Sacred Spaces in DC
This tour provides a comprehensive list of historically-designated religious properties in the District. These sacred spaces – including churches, meeting houses, synagogues, temples, seminaries, and cathedrals – are significant for their history, architecture, and the famous individuals who have been associated with these sites. From presidential congregants to political and social activists, DC’s religious spaces have supported residents and visitors alike, famous or not. These spaces have evolved with the city, and one of the landmarks, the Adas Israel Synagogue, has even been physically moved – three times! Additionally, this list includes two sacred spaces that are designated National Historic Landmarks: St. John’s Church and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.
Many of these spaces have served their official religious purposes, as well as provided safe community spaces for non-religious groups to gather and come together. As religious meeting spaces continue to evolve and change to meet the needs of their congregants, their buildings serve as a testament to the community-oriented culture that they’ve curated over the decades.
This tour's sites are arranged in alphabetical order; if you choose to explore these sites, plan your route accordingly.
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Adas Israel Synagogue: This historic synagogue has been moved three times, ensuring its long-term preservation.
During its early years, the Adas Israel Congregation, composed of 35 families, met and worshiped in the homes of its members or in rented quarters. On August 16, 1870, the congregation's trustees,…
All Souls Unitarian Church: The All Souls Unitarian congregation dedicated its third and current church at Sixteenth and Harvard Streets NW in 1924.
In 1821, the congregation of All Souls Unitarian Church first organized as the First Unitarian Church. The original edifice stood at Sixth and D Streets NW; however, in 1877, the congregation erected…
Asbury United Methodist Church: Asbury United Methodist Church is the third sanctuary of one of the city's most influential African American churches.
Asbury United Methodist Church reflects important themes in the city’s social history including abolition, emancipation, reconstruction, and the civil rights movement. It is the city’s oldest African…
Christ Church: Founded in 1817, Christ Church is Georgetown's second Protestant Episcopal congregation.
Christ Church was founded in 1817 when a group of prominent Georgetown citizens met to organize a new congregation for an additional Protestant Episcopal Church. Up until that time, St. John's Church…
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…
Church of the Ascension and Saint Agnes: The Church of the Ascension and Saint Agnes was built between 1874 and 1875 and has since served as a significant architectural presence on Massachusetts Avenue.
The Church of the Ascension and Saint Agnes is an excellent and well-preserved example of the High Victorian Gothic design, and is the work of noted Baltimore architects Dixon &…
Church of the Epiphany: Many notable historic figures were congregants of the church, including President Buchanan.
Built in 1844, the Church of the Epiphany is an unpretentious Gothic Revival style structure designed by John W. Harkness. Following the founding of the parish in 1842, the congregation consecrated…
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Washington Chapel): The church's distinct architecture was influenced by the Salt Lake Temple.
The Washington Chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as the Mormons, was constructed in emulation of the church’s temple in Salt Lake City, Utah, but retains its own…
Concordia United Church of Christ and Rectory (Concordia German Evangelical Church): This church, one of the finest Victorian eclectic churches still standing in Washington, represents the more elaborate element of local architecture of the 1880s and 1890s.
Designed by Washington architects Paul Schulze and Albert Goenner, the Concordia United Church of Christ and Rectory represent two aspects of the Victorian style, the most popular architectural style…
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…
Eldbrooke Methodist Church: Eldbrooke Methodist Church is a longtime historical and architectural landmark of Tenleytown.
When the Eldbrooke Methodist congregation was founded in the early 1830s, Tenleytown was only beginning to develop as a crossroads village on the road from Frederick and Rockville to the port at…
Emory United Methodist Church: Emory Methodist Church is closely associated with the growth of the Brightwood community.
The Brightwood area was originally part of a rural, sparsely populated county when DC was established. Built in 1832, Emory United Methodist Church demonstrates the growth of the Brightwood community…
First African New Church (Church of the New Jerusalem): This neighborhood church was built in 1896 for the city’s first African American congregation of the New Church.
By 1846, a Swedenborgian, or New Church, congregation was fully established in Washington, and by 1858, the congregation had built a church just north of the Capitol. After that structure burned in…
First Baptist Church of Deanwood: This historic church was an important site for the early Deanwood community.
One of DC's oldest African American suburbs, Deanwood was established when white landowner Levi Sheriff divided farmland among his three daughters, Margaret Lowrie, Emmeline Sheriff and Mary Cornelia…
First Church of Christ, Scientist: The church served the changing community for several decades.
In 1879, Mary Baker Eddy founded the Christian Science church, and it quickly spread to DC in 1895. After hosting their religious services in members’ homes and other denominations’ churches, the…
Fletcher Chapel (Church of God and Saints of Christ): Fletcher Chapel is one of the oldest surviving houses of worship in DC.
Dating back further than most other houses of worship in the city, Fletcher Chapel is notable as a representation of early DC's simple wood frame architecture, as well as the site of the founding…
Founding Church of Scientology, Washington, DC: This row house once housed L. Ron Hubbard's office and was instrumental in the early days of Scientology.
This row house at 1812 19th Street NW is one of three properties around the nation closely connected to L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology (the other two properties are in New Jersey and…
Franciscan Monastery and Memorial Church of the Holy Land: The Franciscan Monastery Complex, atop Mount Saint Sepulcher, features many replicas of holy sites.
The Franciscan Monastery Complex is located on a hill named Mount Saint Sepulcher in Brookland. The Byzantine-style buff colored brick church, designed by Italian architect Aristides Leonori and built…
Friends Meeting House (Friends Meeting of Washington): This meeting house provided services for the first Quaker elected President, Herbert Hoover.
Built in 1930 and designed by Walter F. Price, the Washington Friends Meeting House is a Colonial Revival building decorated with Georgian elements, such as quoins and keystones, and Federal elements,…
Friendship Baptist Church: This handsome late-19th-century church is a surviving building from the urban renewal of the 1950s and 1960s, and has since been repurposed for artistic and cultural use.
Friendship Baptist Church symbolizes the resistance to one of the most important—yet also most socially destructive—urban renewal projects in the nation, the Southwest Washington urban renewal…
Grace Church (Grace Protestant Episcopal Church): Small Gothic Revival church housing the parish founded by Saint John’s Church in 1855 as a missionary church for canal boatmen and workers.
The "child" of two early existing Georgetown Episcopal Parishes, the Grace Parish was founded in 1855 as a mission church for boatmen and workers form the adjacent C&O Canal. With the financial…
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church: Built between 1926 and 1928, Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church features Biblical scenes in its stained glass windows.
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church was established in 1876, when American-born members of Trinity German Lutheran Church founded their own English-speaking congregation and shifted affiliation to the…
Grace Reformed Church, Sunday School, and Parish House: Grace Reformed Church comprises several attached buildings constructed between 1892 and 1912.
Erected as a national memorial to the Reformed Church in the United States, Grace Reformed Church was constructed between 1902 and 1903, following the plans of noted architects Paul Pelz and A. A.…
Hillcrest/National Presbyterian Church: Hillcrest/National Presbyterian Church is immensely valuable for its architectural significance, artistic elements, and historical legacy.
Hillcrest/National Presbyterian Church reflects the merging of two early 20th century Washington institutions into the current historic properties of The Washington City Orphan Asylum (Hillcrest…
Holy Name College (and James Sherwood Farmhouse): This 10-acre landmark includes an 1880s Queen Anne style farmhouse and a 1930s Romanesque Revival/Art Deco style college building.
Holy Name College and the James Sherwood Farmhouse sit on 10-acres in the Brookland neighborhood. The two-story, wood-frame farmhouse was completed by farmer James Sherwood in 1886 within what had…
Holy Redeemer College: Holy Redeemer College stands as a built legacy of “Little Rome” in Northeast DC.
Constructed in 1933, architect Anthony A.F. Schmitt designed Holy Redeemer College as a residential home for members of the Redemptorist religious order while they pursued studies at nearby Catholic…
Immaculata Seminary Historic District: Upon its construction in 1904, this school for girls became a major landmark in an increasingly busy Tenleytown.
In the early 20th century, the Sisters of Providence of St. Mary of the Woods, a Catholic order, purchased the property to establish the Immaculata Seminary school for girls, and constructed an…
Immaculate Conception Church, School, Rectory, and Residence
Founded in 1864, Immaculate Conception was the first mission church of Saint Patrick’s, organized to serve the Roman Catholic population in the then-sparsely settled area north of Mount Vernon Square.…
John Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church (Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church): The church congregation has existed for over 150 years.
With the decision to leave their existing church, John Brent and John Ingram began the long legacy of the John Wesley AME Zion Church. After two years of worship in private homes, the small…
Kelsey Temple Church of God in Christ: Designed by Maurice Russel Rhoads in 1921 as the Columbia Heights Christian Church, this church has played a significant role in the development of Columbia Heights.
The years immediately after World War I were a period of intense development of neighboring residential and commercial blocks, capped by the opening of the nearby Tivoli Theatre in 1924. The influx of…
Lincoln Congregational Temple United Church of Christ: The Lincoln Memorial Congregational Temple is a tangible expression of social and educational heritage of DC's African American community.
The current building for the Lincoln Congregational Temple United Church of Christ was built in 1928 and designed by architect Howard Wright Cutler; however, the site of the church has been used by…
Luther Place Memorial Church and Luther Statue: With a statue of Martin Luther, Luther Place is a distinctive Gothic Revival church and a notable example of post-Civil War architecture.
Formally known as Memorial Evangelical Lutheran Church, Luther Place Memorial Church was founded in 1873 as a memorial to peace and reconciliation following the Civil War; two of the original pews…
Marist College (Marist Hall): This Romanesque Revival style building on the campus of the Catholic University of America is one of many historic seminaries in Brookland’s “Little Rome.”
Marist Hall began as Marist College and served as a hub of advanced studies for the Society of Mary, one of the earliest Roman Catholic religious orders. The Society of Mary was legally incorporated…
Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church: The Metropolitan A.M.E. Church has been an important site of Black cultural heritage since the 1880s.
The Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church contributes significantly to the cultural heritage and visual beauty of DC. The organization of the Metropolitan A.M.E. Church grew out of…
Mount Olivet Lutheran Church: This church was erected between 1882 and 1884 as the Vermont Avenue Christian Church.
Designed by R.G. Russel in the High Victorian Gothic style, this large red brick building stands as the only nonresidential building in the Logan Circle Historic District, and is the only structure…
Mount Zion United Methodist Church: The Mount Zion United Methodist Church is one of the oldest Black churches in all of DC.
The establishment of the congregation of the Mount Zion Church dates to 1814, which makes it the oldest Black church in Georgetown and one of the oldest Black churches in the District of Columbia. The…
National Baptist Memorial Church: Dedicated in 1933, the National Baptist Memorial Church is a memorial to Roger Williams, a pioneer for religious liberty.
The congregation of this local church was organized in 1906, yet the vision for the religious building expanded through a desire for a national Baptist Church. Original designs included a prominent…
National City Christian Church: Built in 1930, this neoclassical church is a notable landmark of Thomas Circle.
The congregation of the National City Christian Church organized in 1843. A physician and pioneering Stone-Campbell Movement missionary, James Turner Barclay (1807-1874) helped to organize the…
National Presbyterian Church (Church of the Covenant) (1887 - 1966): Fondly remembered as the “Church of the Government,” the Church of the Covenant served not only the community but offered solace and a place of worship to a few of America’s first families.
With J. Cleveland Cady as its architect, the Church of the Covenant (eventually named National Presbyterian Church) was the pinnacle of High Victorian taste. Cady’s design was based on Henry Hobson…
Nineteenth Street Baptist Church (1871-1976): The Nineteenth Street Baptist Church is the oldest Black Baptist congregation in DC and continues to worship today—but at a new location.
The Nineteenth Street Baptist Church is considered to be the first and oldest Black Baptist congregation in DC. The First Baptist Church, where Nineteenth Street Baptist Church finds its roots,…
Old Holy Trinity Church: Georgetown's Old Holy Trinity Church is notable as DC's first Roman Catholic church.
Holy Trinity Church, established in 1787, is the oldest Roman Catholic church in not only Georgetown, but also all of Washington, DC. For years after construction finished in 1794, the church was…
Park View Christian Church: One of five churches selected for the 1960s Head Start Program, Park View Christian Church piloted education programs for D.C. children.
When it was constructed, the Park View Christian Church made church services more accessible to residents of the then-rural parts of D.C., enhancing the sense of community in the newly-developing Park…
Shrine of the Sacred Heart (including Interior): This parish has been described as “one of the most culturally diverse congregations in the Archdiocese of Washington.”
Shrine of the Sacred Heart, located just off 16th Street NW at Park Road, is a monumental religious space with a century of significant social history.The church was dedicated in December 1922 after…
Saint Aloysius Catholic Church: This church, built in the 1850s, stands out among contemporary structures due to its unusual design.
Built between 1857 and 1859, Saint Aloysius Catholic Church, with its handsome interior decoration, was designed by Father Benedict Sestini. Sestini, a Jesuit priest who was a well-known…
Saint Dominic's Church: A place of worship and peace, this church has long served Southwest DC.
Built in 1865 to 1875, the cornerstone of Saint Dominic's Church was placed on November 19, 1865, just months after the conclusion of the Civil War. There had been previous iterations of the church,…
Saint John’s Church: This Episcopal church is noted for its association with the presidency, due to its close proximity to the White House.
Due to its close proximity to the White House, Saint John’s Church is known as the “Church of the Presidents”; accordingly, every President since James Madison has attended at least one service here.…
Saint John’s Church, Georgetown: This Episcopal church became an important site for the Georgetown community of the early 1800s.
Construction started on Saint John's Church in 1796, building on land that had originally been purchased and set aside by the Church of England in 1769. The church's exterior, designed in the Federal…
Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church: Saint Luke’s was the city’s first independent Black Episcopal Church, established in 1879 by Reverend Alexander Crummell.
Built between 1876 and 1879, Saint Luke’s is a major work of Calvin T.S. Brent (1854-1899), the city’s first Black architect. It is designed in the early English Gothic style (Gothic Revival) and…
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…
Saint Mary's Catholic Church (Saint Mary Mother of God): This Catholic church began in the mid-1800s to serve incoming German immigrants in their own language.
Organized in 1845 in the basement of St. Matthew's Church, St. Mary's parish was formed to serve the influx of German Catholic immigrants settling in Washington at the time. Initially located at 15th…
Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church (Saint Mary's Chapel): St. Mary's is the home of the first African American Episcopal congregation in DC, split from the Church of the Epiphany.
Formed in 1866-1867, St. Mary's Episcopal Church was founded by African American congregants wanting to create their own church from the Church of the Epiphany. After establishing their congregation,…
Saint Matthew’s Cathedral and Rectory: This domed cathedral is remembered as the site of President John F. Kennedy's funeral.
St. Matthew's Cathedral is one of the most impressive houses of worship in the United States. The simplicity of the exterior contrasts with the rich decorations of the interior. Its imposing copper…
Saint Patrick’s Church: The first Catholic parish in the federal city, it is located on land purchased in 1794.
This parish was established by Bishop John Carroll in 1794. The initial meeting place of the congregation was a house at the corner of 10th & E streets NW. The congregation worshiped at three other…
Saint Paul AUMP Church: Built in 1924, Saint Paul's is a historically and culturally important African American house of worship.
Saint Paul African Union Methodist Protestant (AUMP) Church is the only DC church that evolved from what is considered the oldest incorporated, independent African American denomination in the…
Saint Paul's College: Saint Paul’s College reflects a Catholic presence in Washington, DC.
The Missionary Society of Saint Paul the Apostles was founded in 1858 with the purpose of converting non-Catholic Americans to Catholicism. To this end, the Paulists established their own educational…
Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church (Rock Creek Church): Established in the early-18th century, this church served then-Prince George's Parish and is the earliest in DC.
Although the walls of the present Saint Paul's date from 1775, the church has undergone a number of changes throughout its history. The first church on the site was a frame structure erected in 1719.…
Saint Phillip's Baptist Church: Saint Phillip’s Baptist Church has stood on the corner of North Capitol and K streets NE since its dedication in 1892.
Saint Phillip’s Baptist Church has stood on the corner of North Capitol and K streets NE since its dedication in 1892. With its deep red brick façade, brownstone trim, and pitched gable roof, the…
Second Baptist Church: Second Baptist Church is the home of the city’s second oldest African American Baptist congregation, founded in 1848.
Second Baptist Church sprang from the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church and is noted in the Baptist movement as the mother church for many other area congregations. The church was first located on this…
St. Joseph's Seminary: The Josephites established this Georgian Revival style seminary building in "Little Rome" in 1930.
St. Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart was one of many Roman Catholic institutions and organizations that established their presence in the Brookland area in the late-19th century and into the 20th…
Third Baptist Church: This church is one of the most important extant buildings designed by Calvin T.S. Brent, the first African American in Washington trained as a professional architect.
Since its construction in 1893, this Gothic Revival church has been a dominating presence in its neighborhood of small two-story row houses. The first trained African American architect in DC, Calvin…
Third Church of Christ, Scientist, and Christian Science Monitor Building (1971-2014): The modernist church, office building, and plaza are notable as works of the office of I.M. Pei and Partners and principal designer Araldo Cossutta.
Built between 1968 and 1971, the modernist church, office building, and plaza at this site were designed primarily by principal architect Araldo Cossutta. A European-trained protégé of the famous…
Washington National Cathedral and Close Historic District: The enclosed grounds of Washington Cathedral hold landscaped gardens and prominent educational institutions.
The Washington National Cathedral has been a landmark of religious significance for over a century, and its surrounding structures date back to the early twentieth century. The Cathedral Close (an…
Washington Hebrew Congregation (Greater New Hope Baptist Church): The congregation is the only synagogue to receive their charter through an Act of Congress.
Beginning in 1852 with a small group of German Jewish congregants practicing in private homes and rented space, the Washington Hebrew Congregation quickly grew to over 100 members, necessitating their…
Washington National Cathedral: The Washington National Cathedral is a significant religious site in DC.
A Protestant Episcopal church, the Washington National Cathedral has a distinct ecumenical character, as it functions as the national church called for in the 1792 Plan of the Federal City.Beginning…Tour curated by: DC Preservation League