When the Atlantic Building was completed in 1888, it was the largest commercial structure in the city and one of the first with a passenger elevator. Located on F Street in the heart of downtown, the speculative office building was designed in a…

Built in 1902-1903, the Ethelhurst was one of the earliest multi-story apartment buildings in Washington and is historically notable as a product of T. Franklin Schneider, an architect and entrepreneur who pioneered luxury multi-story apartment…

The LeDroit Block was built after the completion of the large-scale municipal improvements undertaken by the Board of Public Works ibetween 1871 and 1874. It illustrates the renewed civic aspirations of the post-Civil War era with rich, animated…

The Wire Building, constructed in 1949, is a 12-story Modern office building, distinguished both for its smooth limestone walls, which turn the corner in a sweeping curve, and its early use of continuous bands of windows. Built by real estate…

The Washington Loan and Trust Company Building is prominently situated across from the Old Patent Office. It was home to the city's first trust company, originally organized in 1889 by Brainerd H. Warner, and acquired by Riggs Bank in 1954. The…

Having made his fortune in dentistry and San Francisco real estate, Dr. Henry D. Cogswell (1820-1900) used his fortunes to advance the temperance cause, or the movement to curb alcohol consumption throughout the United States. Cogswell in particular…

The Mary Elizabeth Surratt Boarding House is an 1843 vernacular Greek Revival dwelling that Mary Surratt operated as a boarding house from September 1864 through April 1865. During this period, John Wilkes Booth visited the boarding house both…

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 locations until this location, designed by…

While it’s currently the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Old Patent Office reflects an era when scientific invention propelled the American economy and began to mold the national character. Although more than a…

Designed by Cluss and Kammerheuber, the Old Masonic Temple enjoyed early prominence due to its important location across 9th Street from the old U.S. Patent Office. In scale and dignity it complements its prestigious neighbor, a symbol of awakening…