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!