DK Travel : Washington, D.C. : Architecture

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Daughters of the American Revolution

The largest concert hall in the city is in Constitution Hall, the grand performance space operated by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). The cornerstone of this John Russell Pope design was laid in 1928, using the same trowel George Washington used for the US Capitol building cornerstone in 1793. The DAR also has a fascinating museum of early American artifacts, ranging from a simple 17th-century dwelling to an elaborate Victorian parlor. The DAR is a patriotic organization that fosters understanding and respect for the heritage of the United States.
Decatur House

Stephen Decatur was a renowned naval hero when he built this Federal-style town-house in 1818, but he was killed in a duel 14 months after he moved in. It now evokes the life of 19th-century middle-class America.
Eisenhower Executive Office Building

The extravagant decoration is a favorite with architecture buffs.
Eisenhower Executive Office Building

This is another Second Empire building, but on a mammoth scale. Many people consider its highly embellished style and daunting proportions – 300,000 sq ft (27,871 sq m) of office space on five stories – to be magnificent, but Mark Twain called it “the ugliest building in America.” The Departments of State, Navy, and War were housed here on its completion in 1888. Today it is home to offices for executive branch employees and the vice president.
Federal Reserve Building

Another gleaming white design by Paul P. Cret, architect of the Folger Shakespeare Library (see Folger Shakespeare Library and Theater). The Federal Reserve System is the central banking authority in the United States, regulating and facilitating both banking and the flow of currency and financial transactions.
First Division Monument

A shining tribute to the First Infantry Division of World War I.
Ford’s Theater

The theater where Lincoln was shot on April 14, 1865 (see March on Washington), has been restored by the federal government and is now a memorial to the president and his love of theater and music.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial

This popular memorial has four outdoor rooms, representing Roosevelt’s four terms as president. Each is a composition of statues, water, plants, and engraved quotations of the president. The memorial has provided a focus for activists for disabled citizens – Roosevelt was partially paralyzed by polio.
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum

George Washington was a patron of this former tavern. The older of the two colonial buildings, dating from 1770, was a going concern six years before the Declaration of Independence. The second building houses a restaurant that serves food typical of the 18th century.
Grant Memorial

This magnificent grouping took Henry Merwin Shrady 20 years to complete (see Ulysses S. Grant Memorial).