Capitol Hill Historic District & Emerald Street Historic District
With 8,000 contributing buildings, the Capitol Hill Historic District is the largest of DC's historic districts. In fact, it includes 2x as many historic properties as the next largest historic district, Georgetown. The historic district — stretching from the US Capitol Building on the west to Lincoln Park on the east, and from Union Station on the north to Navy Yard on the south — was established in 1973 and has been expanded three times: in 1976, 2003, and 2015. Just northeast of the historic district is one of DC's newest and smallest historic districts, Emerald Street, which includes 75 contributing buildings along the 1300 block of Emerald Street NE.
The Capitol Hill Historic District includes sites associated with both local and national significance, and the cultural and architectural changes that shaped the neighborhood. Contrary to what one may think, it does not include Capitol Hill itself and the surrounding federal government buildings. Nonetheless, the historic district includes plenty of monumental history and architecture, such as the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument at 2nd Street and Constitution Avenue NE.
Additionally, the historic district includes two architectural masterpieces that retain rare interior preservation protections (in addition to the designated exteriors): the Folger Shakespeare Library, designed in a Stripped Classical style by Paul P. Cret, and Eastern Market, a popular shopping destination for locals and tourists alike that was designed by renowned architect Adolf Cluss. In contrast to the international importance of Folger, the historic district contains the historically-designated Southeast Branch Library of the DC Public Library, which is important to Washingtonians.
The historic district contains many historic row houses, including Philadelphia Row, churches, and tree-lined streets, as well as some of the city's early green spaces, such as Stanton and Lincoln parks, and their statuary. The Furies Collective on 11th Street SE stands as a reminder of more recent history. In this case, the lesbian separatist movement that gained adherents in the 1960s and 1970s. Walking through the Capitol Hill Historic District, there is always something new and interesting to discover!
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Capitol Hill Historic District: One of the city's oldest neighborhoods, Capitol Hill offers a window into the social and economic history of the city through its architectural diversity.
The Capitol Hill Historic District, which encompasses approximately 8,000 contributing buildings, grew from a small boarding house community for members of Congress to an area of more than 150 squares…
Nathanael Greene Statue: This statue honors one of the American Revolution's most successful generals.
Dedicated in 1877, this bronze equestrian memorial honors Major General Nathanael Greene, a Revolutionary War general and commander of the Southern Department of the Continental Army. Greene sits…
Sewall-Belmont House National Historic Site: This National Historic Site and National Monument served as the headquarters for the National Woman's Party for nearly 90 years.
The Sewall–Belmont House National Historic Site served as the headquarters for the National Woman's Party (NWP) for nearly 90 years, starting in 1929. Originally founded by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns…
Mountjoy Bayly House: This early Capitol Hill residence has long been a site of progressive reform and organizing.
The Mountjoy Bayly House (also known as the Bayly House, Hiram W. Johnson House, Chaplains Memorial Building, and Parkington) was built in 1822 for the second Sergeant at Arms of the Senate, General…
Folger Shakespeare Library (and Interiors): The Folger Shakespeare Library's simple, modern exterior hides an Elizabethan interior with a full-scale 17th century English theater, and the world's largest collection of Shakespeareana.
The Folger Shakespeare Library was constructed on the site of Grant's Row, owing to the acquisition of the land in 1928 by Henry Clay Folger. Folger, a millionaire Standard Oil executive, devoted a…
Saint Mark’s Church: Since its establishment in 1867, Saint Mark's Church's congregation has played an important role in the life of Capitol Hill.
The red-brick, High Victorian Gothic style Saint Mark's Church, designed in 1888 by T. Buckler Chequier, combines Romanesque elements with Gothic verticality and has a particularly distinguished…
George Watterston House: The Watterston House is a notable early 19th-century townhouse that has retained its architectural integrity.
Constructed sometime between 1802 and 1819, and designed by architects Nicholas King and Nicholas Hedges, the George Watterston House is named for one of DC's most distinguished citizens of the 19th…
Eastern Market (and Interiors): Eastern Market is the longest-running remnant of the old market system, which supplied DC residents with produce, meat, and more in the decades before grocery store chains.
Although Capitol Hill had hosted a neighborhood market for decades, established by a presidential proclamation by Thomas Jefferson in the early 1800s, it wasn’t until 1873 that a dedicated building…
Ebenezer United Methodist Church: The church congregation has existed since the 19th century.
Known as “Little Ebenezer” in the mid-19th century, the Ebenezer United Methodist Church became one of the first African American congregations on Capitol Hill and the first public school in DC open…
Carbery House: Famous architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe lived at this historic residence on Capitol Hill for a short time.
The Carbery House was originally designed in the Federal style and completed in 1803, and was most likely a five-bay house. This can be seen in the symmetry of the original front and side elevations,…
The Maples (William Mayne Duncanson House; Friendship House): The oldest existing house on Capitol Hill, the Maples reflects centuries of history.
The Maples stands as the oldest building on Capitol Hill. Also referred to as the Friendship House, this traditional Late Georgian-style dwelling was built between 1795 and 1796 by William Mayne…
Southeast Branch Library: Since its opening on December 8, 1922, the Southeast Branch Library has diligently served Capitol Hill through their extensive collection of books, beloved children’s programs, and commitment to community engagement.
In 1921, Congress approved $10,000 of funding for the construction of the Southeast Branch Library. With the additional support of Andrew Carnegie’s monetary donation, the Southeast Branch Library was…
Christ Church, Washington Parish (Christ Church Navy Yard): Incorporated in 1794, Christ Church was the City's first Episcopal parish.
The first section of Christ Church was built in 1806-1807. Designed by architect Robert Alexander (but attributed to Benjamin Latrobe), the structure features a battlement facade, possibly copied from…
Old Naval Hospital (Temporary Home for Veterans of All Wars): Prior to its recent use as a community center, the Old Naval Hospital served many American veterans.
Three years into the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln petitioned Congress to build DC’s first Naval hospital. Built by July 1866, the Old Naval Hospital provided medical services to American veterans in the…
Marine Barracks Historic District: The Marine Barracks Historic District marks the nation’s oldest uninterrupted Marine Corps installation.
The Marine Barracks Historic District is a quadrangle of buildings surrounding a central parade ground, and it includes approximately a dozen buildings built between 1801 and 1935.The Marine Barracks…
Marine Corps Commandant's House: The Commandant’s House is part of the nation's oldest continuously active Marine Corps installation.
Designed by George Hadfield (1763-1826), the Marine Corps Commandant’s House is the only original building on the complex. This white-painted, Flemish-bonded brick residence has served as the home of…
Marine Barracks, Main Gate: The Main Gate stands at the entrance to DC’s historic Marine Barracks.
The Main Gate serves as the entrance to the Marine Barracks Historic District. The US Marine Corps Barracks and Commandant’s House comprise the nation’s oldest continually active Marine Corps…
Navy Yard Car Barn (Washington & Georgetown Railroad Car House): This imposing brick and stone streetcar barn is a reminder of the street car system that transported Washingtonians from Georgetown to the Navy Yard.
The Navy Yard Car Barn was the terminus point of the city’s first streetcar line, which ran along Pennsylvania Avenue from Georgetown to the Navy Yard. Designed by Walter C. Root (1859-1925) in 1891,…
The Furies Collective: This landmark is directly connected with the early expression and definition of the character, role, and ideology of the lesbian community in DC.
The row house at 219 11th Street SE, historically home to the Furies Collective, is a two-story, early 20th-century brick dwelling located in the Capitol Hill Historic District. Built in 1913, the…
Philadelphia Row: These brick row homes were constructed near Lincoln Park in the 1860s.
An early speculative venture from the post-Civil War period is Philadelphia Row, a row of attached houses in the 100 block of 11th Street SE. These houses, which have features of the Federal style,…
Emancipation Monument: This memorial to Abraham Lincoln, DC's first, was funded entirely by formerly enslaved men and women.
Financed entirely by contributions from formerly enslaved men and women, the Emancipation Monument was the city’s principal memorial to Abraham Lincoln until 1922. The inscription records that…
Commemorative Monuments and Memorials of DC Tour: Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial: One of few memorials honoring an African American woman in DC, the statue honors Bethune's legacy in education and social justice movements.
For Mary McLeod Bethune’s 99th birthday, the National Council of Negro Women commissioned and raised funds for a memorial dedicated to the activist. Designed by Robert Berks, the memorial in Lincoln…
Emerald Street Historic District: Situated on the east end of Capitol Hill, Emerald Street Historic District's rowhouses represent urban development in response to the city’s growing middle-class population from 1892 to 1923.
Emerald Street NE, or Emerson Street prior to 1950, is a one-block-long "minor" residential street located between 13th and 14th and E and F Streets NE at the center of Square 1029 in east Capitol…Tour curated by: DC Preservation League