DK Travel : Washington, D.C. : Architecture

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Neptune Fountain

Roland Hinton Perry created this grouping at the Library of Congress.
Old Post Office Pavilion

A Romanesque revival skyscraper completed in 1899 now contains shops and a food court.
Old Stone House

The oldest surviving structure in DC, this evocative little building holds demonstrations of crafts and skills of pre-Revolutionary life, such as sheep-shearing, and cooking on an open hearth.
Organization of American States

The OAS’s beautiful building, with its three round-topped arches, is one of the area’s architectural delights. The OAS Art Museum of the Americas has a permanent collection of Western Hemisphere art that is one of the most important in the US. The Organization of American States is a cooperative association of all 35 countries of the hemisphere to promote economic development, protect human rights, and strengthen democracy.
Pope-Leighey House

The city’s most innovative Frank Lloyd Wright design.
Renwick Gallery

This Smithsonian museum is a gem, with its displays of fine craft works. The second-floor Grand Salon served as a ballroom and site for special events when the Corcoran Gallery was located here before 1897. The room has been completely refurbished and a modern lighting system installed. The 1859 structure, named after its architect, James Renwick, Jr, is a marvelous Second Empire-style building.
Sewall-Belmont House

The 1800 construction date makes this enchanting home one of the oldest on Capitol Hill, and a National Historic Landmark. It is now a museum of women’s emancipation.
Supreme Court

This marble edifice never fails to delight (see Supreme Court Building).
The Octagon

This odd-shaped building is now a museum of architecture and design.
The Octagon

This unique and graceful building houses the oldest architecture museum in the country. The house was completed in 1801 – one of the first private residences to be built to Pierre L’Enfant’s plan – and provided shelter to President James Madison and his family while workers were rebuilding the White House after its destruction during the War of 1812. The exhibitions of the museum focus especially on the early Federal period of architecture, principally from 1800 to 1830. The finest display is the restoration of the house itself, designed by William Thornton, the original architect of the US Capitol, as a second home for John Tayloe III, a wealthy friend of George Washington.