The Van Ness House Stables is the only structure remaining from when this area included the Van Ness Mansion, which was demolished in 1907 to make way for the Pan American Union Building. The mansion and stables were built in 1816 and designed by architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe.

The mansion and stables were built on the property of farmer David Burnes. Burnes' daughter, Marcia, married General John P. Van Ness. In the early 1800s the home was regarded as a venue for entertaining and frequently hosted parties for congressmen.

DC Inventory: March 7, 1968 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)

Within Seventeenth Street Historic District

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The Pan American Union is the home of the world's oldest international association, founded in 1890 to foster cultural and commercial ties among the Western Hemisphere republics. It serves as a focal point of Washington's diplomatic and cultural activity. The building is widely considered to be among the city's most beautiful Beaux Arts buildings, in addition to being among the first major buildings implementing the McMillan Commission's plans for monumental extension of the Mall.

The construction took place from 1908 to 1910 and was largely funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The property occupies the former site of the Van Ness Mansion, a commanding location on the Ellipse at Constitution Avenue. Marble facades symbolically blend North and South American expression. Iconographic sculpture, principally by Gutzon Borglum and Isidore Konti, decorates the building, and the stately interiors boast extensive artwork. 

Originally called the Bureau of American Republics, the organization was established at the First International Conference of American States in Washington in 1889-1890. It was renamed the Pan American Union in 1910 and later reorganized as the Secretariat of the Organization of American States in 1948.

This site is featured on the Commemorative Monuments and Memorials of DC tour because it features commemorative sculptures honoring Latin American figures and heroes on its grounds.

DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)

National Register: June 4, 1969

National Historic Landmark: January 13, 2021

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Memorial Continental Hall is the monumental headquarters of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, founded in 1890 for patriotic, historic, and educational purposes and incorporated by Congress in 1895. Built between 1904 and 1910 based on architect Edward Pearce Casey's design, the Georgian Revival-style building illustrates the McMillan Commission Plan ideal of monumental institutional buildings framing parks. Notably, it was the site of the Washington Arms Limitation Conference of 1921‑1922, one of the most significant international attempts to reduce global tension through disarmament and mutual pledges of arbitration. It is also the meeting place for annual DAR conferences.

DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)

National Register and National Historic Landmark: November 28, 1972

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Founded in 1869 by Washington philanthropist William Wilson Corcoran, the Corcoran Gallery of Art was originally located at the corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. Rapid growth forced the gallery to relocate, and at its opening in 1897, the present structure was the first of a group of semi-public and public buildings to be erected on the 17th Street thoroughfare between New York Avenue and West Potomac Park. Throughout its history, the Corcoran Gallery has contributed significantly to the advancement of American art through its traditional policy of exhibiting contemporary American painting. Additionally, the gallery has a comprehensive collection of 18th, 19th, and 20th century American Art.

The area is lit through laylights in the roof of glass and copper. The lower floor is surrounded by 40 fluted, baseless Greek Doric columns while the upper floor is surrounded by 38 fluted Greek Ionic columns; both orders are of Indiana limestone and stand 18 feet high. The Ionic columns, which support the ceiling beams, are detailed with gilt bronze necking. The columns are spaced around two open wells with circulation along the outside. The frieze that surrounds the lower southern Atrium wall is a 19th century plaster reproduction of the frieze on the Pantheon. Originally, the Atrium housed statuary and plaster casts. Today, statuary is still exhibited here as well as plaster and wooden busts of famous Americans, which are mounted on brackets around the room.

DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)

DC Inventory (Interiors): April 23, 2015

National Register: May 6, 1971

National Historic Landmark: April 27, 1992

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The American Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton in 1881 and chartered by Congress in 1900. The building was built as a memorial to the women of the Civil War thanks to U.S. and private funds. It exemplifies the McMillan Plan's emphasis on development facing the Ellipse.

Built in 1915-1917 with designs of architects A. Breck Trowbridge and Goodhue Livingston, the Red Cross headquarters features Classical Revival facades of white marble with front and side porticoes, Corinthian columns, a balustraded attic, a hipped roof, and tall chimneys. The interior includes a monumental stair hall, assembly hall with Tiffany stained glass, and a museum.

The complementary north building was built 1928‑1929; the west building was built in 1931.

DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)

National Register: October 15, 1966

National Historic Landmark: June 23, 1965

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