In 1898, the Spanish-American War exposed the U.S. military's weaknesses through uncoordinated Army units and internal issues of communication. Despite America's ultimate victory, Secretary of War Elihu Root and President Theodore Roosevelt called…

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 Mountjoy Bayly. A combination of Federal and…

Built to house the international exhibits left over from the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876, the Smithsonian Institution's Arts and Industries Building reflects the three principal requirements of buildings constructed to house world's…

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 installation. Situated in southeast Washington, the post…

Thomas Beall constructed this large Federal house, typical of Northeastern seacoast mansions, as an investment in about 1794. From 1916 to 1920, it was the residence of Newton Diehl Baker, considered by some historians to be among the most…

Born into slavery in Prince Edward County, Virginia, Blanche Kelso Bruce (1841-1898) gained his freedom through the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. He dedicated much of the rest of his life to improving his country and his community, teaching at…

The Editors Building is a ten-story office building constructed in downtown DC between 1949 and 1950 to house the offices of the family-owned and operated Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc., the publisher of various subscription-based business and…

Built in 1836, Ashburton House served as a home for British diplomats. For instance, the residence hosted the ten month American-British negotiations that eventually led to the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842, which resolved the long-standing…

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals (now United States Court of Military Appeals) is an example of Greek Revival architecture, designed by Elliott Woods, Architect of the Capitol from 1902 to 1923. He designed the Court of Appeals with great…