Government Building sights in Washington, DC
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A
Capitol
The political center of the US government and geographic heart of the District, the Capitol sits atop a high hill overlooking the National Mall and the wide avenues flaring out to the city beyond. The towering 285ft cast-iron dome topped by the bronze Statue of Freedom, ornate fountains and marble Roman pillars set on sweeping lawns and flowering gardens scream: ‘This is DC.’
Since 1800, this is where the legislative branch of American government – ie Congress – has met to write the country’s laws. The lower House of Representatives (438 members) and upper Senate (100) meet respectively in the south and north wings of the building.
The visitor center (202-225-68…
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B
White House
Unlike many sites of similar caliber, the White House feels more uplifting than somber. Maybe that’s because this is, at the end of the day, a home as well as a symbol. The White House stuns visitors with its sense of pomp and circumstance, yet it also charms with little left traces of those who have lived here before, which includes every US president since John Adams. Icon of the American presidency? Yeah. But it’s also someone’s front yard.
The Presidential Palace – as it was once known – has changed a great deal over history. It was not originally white, for example. After the British burned the building in the War of 1812, it was restored and painted. Teddy Roo…
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C
Federal Reserve
‘The Fed, ’ which resembles a cross between a Greek temple and a Soviet-era bunker, is the Olympus of the Gods of the American Economy. Unfortunately, you won’t see too much fiscal action on tours; these focus on the architecture of the Eccles Building, which houses the reserve. You do get to visit the board room, which looks like the place where the world’s economy is batted about like a big ball of yarn between some very powerful cats. That said, the tour – which must be pre-arranged by calling at least two weeks in advance – is recommended for adults only (kids will likely get bored). Visitors can also view the Fed’s art collection, part of which is displayed in the at…
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D
Pentagon
The US Department of Defense is housed in what may be the world's biggest office building, which took just 16 months to build back in WWII. About 25,000 people work in the massive polygon, which has more than a dozen miles of corridors and five sides surrounding a 5-acre courtyard. But while the formidable edifice appears impenetrable, 184 people were killed here on September 11, 2001, when American Airlines flight 77 crashed into the side of the building. Just outside of the Pentagon is a tranquil memorial to these victims (including passengers of flight 77); the grounds consist of 184 benches engraved with a victim's name, shaded by 85 paperback maple trees. Since the a…
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E
Treasury Building
The 1836 Greek-revival colossus (each of its 30 36ft-high columns was carved from a single granite block) is decorated as befits a treasury, with golden eagles, ornate balustrades and a two-story Cash Room, constructed with eight types of marble. US currency was printed in the basement from 1863 to 1880. Unfortunately tours of the building have been suspended, but the website offers a virtual tour under Education.
This building no longer prints any money, but is often confused with the present 'money factory,' the Bureau of Printing & Engraving, south of the Mall.
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F
US State Department
The headquarters of the American diplomatic corps is a forbidding, well-guarded edifice, all modernist, blocky and unfriendly. In stark contrast are the elegant grand diplomatic reception rooms, where Cabinet members and the Secretary of State entertain visiting potentates amid ornate 18th-century American antiques. Call at least a month beforehand to reserve a tour spot, and bring photo ID; no kids under 12 are admitted.
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