Architecture In Washington DC – Washington DC (District of Columbia) is the city and capital of the United States of America. In 1790, the US Congress established a 100-square-mile territory to serve as the permanent seat of the federal government. It is a city with multiple personalities:
- A federal working town.
- An international metropolis.
- A picturesque tourist destination.
- A cosmopolitan centre that retains a small-town ambience.
The streets in Washington DC are organized in a scheme of broad diagonal avenues overlaid on a grid of north-south and east-west streets. (Washington, D.C. – City layout, 2022)
Three factors have radically influenced the style of Washington’s architecture: restrictions on the height of structures, Classicism, and Conservatism. Yet, in mind 20th century, Modernism began to have a noticeable effect.
1. White House | Architecture In Washington DC
The White House is the oldest federal building in the nation’s capital, housing the President and First Family of the United States. It is a Georgian mansion designed in the Palladian style designed by James Hoban. It is located on Pennsylvania Avenue part between the Washington Monument and the State Capitol. Attracting more than 1.5 million visitors annually, it is one of the major historic sites of America that is seen as an Emblem of American state power.
The design is inspired by Roman Vitruvius architecture and also Renaissance-era architecture. The southern facade is a mixture of both Palladian and Neoclassical architectural styles. An interesting feature of the building is the presence of two tunnels, which connect to the south lawn where the annual Easter egg festival is organized, where the President’s helicopter lands/takes off, and other to the Treasury Building. It was constructed using Sandstone for the walls, Timberwood, and Maryland for flooring.
2. Smithsonian Institution Building
The Smithsonian Institution Building is also called “The Castle” for its fortress-like embattlements and towers. The structure represents a powerful departure from the neo-classical norm of the district. It was designed by New York architect James Renwick. The building was the first home of an institution that had been chartered by the Act of Congress in 1846.
3. Thomas Jefferson Memorial | Architecture In Washington DC
Thomas Jefferson Memorial is a monument dedicated to the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Situated on the south bank of Tidal Basin, the circular colonnade was designed in collaboration with John Russell Pope, Otto R. Eggers, and Daniel P. Higgins. The building is inspired by the pantheon in Rome and the Rotunda from the University of Virginia, which Thomas Jefferson himself designed. It serves as the north-south axis’s southern terminus, including the Washington Monument and White House. The structure is welcomed with the grand staircase leading to the portico and pediment over it which depicts Jefferson reading his draft of the Declaration of Independence.
4. US Capitol Building
The US Capitol is among the most architecturally impressive buildings in the world housing the meeting chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives for over two centuries. The design is inspired by Ancient Greece and Rome evokes ideals that guided the nation’s founders and is the most recognizable historic building in Washington DC. Being a fine example from the 19th century of neoclassical architecture, the building has undergone expansion, reconstruction, and restoration since its original construction.
In 1814, the British troops set fire to the building and it was only saved from complete ruin by a sudden rainstorm. By the 1850s, the building was small to accommodate an increasing number of senators and representatives. New wings that were constructed, doubled the original length of the building. Also, the dome was replaced by the current white cast iron dome that was inspired and modeled after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The dome is topped by the Statue of Freedom, a 19ft 6 inches tall bronze statue of a woman wearing a helmet and holding a sheathed sword and a laurel wreath
5. US Treasury Building | Architecture In Washington DC
The US Treasury Building and its grand scale emphasize the Neoclassical Greek architecture style reaching back thousands of years. The location of the Treasury is next to the White House and puts the building at the center of many public events in Washinton DC. The collonades, pediment, and clean straight lines give a sense of the scale of the building along with the verticality. The building is also surrounded by a few statues, namely Alexander Hamilton and Albert Gallatin. An interesting element of the building is The Vault present on the second floor. It is known for being burglar-proof, built in 1864, the wall lining was composed of metal balls sandwiched between three steel plates. Currently, the vault is being used by the Treasurer of the United States.
6. Washington Memorial
Washington Memorial is an obelisk and the world’s tallest man-made structure. It was built to honor the first president of the United States, George Washington. The entire structure is built of Maryland marble and is also known to be the tallest masonry structure weighing about 91,000 tons. The shaft’s load-bearing masonry walls are 15ft thick at its base, tapering to a thickness of 18 inches at the top. A steam elevator was installed in the shaft to enable visitors to reach the observation deck without walking up the monument’s steps. Another interesting feature of the monument’s interior walls is the presence of more than 190 carved stones presented by various individuals, cities, foreign nations, and states
7. Eisenhower Executive Office Building
Next door to the White House, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) commands a unique position in both our national history and architectural history. Bounded by four roadways, the building is designed by Alfred B. Mullet. It was built to house the growing staff of the State, War, and Navy Departments and is one of the best examples of French Second Empire architecture in the country. The site includes landscaped areas of grass, and trees and is surrounded by a decorative cast iron fence on a granite base and is a bold contrast to existing classical revival buildings in Washington.
The site and building are not open to the public due to the nature of the governmental activities which occur within.
8. Vietnam Veteran Memorial | Architecture In Washington DC
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is one of the many sites in the National Park system that pays tribute to the brave members of the U.S Armed forces who fought in the Vietnam war and were killed or missing in action. It is located on the northwest corner of the National Mall and Memorial Parks. The memorial was designed by Maya Lin, a Yale architecture student. It was a winner of a design competition that the committee chose.
The memorial consists of three major parts of which the 200ft wall with over 58,000 names engraved is the most popular feature. It is also called “ The Wall That Heals”, The soldier statue and Vietnam Women’s memorial are the other segments. The names are listed in chronological order by the date of their casualty and begin and end at the origin point where the two walls meet, hence it forms a circle that depicts the completion of the war. Another distinctive feature of the wall is the visitor’s ability to see his/her reflection connecting the past and present.
The monument is open 24hrs for the public to visit, and also has rangers from 9:30 am to 10 pm daily to answer questions of the public.
9. The Pentagon
Pentagon is the largest building in the world, with over 600 thousand square meters. It is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense. The wedge-shaped building consists of five branches of the U.S Armed forces, each section on one side of the Pentagon. It has a central courtyard on the inner side of the Pentagon that helps in light and ventilation for the wide footprint of the building. Since the building compromises state offices, it is not open to the public.
10. Lincoln Memorial | Architecture In Washington DC
Lincoln Memorial is an iconic memorial built to honor the 16th US President Abraham Lincoln. It is one of the must-see spots for every visitor to the nation’s capital. The grand Lincoln memorial towers over the reflecting pool and the spectacular collonades emphasize the play of light and it brings about the poetics of the space. It can be best approached from the East by the Washington Monument and National World War II memorial. The Memorial spreads out with the grand staircase extending to the reflecting pool and then the Washington monument. The emphasis on the axis is clearly visible in the spatial configuration.
