When the DowntownDC BID announced the callbox design competition in 2017, the Charles Bergen team saw an opportunity to right a historic wrong: the exclusion of women from outdoor public art. Although female figures abound in Washington, almost all are allegorical and less than a handful depict people who actually lived. Team historian Mara Cherkasky chose women with ties to Downtown, carefully including individuals from various eras and walks of life. Over two summers, sculptor Charles Bergen…

When the Founding Fathers established Washington, DC, as a federal territory in 1790, the fledgling government criminalized homosexuality as the British had. A desire for uniformity and a “normalcy” defined by American officials resulted in numerous repressions and segregations through ensuing centuries, targeting those who did not fit into a traditional family structure. The strictness of gender roles and gender identities in the United States, combined with a genuine fear of “divergent” sexual…

Downtown Washington is a hub of activity—and has been since the establishment of D.C. as the nation’s capital city in 1800. This neighborhood has provided the geographic link between the executive branch, the White House, and the legislative branch, Capitol Hill. Therefore, with its proximity to Pennsylvania Avenue, the longtime route of the inaugural parade, it has attracted many important institutions, including the Treasury Building, the Old Patent Office (now National Portrait Gallery), and…

As Washington, DC’s citywide historic preservation nonprofit, DCPL has nominated a variety of historic landmarks and districts over the past five-decades in an effort to preserve, protect, and enhance the historic and built environment of the city. From restaurants and houses to office buildings and historic districts, DCPL has strived to ensure the preservation and promotion of DC’s history through its physical landmarks. In 1971, the Old Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, a magnificent…

As one of the city’s most culturally rich and historically significant neighborhoods, Chinatown has long balanced the preservation of its architectural and cultural identity with the pressures of redevelopment and adaptive reuse. With recent conversations around the potential reimagining of key buildings, the area is once again at a pivotal crossroads. Curated by the AIA|DC Historic Resources Committee (HRC) in collaboration with the AIA|DC Asian American Designers Union (AADU), 1882…