Designed by Cluss & Schulze and built to house the international exhibits left over from the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876, the Smithsonian Institution's Arts and Industries Building reflects the three principal requirements of buildings constructed to house world's fairs and other 19th-century expositions: to enclose a very large area; to present a tasteful, dramatic, and pleasing exterior; and to employ inexpensive construction technology.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
National Register: November 11, 1971
National Historic Landmark: November 11, 1971
]]>The District of Columbia War Memorial was constructed in 1931, following a five-year-long campaign by the DC community to raise money for a memorial that would honor the 26,000 residents who served (and the 499 who died) in World War I. It was designed by local architects and planned to encourage public remembrance of those who served.
For many Americans, the “War to End All Wars” was the first time in the country’s history where soldiers were sent abroad to fight. Millions of Americans served their country, and by the end of the war, it was estimated that the U.S. suffered an estimated 320,000 casualties (204,000 wounded and 116,000 dead). In the years following the war, thousands of memorials were erected all over the world. A month after the war’s end, Washingtonians were already submitting letters to the United States Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) to design and construct a memorial for the city’s veterans and fallen soldiers.
The design selected for the memorial came from Frederick H. Brooke. He was a local architect based in DC and a veteran of WWI himself. His plan was “a circular, open-air Corinthian temple surrounded by a stepped base” with a domed roof. The columns sit atop a raised base with two sets of steps leading up to the floor level of the structure. It was designed with the dual purpose of being both a war memorial and a bandstand—it is large enough to accommodate an eighty-piece band. The memorial is surrounded by a circular terrace of blue stone paving with parallel blue stone paths bordering lawn panels, extending north to Ash Road and south to Independence Avenue. The structure is surrounded by open lawn, flanked on the east and west sides by Ash Woods, a large grove of trees that consists primarily of elm, maple, beech, and oak.
Almost 100 years after the dedication of the DC War Memorial, a national World War I Memorial was officially completed in Pershing Park in 2024.
DC Inventory: May 23, 2013
National Register: July 11, 2014
Within the National Mall and East and West Potomac Parks historic districts
]]>Though the eminent 19th-century American architect Robert Mills conceived the initial design for the Washington Monument, the structure also reflects the technical knowledge and aesthetic judgment of Thomas Lincoln Casey, the Army Corps engineer charged with completing the project. Under Casey, a stagnant construction campaign, emblematic of mid-century political and economic turmoil, at long last produced the tallest building of its day and an enduring American icon.
The monument was erected in two distinct phases, the first one occurring between 1848 and 1858 and the second between 1878 and 1885. The Washington National Monument Society selected Mills' design in 1836, but construction did not begin for another twelve years. An 1848 Congressional resolution permitted the Society to erect the monument on public land within the city, and the Society chose a site near the intersection of the east-west axis through the Capitol and the north-south axis through the White House.
The foundation was laid in June 1848, followed on July 4th by the cornerstone. Progress slowed dramatically in 1854 and halted altogether in 1858. Work resumed under federal direction in October 1878, and a second cornerstone was laid on August 7, 1880. This process of only intermittent progress is reflected in the final appearance of the monument, which features a slight but noticeable change in color partway up, owing to a change in materials. The capstone was set on December 6, 1884, and the monument dedicated on February 21, 1885. Important additions and modifications occurred over the next few years.
Now an iconic emblem of its city, the Washington Monument is a frequent site of events and demonstrations, as well as a popular attraction for visitors from around the world.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
National Register: October 15, 1966
Within Washington Monument and Grounds Historic District and National Mall Historic District
This site is included on the Capital City Slavery Tour as the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History has released a statement that, according to various sources, construction of the Washington Monument, which started in 1848, involved the use of enslaved laborers. While there is no material evidence (such as receipts, log books, or records of payment) available, it is worth mentioning that any research on the history of slavery is often slow-moving.
For centuries, enslaved persons were viewed as property by slaveholders and the public —and most of their involvement in the physical and cultural construction of the nation has been lost. However, this does not mean that historians cannot make connections based on available information. In relation to the Washington Monument, it is most likely that some form of enslaved labor was used, based on the earlier construction of significant buildings and structures in Washington, such as the White House and U.S. Capitol Building, and the federal government’s acceptance and regular use of enslaved laborers.
Research continues on slavery’s connection to the Washington Monument, as new sources are beginning to be incorporated into the history of slavery, such as descendant testimony, family records, and oral histories. For further information on the role of enslaved laborers in the development of Washington, D.C., view the sources below or explore DC Preservation League's Capital City Slavery Digital Exhibit.
]]>The Smithsonian Institution Building was designed by prominent New York architect James Renwick, Jr. and erected between 1847 and 1855 on the Mall. It was built to house the Smithsonian Institution, which had been chartered by Act of Congress in 1846. The Smithsonian was established following the generous bequest of approximately $500,000 by James Smithson, an English scientist and the illegitimate son of the Duke of North Cumberland.
By the terms of the will, Smithson's estate was to pass to his nephew following Smithson's death in 1829. If the nephew should die without direct heirs, the will ordered, the estate was then to become the property of the United States government. The United States acquired the funds when the contested bequest was settled in the British courts in London in 1838 after the death of Smithson's nephew, but disagreements over Smithson's intentions for the money—which he had merely stated was to be used for the "increase and diffusion of knowledge," with no indication as to how this was to be achieved—delayed the chartering of the institution until 1846.
As the first building created for the new institution, this structure—now known as the Castle—was designed to house many types of activities, including a large storage room on the first floor designed for the exchange of scientific publications with other institutions and museums, a suite of rooms for the family of the Institution's Secretary, various natural history research rooms and laboratories, a reading room, a library, and a large lecture room. Two small rooms saw use as a museum of scientific instruments and an art gallery. Both of these rooms were occasionally used as minor lecture rooms for meetings by scientific organizations.
The first story of the building consisted of an enormous room to be used as a museum, although it remained empty in 1855 due to lack of exhibit cases. Joseph Henry, the first Secretary of the Smithsonian, referred to this room in 1855 as "in appearance one of the most imposing rooms in this country." The floor of the middle part of this great hall was laid in cut stone, the remaining floor being of wood.
An 1865 fire destroyed much of the young Institution's collection and caused extensive damage to the upper floor of the building. Renovations were completed by Adolf Cluss. With the expansion of the Smithsonian Institution, the original building has come to be used primarily for administrative and visitor services.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
National Register: October 15, 1966
National Historic Landmark: January 12, 1965
]]>The National Museum of Natural History, which opened in 1910 as the United States National Museum, is a large Neoclassical style building located on the National Mall, between Constitution Avenue NW, 9th Street, 12th Street, and Madison Drive. Through its dome (and interior rotunda) and portico, the building expresses the then-popular City Beautiful movement, which had been promoted by the Senate Park Commission of 1901-02 — better known as the McMillan Commission.
The grand building was designed by local architectural firm Hornblower & Marshall — along with nationally-prominent architects Charles F. McKim and Daniel H. Burnham (who had also been members of the influential McMillan Commission). It was constructed over a number of years, from 1904 into 1911. One year later, the interior was officially completed.
The Smithsonian's growing collection had increased the need for a new space, as the existing U.S. National Museum (Arts and Industries Building) and the Smithsonian Castle were too small for the massive and continually-expanding collection. The new museum, opened in 1910, helped meet these needs — at least for a short time. In 1964, the Museum of History and Technology (National Museum of American History) opened next door, followed by the National Museum of American Art-National Portrait Gallery in the Old Patent Office five years later. With these collections in new quarters, in 1969, the building became the National Museum of Natural History.
East and west wings, designed by Mills, Petticord and Mills, were added to the original building in 1961-65, with additinal changes to the building in the 1970s and 1990s. The wings are used by museum staff, and incude offices, storage, and other auxiliary space.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
DC Inventory: January 26, 2023 (Amendment)
National Register: March 30, 2023
]]>The development of the National Mall Historic District reflects two seminal historic plans for the federal city: the plan designed by Pierre Charles L’Enfant in 1791 and the 1901-1902 McMillan (Senate Park) Commission Plan. As such, the Mall represents significant contributions to the design heritage of our national capital.
As the nation’s foremost commemorative landscape, the National Mall’s monuments and memorials symbolize the country’s collective values and ideals. Its open spaces define the setting of the executive and legislative branches of our federal government and provide essential civic space for historic events of national significance.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964
DC Inventory: December 15, 2016 (Boundary Increase/Additional Documentation)
National Register: October 15, 1966
National Register: November 29, 2016 (Boundary Increase/Additional Documentation)
This site is included in the Capital City Slavery Tour for its role as a site of auction for enslaved persons and a common place for "slave depots" which housed enslaved persons before sale. For further information on slavery in the District, view DC Preservation League's Capital City Slavery Digital Exhibit.
]]>Designed by architect John Russell Pope and built in 1941, the National Gallery of Art is the United States' national art museum. The institution has its roots in 1937, when it was privately established via Act of Congress, using funds and a donated collection from Andrew W. Mellon. Although the new gallery was designed to be self-governing rather than part of the Smithsonian Institution, it assumed the name "National Gallery of Art," which had previously described the Smithsonian's art gallery (since renamed the Smithsonian American Art Museum.)
The West Building of the National Gallery of Art was completed and accepted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on behalf of the American people on March 17, 1941. At the time of its inception, it was the largest marble structure in the world. In 1978, the East Building, designed by I.M. Pei, was built on the unused land that had been reserved for the gallery; the building won a National Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects in 1981. Finally, the campus was completed with the addition of the Sculpture Garden in 1999.
DC Inventory: March 7, 1968 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
]]>Located at the eastern edge of the National Mall near the base of the Capitol Building, this memorial pays tribute to American Civil War General and 18th U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant. It faces the Lincoln Memorial approximately two miles to the west, symbolically linking the President and the General who together steered the nation and its armies through one of the most tumultuous periods in American history. At 252 feet long by 71 feet wide by 44 feet high, the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial is the largest equestrian monument in the United States. Grant and his horse, Cincinnati, stand at two and a half times life size and are positioned atop a 22-foot-high marble pedestal. Grant is portrayed in the same way that he often appeared on the battlefield, without a sword, shoulders slightly drooping, and topped with a wide-brimmed Army hat. The monument contrasts Grant's customary stillness while observing battles with the turbulence of the charging Cavalry to his north and Artillery to his south. Relief panels on each side of the statue's pedestal depict marching soldiers, and four lions on individual pedestals guard the statue’s base. To Grant’s right is the famous Cavalry Group rushing out onto the battlefield. The lead horse carries the commanding officer who, with a drawn sword, is giving the command to charge. Tragically, one of the horses has already fallen, pinning its rider beneath. To Grant’s left is an equally dramatic portrayal of the Artillery group. Five men and three horses attempt to steer a cannon into position, but the bridal of the lead horse has broken, causing it to lunge forward and the driver to lose control. Thirty years after the war’s end, veterans of the Army of the Tennessee successfully lobbied congress to erect a monument to General Grant in Washington, D.C. Congress passed the Hepburn Act in 1901, which allocated $250,000 for the project; the largest Federal expenditure for statuary to date. Of the more than two dozen designs submitted, the selection panel chose that of Henry Merwin Shrady, beating out several more prominent sculptors. Shrady tragically died two weeks before the memorial's dedication on the centennial of Grant's birthday, April 27, 1922. Nevertheless, the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial remains a “remarkable achievement by a sculptor who, with little formal training, toiled twenty years to translate his grand vision into cast bronze.”
Part of Civil War Monuments
DC Inventory: March 3, 1979
National Register: September 20, 1978
]]>The Freer Gallery is housed in an isolated, rectangular building designed by architect Charles A. Platt in the style of a Florentine Renaissance fortress palace. A classical entablature and balustrade crown the building on all four sides.
Plans for Platt's building were accepted by the Government in 1915, and the Freer Gallery of Art was officially opened to the public on May 2, 1923. Industrialist and patron Charles Lang Freer's gift included not only the collection and the building, which had been constructed at a cost of approximately $1,250,000, but also an endowment amounting to $2,600,000 for increasing the collection, for salaries, and for other specific items. In a codicil to his will, Freer required that the Commission of Fine Arts be consulted as to all future purchases, which were restricted to articles of Far Eastern art.
In the century since its original opening, under the leadership of a distinguished group of curators and directors, the Freer collection of Near and Far Eastern art has been increased to over 10,000 articles.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
National Register: June 23, 1969
]]>