Architectural, Cultural sights in Washington, DC
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Heurich House
We like to call this place ‘the castle that beer built.’ Heurich House is immediately recognizable, a medieval manor in the midst of modern America. While there are a lot of baroque and Renaissance swishes, this was also the first District building to appreciably rely on reinforced concrete. The 31-room mansion was designed by John Granville Myers for German-born brewer Christian Heurich, a man who loved beer with a passion we can appreciate. One quote along the walls states: ‘ Raum ist in der kleinsten Kammer fur den grossten Katzenjammer ’ (‘There is room in the smallest chamber for the biggest hangover’), a sentiment you may blearily agree with after a night out…
reviewed
-
B
Blair & Lee Houses
The 1824 Blair House has been the official presidential guesthouse since 1942, when Eleanor Roosevelt got sick of tripping over dignitaries in the White House. A plaque on the front fence commemorates the bodyguard killed here while protecting President Truman from a 1950 assassination attempt by pro-independence militants from Puerto Rico (Truman was living here while the White House was undergoing renovations). The neighboring 1858 Lee House was built by Robert E Lee’s family. This is where Lee declined command of the Union Army when the Civil War erupted.
reviewed
-
C
Sewall-Belmont House
The District – sadly – lacks a specific monument and museum to the women’s rights movement, but it does have this historic house, home base of the National Woman’s Party since 1929, and 43-year residence of the party’s legendary founder, suffragette Alice Paul. Paul spearheaded efforts to gain the vote for women (enshrined in the 19th Amendment) and wrote the Equal Rights Amendment. Docents show off historical exhibits, portraits, sculpture and a library that celebrates feminist heroes.
reviewed
-
D
Tudor Place
This 1816 neoclassical mansion was owned by Thomas Peter and Martha Custis Peter, granddaughter of Martha Washington. The urban estate stayed in the Peter family until it opened to the public in 1984, so it preserves pieces of the family’s, as well as the country’s, history. Today the mansion functions as a small museum, and features furnishings and artwork from Mount Vernon, which give a nice insight into American decorative arts. The 5 acres of grounds are beautifully landscaped.
reviewed
-
E
Dumbarton House
Often confused with Dumbarton Oaks, Dumbarton House is a modest Federal historic house, which was constructed by a wealthy family in 1798. Now it’s run by the Colonial Dames of America, who take you on genteel but gently witty tours. The focus isn’t just the house – chockablock with antique china, silver, furnishings, rugs, gowns and books – but quaint Federal customs, like passing round the chamber pot after formal dinners so gentlemen could have a group pee.
reviewed
-
F
Decatur House
Designed in 1818 by Benjamin Latrobe for the War of 1812 naval hero Stephen Decatur, Decatur House sits at Lafayette Sq’s northwest corner. It holds the honor of being the first and last house on the square to be occupied as a private residence, and architecturally, it’s an interesting mash-up of austere Federal and wedding cake Victorian influences. A tour details the lives of famous tenants – including Martin Van Buren and Henry Clay – and the slaves who waited upon them.
reviewed
-
G
Woodrow Wilson House
This Georgian-revival mansion offers guided hour-long tours focusing on the 28th president’s life and legacy. Genteel elderly docents discuss highlights of Wilson’s career (WWI, the League of Nations) and home, which has been restored to the period of his residence (1921–24). The tour features a garden, a stairwell conservatory, European bronzes, 1920s-era china and Mrs Wilson’s elegant dresses, all of which offer a glamorous portrait of Roaring ‘20s DC society.
reviewed
-
H
Waterside Park
A few historic homes – curiosities in this neighborhood – survived the 1950s urban clearance. The Law House (1252 6th St SW) is a Federal-style row house that was built by one of the first DC land speculators in 1796. From the same period, the Wheat Row houses (1313-1321 4th St SW), south of N St SW, have human-scale brick facades that add warmth to the neighborhood.
reviewed
-
I
Lee-Fendall House
Between 1785 and 1903 generations of the storied Lee family lived in this architecturally impressive house. Guided tours show the restored house as it probably was in the 1850s and 1860s, showcasing Lee family heirlooms and personal effects, and period furniture. The Georgian-style town house (607 Oronoco St; closed to public) across the street was Robert E Lee’s childhood home from 1810.
reviewed
-
J
Arlington House
In one of the great spite moves of American history, thousands of Union war dead were buried in the 1100-acre grounds of Confederate General Robert E Lee’s home. After the war, the Lee family sued the federal government for reimbursement: the government paid them off, and Arlington Cemetery was born. The historic house is open for public tours, and is a lovely example of Virginia grand manor architecture.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Old Stone House
Built in 1765, the capital’s oldest surviving building has been a tavern, brothel and boardinghouse (sometimes all at once) and today, despite sitting in the middle of M St, serves as a gardens and small museum on 18th-century American life. It was almost demolished in the 1950s, but a persistent (albeit false) rumor that L’Enfant used it as a workshop while designing DC saved it for posterity.
reviewed