Cultural Building sights in Washington, DC
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Library of Congress
The White House and the Capitol may be more iconic, but for our money (well, none, seeing as admission is free), the LOC, the world’s largest library, is the most impressive structure in DC.
It’s just the sheer scope of the thing: approximately 120 million items, including 22 million books, plus manuscripts, maps, photographs, films and prints shelved along over 500 miles of closed library stacks in the three main library buildings, Adams Building (cnr 2nd St & Independence Ave SE), Jefferson Building (cnr 1st & E Capitol Sts SE) and Madison Building (1st St SE btwn Independence Ave & C St SE). You don’t get to see most of this material, unfortunately, but checking ou…
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B
National Archives
The importance of the archives, or more specifically what is contained within them, cannot be overstated; herein lays the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. If the USA has a mission statement, it’s here. Seeing these documents in person is one of those DC experiences that gets even hard-bitten locals to whisper ‘wow.’ The documents are contained in a dimly lit rotunda within a grand neoclassical building. Just before you reach the main event, you’ll see a 1297 version of the Magna Carta, courtesy of Texas billionaire (and former presidential candidate) Ross Perot. Don’t expect to linger over the Big Three (guards make you keep moving) bu…
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C
Folger Shakespeare Library & Theatre
The world’s largest collection of the bard’s works, including seven First Folios, is housed at the Folger Library: its Great Hall exhibits Shakespearean artifacts and other rare Renaissance manuscripts. Most of the rarities are housed in the library’s reading rooms, closed to all but scholars, except on Shakespeare’s birthday (April 23), but you can peek electronically via the multimedia computers in the Shakespeare Gallery. The gorgeous Elizabethan Theatre replicates a theater of Shakespeare’s time; with its woodcarvings and sky canopy, the castle is an intimate setting for plays, readings and performances, including the stellar annual PEN/Faulkner readings. East of the …
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D
Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library
Designed by Mies van der Rohe, this low-slung, sleek central branch of the DC public library system is as warm and fuzzy as a goodnight story on the inside, especially the colorful mural portraying the Civil Rights movement. This is an important community and cultural center, sponsoring readings, concerts, films and children’s activities. You can also access the internet here.
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