Three sites located in Rock Creek Park mark a historic settlement of African Americans following the Civil War. Washington, DC, was established as a slave-holding district in 1790. Prior to its establishment and the urban design of Pierre L’Enfant,…

This three-story, corner residence was constructed in 1854 and is notable for its Italiante details, cast iron lacework around the porch, and scored stucco cladding. Scientist and inventor Alexander Graham Bell purchased the house for his father,…

The Hubert H. Humphrey Building exemplifies Brustalist architecture, which first developed in the 1950s, and is also a significant work by a major architect, Marcel Breuer. Brutalism is known for its use of exposed, rough concrete surfaces, heavy…

This building's historic landmark designation recognizes Youth Pride, Inc., which was located here from 1968 to 1981. Pride, Inc. was an important organization within the Black Power Movement and was funded through the War on Poverty, which had…

House of Mercy is located at the northwest edge of the Mount Pleasant Historic District on a ridge overlooking the wooded Rock Creek Valley. The building was constructed in a once rural setting, but still retains its “sanctuary” landscape.Designed…

In 1852, Congress chartered Saint Elizabeths Hospital as the Government Hospital for the Insane, with a mission of providing “the most humane care and enlightened curative treatment” for patients from the Army, Navy, and District of Columbia. The…

As the most influential court in the United States, Americans have long understood the importance of the US Supreme Court and many view it as a final avenue to right a legal wrong. LGBTQ+ Americans, like other minority groups, have relied on the…

This corner spot in Columbia Heights was once the site of Nob Hill, a popular African American gay bar. Nob Hill operated from 1957 to 2004, and, according to the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), which documented the site in 2016, this…

A “Pillar of Pastry,” as deemed by Paul Schwartzman of The Washington Post, Heller’s Bakery filled the air of the Mount Pleasant neighborhood with the sweet smell of doughnuts and apple turnovers for almost nine decades. Opened in 1928 by Ludwig…

Opened in 1978, Mamma Desta’s would be the first and most well known Ethiopian restaurant in Washington, DC. A 1982 review from The Washington Post stated that the restaurant was a “simple vision of eating; lots of stews, which are sopped up with…