prohibits wading in the fountains of this monument. The pool is flanked by two granite arches symbolizing the war's Atlantic and Pacific Theatres. Encircling the memorial are 56 granite pillars, each representing U.S. states and territories involved in the war. One of the most prominent features of the memorial is the Price of Freedom Wall, which has 4,048 stars. Each of these stars represents 100 Americans killed in the war. Along the entrance walls, bronze bas-relief panels tell stories of American soldiers and citizens, depicting scenes such as military battles, preparing supplies and armaments, war bond drives, and victory.

Opened in 2004, the World War II Memorial honors the 16 million who served in the United States Armed Forces, the more than 400,000 members who made the ultimate sacrifice, and the millions who supported war efforts on the home front. This is the only memorial related to an event in the 20th century that appears in the central axis of the National Mall. It is part of the National Park Service's National Mall and Memorial Parks.

National World War II Memorial

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was
founded October 11, 1890 during a time that was marked by a revival in
patriotism and intense interest in the beginnings of the United States of
America. Women excluded by men’s organizations felt the desire to express their
patriotic feelings and formed their own organization, the Daughters of the
American Revolution. This organization and its members have carried the torch
of patriotism ever since. The organization was founded by a group of four
pioneering women: Mary Desha, Mary Smith Lockwood, Ellen Hardin Walworth, and
Eugenia Washington. Today the organization has more than 800,000 members, 3,000
chapters around the USA, and more international chapters in thirteen countries
around the world, including Australia, France, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.Many eminent women have been members of DAR, including many
first ladies. Laura Bush, Barbara Bush, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, and
Mamie Eisenhower are included on the DAR’s list of esteemed members. Also
included are suffragist Susan B. Anthony and astronaut Rhea Seddon.The National Society owns an entire city block in one of the
most beautiful sections of Washington, DC, just two blocks from the White
House. The block includes three buildings: the Administration Building, the Memorial
Continental Hall, and the Constitution Hall. Both The Memorial Continental Hall
and The Constitution Hall are Registered National Historical Landmarks.




























The DAR Museum is located in the Continental Hall, designed in
1904 by prominent Washington Architect Edward Pearce Casey. This is the oldest
building from the whole complex. &nbsp;Made of pure white Vermont marble, the
neo-classic style buildings with pillared porticos make an eloquent
architectural statement about the work that goes on within these walls. Because
of its classical detailing, the Hall fits in well with the Colonial Revival
movement.&nbsp;

The Daughters of the American Revolution is a women's service organization dedicated to promoting historic preservation, education, patriotism, and honoring the patriots of the Revolutionary War. Their headquarters and museum are located in the within walking distance of President's Park and the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The museum, located in the 1904 Memorial Continental Hall, is dedicated to preserving the history, art, and artifacts of pre-industrial America. Established in 1890, the museum has 33 American period rooms with a collection expanding more than 30,000 items, including coverlets, furniture, costumes, ceramics, miniatures, toys, dolls, silver, glass, and musical instruments used or made in America in the preindustrial period (1700 to 1850).

Daughters of the American Revolution Museum

French architect Pierre L'Enfant created the blueprint for the federal city that became Washington D.C., but he and President George Washington held very different views about the design for what would later be known as The White House. L'Enfant's 1791 plan for the city was based around a central palace that mirrored the grandeur of the dwellings of European heads of state. Believing that America's Executive Mansion should better reflect republican principles, Washington dismissed L'Enfant's plan and held a design competition.Hoban, an Irish-born and architect who was living in Charleston, South Carolina,&nbsp;won the competition to create the Executive Mansion. Hoban's inspiration for the house was drawn from an Anglo-Irish villa called the Leinster House in Dublin. A second competition was held to determine the design of the nation's capitol. It is&nbsp;believed that Thomas Jefferson, who designed his own home of Monticello,&nbsp;entered the competition&nbsp;under a pseudonym. If this is the case, Jefferson's designs were not selected in either competition.&nbsp;Construction of the President's home began in 1792. Attempts to&nbsp;recruit skilled workers to the project proved difficult because the capitol was located in a sparsely-settled area. As a result, most of the labor was performed by slaves and&nbsp;free men of color who had fewer employment options. Stonemasons and carpenters trained enslaved people to perform necessary tasks to assist the small number of skilled laborers who joined the project. Slaves also built many of the other buildings throughout the new federal city. According to a letter from First Lady Abigail Adams, who lived in the Executive Mansion while it was being completed, the slaves who worked on the home were "half fed, and destitute of cloathing." She opined that the work could be performed more&nbsp;efficiently&nbsp;by free laborers from New England.&nbsp; Jefferson defeated Adams in November, 1880, the same month that Abigail Adams wrote about the failure to complete the Executive Mansion. While President, Jefferson personally oversaw some of the construction and ordered&nbsp;several structural changes with the help of&nbsp;architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe. Jefferson's changes&nbsp;included the addition of terrace-pavilions on either side of the main building and single-story wings for storage. In addition to replacing the slate roof with one of sheet iron, Jefferson further improved the grounds by landscaping them in a picturesque manner.&nbsp;The British set the mansion on fire&nbsp;during the War of 1812. James Madison was President at the time and his wife, Dolly Madison, famously saved artwork including a portrait of George Washington. Despite the British efforts to destroy the building, mother nature had other plans. As British sought shelter from a&nbsp;summer thunderstorm, their fire was extinguished. The interior of the White House had been destroyed, but the&nbsp;outside walls and the interior brick walls survived. Madison brought Hoban back to restore the mansion, a process&nbsp;which took three years. It was during this period of&nbsp;reconstruction that the house was painted white. Hoban later added the South and North Porticos, using a similar design that had been created by Benjamin&nbsp;Latrobe.Expansion and further alterations were made when President Theodore Roosevelt declared the house unsafe to inhabit and had the original building remodeled. Roosevelt desire to separate his workspace from his family life and did so by making the third-story attic into habitable rooms and adding the Executive Office wing and the East Gallery. In 1909, architect Nathan C. Wyeth extended the West Wing,&nbsp;adding the well-known Oval Office, the President's formal workspace. Although referred to as "The White House"&nbsp;since the time of its construction when its exterior walls were covered with protective whitewash,&nbsp;President Theodore Roosevelt made "The White House"&nbsp;the mansion's official name in 1901.&nbsp;In the mid-twentieth century, the White House underwent
several&nbsp;renovations to improve its structural soundness and historic
appearance. In 1949-1951, the&nbsp;building was determined unsafe after years
of&nbsp;maintenance neglect. The restoration involved replacing the original
frame and paneling with steel, along with adding a balcony to the South
Portico. In the meantime, President Harry Truman relocated to the
neighboring&nbsp;Blair House, also known as the President's Guest House. These
decades also saw increased security and technological integration. Truman
welcomed news crews to the White House in the 1950s after the restoration was
complete. When John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy moved into the White House in
1961, the stylish and artistically-minded First Lady refurbished the living
quarters and publicly accessible spaces with antique furniture, art, and
artifacts. She developed a Fine Arts Committee to collect art and Americana and
an advisory committee that drafted a treatise on the restoration philosophy.
The White House, according to these plans, was both a symbol and functional
structure with a “living” character. They chose décor to reflect a multitude of
time periods and administrations. Later that year, the White House was declared
a museum and Lorraine Waxman Pearce was hired as the first curator of its
collections and history. Jacqueline Kennedy also brought this history to the
public through magazine articles and a televised tour of the White House in
1962. Lyndon Johnson’s administration continued this work by establishing the Committee
for the Preservation of the White House to advise historical preservation,
collections acquisitions, and design.




















Since the 1960s, the White House has continued to add to its
historical collections while integrating modern technologies to the building. White
House staff began using computers in the 1980s and the first emails were sent
in 1992. In 1979, Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed on the White House roof,
though they were removed in the 1980s as Reagan’s administration promoted fossil
fuels. Solar panels returned under George W. Bush in 2003 and more were added
under Barack Obama in 2013. Despite modern renovations and the addition of
security measures following the terrorist attacks of&nbsp;September&nbsp;2001,
citizens can still tour the White House with advance registration through their
Congressional offices. In this and in many other ways, the White House remains&nbsp;an
architectural symbol of the American presidency and&nbsp;the&nbsp;republican
ideals of the Founders. 
 
The White House&nbsp;Visitor Center is&nbsp;located just west of the corner of
15th and E Streets, is open daily from 7:30 am to 4 pm. Inside this temporary
visitor&nbsp;center&nbsp;there is an information desk, a 30-minute movie on the
White House,&nbsp;Where History Lives,&nbsp;and the White House
Historical Association gift shop.

Designed by architect James Hoban and built in coordination with George Washington and other American leaders, the Executive Mansion is known informally around the world as "The White House." Although President Washington oversaw construction, he never lived in the house. President John Adams, elected in 1796 as the second President, and First Lady Abigail Adams were the first residents of the White House, which was still unfinished at the time. It completed in 1800, though construction and restoration projects have taken place ever since. It was partially burned by the British in the War of 1812. Contrary to the popular story that it was painted white to hide burn marks, the White House was simply painted white in 1818. The building was known as the White House prior to this time because of lime-based whitewash that was used to protect the exterior. The White House also includes two wings: the West Wing, built in the early 1900s under Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, and the East Wing, first built by President Theodore Roosevelt and significantly expanded in 1942 to include an underground bunker and office spaces. In all, the White House complex covers around 18 acres and includes gardens and spacious lawns. 

The White House

The most notable feature of Mills’ design was a 350-foot long Greek inspired colonnade. This architect also completed the east and center sections of the present building. In 1844 the entire sandstone building was painted white. In subsequent years, architect Thomas Walter designed an expansion that was began in 1855. Construction was halted in 1858 due to rising financial concerns, but the project was complete three years later under the direction of architect Ammi B. Young.Then came the Civil War and the completion of the south wing in 1862. Young stepped down and Isaiah Rogers was brought in to oversee the addition of the west wing. Within a couple years Alfred Mullett became the supervising architect. The west wing remained a focus through the war years and was completed near its end.Then it was time to start the north wing. In 1867 the State Department building was demolished to make room for the north wing. It was largely completed two years later, in time to host the Inaugural Reception of President Ulysses S. Grant in the popular Cash Room. A few details lingered into 1870 when finally after 34 years of work and additions, the Treasury Building was complete.In 1919 an annex building was constructed across the street from the Treasury Building. The Treasury Building itself has been the recipient of various upgrades from electrical to technological throughout the years. After a brief time of being in disrepair and another fire, it has seen regular cleanings as well major renovations and upgrades to continue to modernize the initial structure.Guided tours of the building are available.The Treasury Department's function is to see to the financial stability of the country. The Department advises the president, produces money, collects revenue and more. It is under the leadership of the Secretary of the Treasury, which is currently Jacob Lew.

A National Historic landmark, the U.S. Department of Treasury Building was constructed in multiple phases dating back to the 1830s.. Prior to that time, the first Treasury building was a simple two-story brick structure with a basement and attic. This modest treasury was damaged by fire within its first six months. During the repair of the original treasury building, a vault extension was added, a feature that would be the only part of the building to survive the War of 1812. 

As the nation and its government grew following the War of 1812, Congress decided to build a more permanent structure for its treasury. Architect Robert Mills won the design competition and construction began in the 1830s. The project ran into multiple difficulties and Congress even debated whether they should demolish what Mills had started. Congress decided to stick with Mills and his design, and the building was completed in 1842. It would be expanded during the 1850s and also in the midst of the Civil War. 

U.S. Department of Treasury Building

In 1915, Black veterans of World War I launched a movement to create a national museum dedicated to African American veterans.&nbsp;In 1916, African American attorney&nbsp;Ferdinand Desoto Lee challenged Black leaders to create a “permanent memorial to colored soldiers and sailors.”&nbsp;Missouri Republican Congressman Leonidas Dyer, the same Congressman who advocated on behalf of an anti-lynching bill,&nbsp;introduced legislation the same year that Lee chartered the National Memorial Association. Echoing the call of Lee's organization, Dyer's legislation called for the creation of a commission to create "a monument or memorial" for Black soldiers and sailors. In 1919, Dyer called for the creation of a national monument for Black veterans to be built on the National Mall. In 1920, Lee's National Memorial Association expanded their plans to include both a monument and a building with exhibits dedicated to African American achievements. Ten years later, Congress passed legislation allowing for the creation of a monument to Black soldiers. However, Congress failed to allocate funds for the project.Franklin Deleano Roosevelt places the creation of the monument towards the bottom of the administration's goals in 1933, the same year that Ferdinand Lee passed away. Similar measures failed throughout the next six decades, including a 1965 bill calling for the creation of a "Negro History Museum. Similar to previous efforts, Congress failed to act on this bill and efforts throughout the 1960s and 1970s receive little more than verbal support. Even in the immediate wake of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, a bill to explore the creation of a national repository of Black history failed to receive support. Congressman John Lewis, a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement, likewise tried and failed to secure passage of a bill to create a National African American History Museum in the 1990s. Although a bipartisan commission working between 2002 and 2003 secured the passage of a law authorizing the creation of a public commission to create a Black history museum with the Smithsonian, it&nbsp;appeared that the National Museum of African American History and Culture Act would meet a similar fate. As funding efforts stalled, a group of&nbsp;private foundations and African American athletes and&nbsp;celebrities took action, raising $240 million to support the museum. The federal government matched private fundraising efforts, allowing for the construction and operation of the museum. On September 24, 2016, the first African American president dedicated the new museum.&nbsp; The museum's galleries are arranged chronologically, beginning with the gallery entitled "From Slavery to Emancipation." Visitors travel seventy feet below ground to start their historical journey in this gallery, which begins with life in Africa and the slave trade. After visitors pass through exhibits that relate slavery throughout the Americas and the British colonies, they see how slavery was woven into the the political and economic fabric of the nation, including the Constitution itself. Later exhibits show how people of African descent confronted slavery, culminating with exhibits about the African American experience in the Civil War.&nbsp; The second series of galleries are dedicated to the topic "From Segregation to Today." These exhibits reveal the complexities of Reconstruction and the emergence of Jim Crow. Emotional highlights of these galleries include the original coffin that held the body of 14-year old Emmett Till, "white only" signs,&nbsp;and portions of ropes and other tools of racial violence that were used to maim and kill African Americans during first half and mid-20th century. The upper galleries include special rotating exhibits that demonstrate the resiliency of African American communities and and highlight Black culture and achievement.&nbsp;

The National Museum of African American History & Culture was authorized by Congress and President George W. Bush in 2003. After 13 years of planning and construction, the museum opened on September 24th, 2016. The museum holds over 40,000 artifacts within its vaults, most of which were donated by institutions and individuals. Several thousand of artifacts are included in the museum's twelve galleries. The museum's three-tiered form is meant to symbolize hands held in prayer and was modeled from the shape of a traditional Yoruban crown. 

As of November, 2016, this museum uses a timed pass system to accommodate large crowds. 

 Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture

NARA, established under the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt, is essentially the nation’s record keeper. In addition to keeping records, the National Archives is also responsible for preserving and maintaining the materials as well as making them available for research. The records are available to anyone and provide help with family genealogy, veteran’s records, teacher resources and much more. The Archives provide great details, resources, photos and more about our nation’s history.NARA’s mission is to provide public access to Federal Government records in its custody and control to strengthen democracy and hold the government accountable as well as to help citizens understand their history. NARA publishes legally authentic and authoritative copies of acts of Congress, presidential proclamations and executive orders and federal regulations. Also, the organization is responsible for getting votes of the Electoral College to Congress.&nbsp;NARA and the National Archives Museum also offer exhibitions, public programs, videos and documentaries, genealogy workshops, professional development for educators, field trips for students, special free publications and magazines as well a shop both at the main building and online that offers apparel, prints, books and much more. The NAHA also provides digital access to the Presidential Libraries and has regional locations throughout the United States. It also gives millions of dollars in grant funds annually to projects that help preserve history.

The National Archives and Records Administration operates the National Archives and the National Archives Museum. Everyone is welcome to explore U.S. history and heritage through the National Archives. In the Rotunda of the National Archives Building, visitors will find the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. NARA was created in 1934, an independent agency of the U.S. government, and is the official repository for all federal records judged to be of enduring value. Its contents date back to the 18th century. The National Archives Building holds several museum galleries that offer exhibits that change throughout the year in addition to the public vaults and the rotunda which holds the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence.  

National Archives Building and Museum, Washington DC

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is an institution which
preserves and displays remarkable works produced by American artists over three
centuries. The Greek Revival building where the museum is located, originally
housed the US Patent Office. Designed by architects Robert Mills and Thomas U.
Walter the building is Registered National Landmark. &nbsp;The museum shares its historic building with
the National Portrait Gallery, another Smithsonian museum. The two museums are collectively
known as the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture.

Since 1972, the American Art Museum has also included the
Renwick Gallery, which is the home for the Smithsonian Institution’s craft and
decorative arts program. Located near the White House in a Second Empire-style
building, the Renwick features the best in two centuries of American clay,
fiber, glass, metal, and wood arts. Visitors can enjoy traditional native and
folk crafts, fine furniture, oil paintings, and whimsical contemporary glass
sculpture.

The museum also features two innovative public spaces: &nbsp;the Luce Foundation Center for American Art, situated
on the third and fourth floor of the museum; and the Lunder Conservation Center,
which allows visitors the unique opportunity to see conservators at work in
five different laboratories and studios in the building.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum represent more than
7,000 artists, and includes the nation's first and one of the world's largest
and most inclusive collections of art made in the United States, from the
colonial period to the present. The museum’s collection includes more than
41,000 artworks, spanning more than three centuries, including artwork from masters
such as John Singleton Copley, Gilbert Stuart, Winslow Homer, John Singer
Sargent, Childe Hassam, Mary Cassatt, Georgia O'Keeffe, Edward Hopper, Jacob
Lawrence, Helen Frankenthaler, Christo, David Hockney, Jenny Holzer, Lee
Friedlander, Roy Lichtenstein, Nam June Paik, Martin Puryear, and Robert
Rauschenberg. 

Aside it’s permanent collection The Smithsonian American Art
Museum has maintained a traveling exhibition program since 1951. About 1,000
major artworks from the museum’s permanent collection traveled to 105 venues across
the United States during the renovation of the museum from 2000 to 2006.&nbsp;

The Smithsonian American Art Museum has one of the world's largest and most inclusive collections of art. It features the work of American artists from the colonial period to the present. The museum houses the largest collection of New Deal art in the world and features a number of exhibitions that highlight the contributions of African American and Latino artists. The Smithsonian American Art Museum has consistently maintained a traveling exhibition program since 1951. More than 2.5 million patrons have viewed the exhibitions to date. 

Smithsonian American Art Museum

In 1791,&nbsp;French engineer Pierre Charles L'Enfant was chosen to plan the city Washington, the new seat of the United States government. Using his keen design skills, he believed&nbsp;that a&nbsp;small hill, then known as Jenkins' Hill, elevating the relatively flat landscape was a "pedestal waiting for a monument." It was there he decided Congress, the representatives of the people, would preside above the city.&nbsp;Dr. William Thornton, a physician in the British West Indies, submitted the winning design in 1793, which President Washington admired for its "grandeur, simplicity and convenience." Thornton is often considered the first "Architect of the Capitol," a&nbsp;title that now refers to both&nbsp;an individual Architect and an agency dedicated to caring for and developing the Capitol. Noted French architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the first professional architect in the United States, oversaw&nbsp;much of the early&nbsp;construction.1&nbsp;Construction began in 1793 and has been ongoing&nbsp;ever since. Tasks have&nbsp;ranged from building wings for the Senate and&nbsp;House of Representatives to installing art, from installing a cast-iron dome in the Rotunda to updating heating and cooling systems. Its purpose has also fluctuated.&nbsp;In 1800, for example,&nbsp;the Capitol housed Congress, the Supreme Court, the&nbsp;Library of Congress, and D.C. courts, all in cramped quarters. Today, the main Capitol building is home to the House and Senate chambers, though the entire Capitol Complex includes over a dozen office buildings&nbsp;and a visitors center. During the Civil War,&nbsp;the Capitol&nbsp;served as a&nbsp;military barracks, hospital and bakery.2&nbsp;Regular Sunday services took place until
after the Civil War. Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were notable
regulars at church services in the Capitol building.Whether having visited in person, seen pictures or witnessed
the Capitol building on television, most people are familiar with the sight of
the Rotunda, a circular room in the center of the building, and the dome above it. There is a “Statue of Freedom” on the top of
the dome. The Rotunda has often been on display following the death of a president.
Eleven presidents have lain in state in the Rotunda for public viewing. An area
below the Rotunda is called the Crypt and was designed to be the final resting
place of George Washington. Washington’s will, however, stipulated that he be
buried at Mount Vernon. The Crypt is open to visitors and does feature exhibits
on the history of the Capitol. 

Countless points of interest are found in the Capitol, &nbsp;the Visitors Center website can help guide visitors to what piques their interests. In the Hall of Columns, statues
from the National Statuary Hall Collection stand among&nbsp;28 beautiful fluted columnns. The&nbsp;basement is home
to an area that was a spa-like facility designed for members of Congress prior
to modern plumbing. Another point of interest is a metal staircase with 365
steps, one for each day of the year, that goes from the basement to an outdoor
walkway on top of the dome.History is made every day at the Capitol. It is the setting of important discussions, debates, and votes on legislation in the House and Senate chambers, on topics&nbsp;such as&nbsp;healthcare, budgets, foreign affairs, energy, education,&nbsp;and&nbsp;civil rights. Furthermore, the Capitol is a gathering place for momentous historical events including presidential inaugurations,&nbsp;the annual&nbsp;State of the Union addresses, Independence Day and Memorial Day events, and memorials in which prominent figures lie in state.&nbsp;

The United States Capitol building is the home to the United States Congress. As one of the most recognizable buildings in the world, the Capitol serves as a working office building and monument to American history. Visitors are welcome to attend tours and explore exhibits. The original portion of the building was completed in 1800 and has been expanded through the years.

United States Capitol Building

The United States Supreme Court was established by the Judiciary
Act of 1789, the first bill introduced by the United States Senate. It was to be
situated in the nation’s capital, which was formally established in Washington,
D.C. until the Residence Act of 1790. However, the Supreme Court did not move
to Washington, D.C. until 1800. Until then, the Supreme Court met in the
Merchants Exchange Building in New York City and in Philadelphia’s Independence
Hall and City Hall. Once in Washington, D.C., the Supreme Court was situated in
the United States Capitol Building, where over the next century and a half,
they would move chambers six times. Most notably, the Supreme Court was located
in the Old Supreme Court Chamber from 1819 to 1860 and the Old Senate Chamber
from 1860 to 1935. It took 146 years for it to become reality, but in 1935, the
Supreme Court received its own home in a beautiful, neoclassical building on
First Avenue.&nbsp;

It was Chief Justice William Howard Taft, former United
States President from 1909 to 1913, who convinced Congress that the Supreme Court
needed its own building, which was authorized in 1925. Taft chose his old
friend and distinguished architect Cass Gilbert to design the building. Gilbert
designed the Woolworth Building in New York and Washington, D.C.’s Treasury
Annex Building, U.S.
Chamber of Commerce Building, and First Division Monument. At the age
of 70, Gilbert embarked on one of his most important projects. The Supreme
Court Building, like the Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and National Archives,
featured neoclassical architecture. Its symmetry, large columnns, marble,
statues, bas-relief panels depicting the history of law, and open space
referenced ancient Greek and Roman structures that once housed systems of
government and democracy the United States also embodied. Gilbert designed an
imposing structure that asserted the powers of law and justice. &nbsp;

Gilbert advocated for the Supreme Court Building to be
situated on Capitol Hill within close proximity to Union Station and a variety
of federal buildings. This site had originally been occupied by the “Brick
Capitol,” built as a temporary space for Congress after the Capitol Building suffered
fire damage in the War of 1812. From 1815 to 1928, the Brick Capitol served a
number of other purposes, including a lodge for visitors, a public school, a
federal military prison, and headquarters for the National Woman’s Party. Once
the site was selected for the Supreme Court Building, the National Woman’s
Party opposed destruction of their historic building, though D.C. eventually
paid the National Woman’s Party a large sum of money to relocate in order to
acquire the property. 

The
United States Supreme Court Building held its first session in the fall of
1935, in which they debated New Deal-era projects. Their first decision, United States v. Butler et al., killed the
Agricultural Adjustment Act, which, according to one historian, “replaced the
Capitol and the White House as the political storm center of the nation.”1 Since
then, the Supreme Court Building has heard cases related to fundamental topics
including civil rights, healthcare, environmental protection, right to privacy,
censorship, and the five freedoms of the First Amendment: religion, speech,
press, assembly, and petition.

The United States Supreme Court is part of the Judicial Branch,
one of three branches of the United States government. Initially, the Supreme Court
consisted of one Chief Justice and five Associate Judges, though over time,
this number has fluctuated. Today, the U.S. Supreme Court consists of the Chief
Justice of the United States and eight Associate Justices. The President of the
United States nominates Justices and appointments are made with the advice and
consent of the Senate. Justices are appointed for life and only leave the
position by death, retirement, or impeachment. No Justice has ever been
impeached. The Supreme Court hears 100 to 150 of the 7,000 cases filed each
year. Most are requesting the Supreme Court review decisions made by the U.S.
Court of Appeals or district courts, while others are original jurisdiction cases
and cases from the state courts. Deciding which case to take is, according to a
court historian, According to a court historian, "arguably the most
important stage in the entire Supreme Court process."2

If you’re visiting the Supreme Court Building, you’ll want to
explore the exhibitions that delve into the history of the Supreme Court. These
are located on the ground floor and highlight the work of the Court, the lives
of the Justices, and the architecture of the building. Look for the millions of
dollars’ worth of marble used in the construction and the American quartered
white oak wood that is used in the trim, the walls and some parts of the floor.
Look for the many sculptures that depict real and allegorical figures.

The United States Supreme Court Building houses the highest federal court in the nation. Prior to the building’s completion in 1935, the Supreme Court has occupied various places, including in New York City and Philadelphia while the capital was being built, and inside the U.S. Capitol Building and in public and private spaces around Washington, D.C. After pressed by Chief Justice William Howard Taft, Congress approved a Supreme Court Building where landmark cases in American history would be heard. It designed by Cass Gilbert, who chose a neoclassical style that complements courts across the country and other federal buildings in D.C.

U.S. Supreme Court Building

Pierre Charles L’Enfant created the urban plan to develop Washington,
DC in 1791. A century later, in 1901, Senator James McMillan led efforts to
centralize existing railroads through DC into one terminal site through which
the two major railroads, the Pennsylvania and the Baltimore and Ohio, were
serviced. Congress approved a site on Massachusetts Avenue in 1903, declaring
that this station “forms the grand gateway to the capital . . . the importance
of this station is greater than that of any other one in any city in the world.”
Daniel Burnham, an architect who directed construction of the 1893 Columbia
Exposition, was placed in charge of designing Union Station. Burnham focused on
modeling his station after the grand architecture of Rome – the outside after
the Arch of Constantine and the interior after the baths of Diocletian. 

Construction of Union Station took four and a half years and
cost four million dollars for the building and nearly $21 million for additional construction, train line, and powering costs. Some of the prevailing architectural features
include massive arches (including three arches in the central pavilion that are
nearly fifty feet high and thirty feet wide), Ionic columns, allegorical statues
(created by Louis Saint-Gaudens, the six figures in the central pavilion represent
fire, electricity, freedom, imagination, agriculture, and mechanics), arched
windows, and a glass roof over the ticket lobby to provide light for those in
the waiting room. 

The station was to be able to accommodate crowds of 100,000.
Through the 1950s, the trains carried approximately 30,000 people in and out of
Union Station each day; by the 1960s, that number dropped off substantially,
threatening sale and demolition. The station was repurposed as a national
visitor center in 1968. In 1983, the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation
(USRC) helped spearhead a $160 million project to preserve the station’s
historic and architectural significance. The renovation included building a
mezzanine in the Concourse for shopping and food, a new Amtrak seating area,
and restoration of lights, doors, and windows. 

Today, Union Station is the main destination for visitors to
DC; with more than 37 million passengers, tourists, and shoppers passing
through it each year, it is the third most-visited tourist destination in the
world. Several transportation services, including Amtrak, Greyhound, MARC, and
the DC Metro, connect through the Union Station terminal.

Union Station, the third most-visited tourist destination in the world, services more than 37 million passengers, tourists, and shoppers each year. Designed by famed architectural planner Daniel Burnham, Union Station was created to provide a centralized location for trains running into the nation's capital. The rapid growth of the city necessitated renovation to the building, creating more restaurants, shops, and services. Today, Union Station is also a major connecting hub for Amtrak, MARC, Greyhound, and the DC Metro. 

Union Station, Washington, D.C.

It was developed as part of a city-wide public market to help attract people to the city. It was built as part of a public works program following the Civil War. Architect Adolf Cluss, a German immigrant who also designed the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building on the Mall, designed the market. The original building was a one-story structure of brick masonry, running along 7th Street. The market grew out of the Eastern Branch Market, which operated from 1806 on 7th Street near K and L Streets. In 1872, the city government approved the purchase of land at the current site and to build the new public market. The market opened in 1873. Originally, the market had 85 stalls for vendors to sell food and other goods, including pastries, seafood, meat and poultry, herbs, flowers, and vegetables. As Washington DC grew in the 20th century the need to expand the market became paramount. Architect Snowden Ashford designed a new addition featuring the Center and North Halls. The addition was completed in 1908. Through the years customer interest waned and competition from grocery store chains took its toll. The city was prepared to close the Market in 1929 but enough support in protest saved it. It struggled following World War II and eventually was taken over by private management. By 1960, only two tenants remained in the market: Maryland Seafood Company and Union Meat Company; this changed three years later when 15 merchants relocated to Eastern Market after being forced to leave Center City Fish Market. More recently it has been a vibrant part of urban revitalization. In 2007, the building suffered significant damage from fire. Individuals and groups throughout the city agreed that it needed to rebuild not only the structure of the market, but the community it had sustained. As a result a public-private partnership including District government under mayor Adrian Fenty, the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee, and the Capitol Hill Community Foundation raised funds to restore the building. Merchants used temporary spaces for their stalls until the market reopened in 2009. Today Eastern Market features a wide variety of vendors. Merchants offer farm-fresh produce and meats, delis, groceries, flowers, pottery, antiques and a wealth of handmade arts and crafts. The Market offers regular special activities while its popular North Hall also serves as a unique venue for weddings, receptions, fundraisers and other community events.

Eastern Market, in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, has been providing fresh produce and handmade arts and crafts for more than a century. It has been both a neighborhood market and gathering spot since it opened in 1873, and continues the tradition of a public market operating in this area since the turn of the nineteenth century. The building was designed by architect Adolph Cluss, with an addition by Snowden Ashford. Though the building's physical structure, management, and tenants have evolved over the past century and a half, it is the only remaining public market in the city still serving its intended purpose of supplying goods to city residents.

Eastern Market

The Navy Yard was established on October 2, 1799 after about a year of lobbying by the Secretary of the Navy Department, Benjamin Stoddert, who recognized the need for the construction of ships and drydocks. He chose Washington D.C. as the location of the new yard for its close proximity to a ready-supply of timber and shipbuilding materials, it appeared safe from attack, and it could be easily monitored by the government. The development of the yard was slow at first but construction and shipbuilding activity got readily underway in 1805. In the following years, the yard became the center of the country's naval operations and an important economic driver for the city. As a result, it was a major target for the British during the War of 1812 when they almost destroyed it.The Yard was rebuilt but shipbuilding activity decreased since it made more sense to build ships closer to the ocean. In 1827, the Navy decided the Yard would be better used as a research and equipment manufacturing facility. These activities had already been occurring. One development took place five years earlier when the first marine railway (to haul ships out of water) was built. Further developments occurred under the direction of Lt. John A. Dahlgren, who arrived in 1847 to lead the ordnance production. He invented a new type of cannon that was named after him. They later proved extremely effective for the Union in the Civil War. The Navy Yard officially became an ordnance manufacturing facility in 1886, specializing in large guns and in training personnel how to use them. In 1896, a model ship basin was built to test ship designs in water. Three years later, the first working submarine was tested and later accepted by the Navy. Improvements were also made in guns, gun sights, and fire control equipment.Activity at the Navy Yard decreased substantially after World War I as a result of treaties that limited naval armament, but operations increased beginning in the early 1930s after the treaties expired and Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president. During World War II, research and development continued but the Yard was also used for repairing damaged ships. It also became a coordinating agency for naval ordnance plants. In 1945, it was renamed as the United State Naval Gun Factory" and then the "Naval Weapons Plant" in 1959. However, by the early 1960s, it became clear that there was no longer a need for large guns as naval warfare shifted to aircraft carriers and submarines. As a result, the gun factory closed.The Navy Yard gradually transitioned into a ceremonial and administrative center over the next few decades. The National Museum of the Navy opened to the public in 1963. The Cold War Gallery is located in the model ship basin building and features exhibits exploring the Navy's history from the Korean War to the Vietnam War, and covert submarine operations during the Cold War. The Navy Yard was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1973.The Latrobe Gate was designed by English-born architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe (1764-1820), who designed the United States Capitol building. Built in 1806, the gate is one of the oldest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the country and one of the first built at the Navy Yard. When the British invaded Washington and burned the city during the War of 1812, the gate was one of the buildings left unscathed. Numerous prominent figures have passed through the gate including King George IV and Queen Elizabeth in 1939.

Established in 1799, the Washington Navy Yard is the oldest naval complex in the country and has served in various capacities including as a ship construction and repair site, an equipment and ordnance manufacturing facility, and a center for research and experimentation. The Navy Yard is now used primarily for ceremonial and administrative purposes and is home to several Navy organizations including the Chief of Naval Operations, the Naval Sea Systems Command, the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, the Naval History and Heritage Command, the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps, the Marine Corps Institute, and the United States Navy Band. The Navy Yard is also home to the National Museum of the United States Navy and the Cold War Gallery, which is a part of the museum. Numerous buildings of historical significance are located here as well including the famous Latrobe Gate on the Yard's north side.

Washington DC Monuments

Bureau of Engraving and Printing

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information