Washington, D.C. Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == Cityscape == {{See also|Streets and highways of Washington, D.C.|Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C.|List of tallest buildings in Washington, D.C.}} [[File:L'Enfant plan.svg|thumb|The [[L'Enfant Plan]] for the city, developed in 1791 by [[Pierre Charles L'Enfant|Pierre L'Enfant]]]] [[File:USA-Georgetown C&O Canal.jpg|thumb|The [[Chesapeake and Ohio Canal]] was extended to [[Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)|Georgetown]] in 1830.]] [[File:2018.06.07 Capital Pride Heroes Gala, Washington, DC USA 02927 (41954942214).jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|An aerial view of [[Northwest Washington]], D.C. in 2018]] Washington, D.C., was a [[planned city]], and many of the city's [[street grid]]s were developed in that initial plan. In 1791, President [[George Washington]] commissioned [[Pierre Charles L'Enfant|Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant]], a French-born architect and city planner, to design the new capital, and enlisted Scottish surveyor [[Alexander Ralston]] to help lay out the city plan.<ref name="c109">{{cite book |last=Coleman |first=Christopher Bush |title=Indiana Magazine of History |publisher=Indiana Historical Society |year=1920 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wZY1AAAAIAAJ |page=109 |access-date=December 13, 2020 |archive-date=March 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327185145/https://books.google.com/books?id=wZY1AAAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[L'Enfant Plan]] featured broad streets and avenues radiating out from rectangles, providing room for open space and landscaping.<ref name=lenfant>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/lenfant.htm |title=The L'Enfant and McMillan Plans |access-date=May 27, 2008 |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |archive-date=August 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827160250/http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/lenfant.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> L'Enfant based his design on plans of other major world cities, including [[Paris]], [[Amsterdam]], [[Karlsruhe]], and [[Milan]] that [[Thomas Jefferson]] had sent to him.<ref>{{cite book |last=Minta |first=Anna |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7pVtaBw6cq0C&pg=PA22 |chapter=Planning a National Pantheon: Monuments in Washington, D.C. and the Creation of Symbolic Space |title=Public Space and the Ideology of Place in American Culture |publisher=Rodopi B.V. |year=2009 |isbn=978-90-420-2574-5 |editor=Klaus Benesch |location=Amsterdam—New York |pages=21–50 |oclc=644525117 |editor2=Jeffrey L. Meilke |editor3=David E. Nye |editor4=[[Miles Orvell]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118201126/https://books.google.com/books?id=7pVtaBw6cq0C&pg=PA22 |archive-date=November 18, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|22}} L'Enfant's design also envisioned a garden-lined grand avenue about {{convert|1|mi|km}} long and {{convert|400|ft|m}} wide in an area that is now the National Mall.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/62wash/62locate1.htm |title=Map 1: The L'Enfant Plan for Washington |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=October 27, 2009 |archive-date=October 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020135549/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/62wash/62locate1.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In March 1792, President Washington dismissed L'Enfant due to conflicts with the three commissioners appointed to supervise the capital's construction. [[Andrew Ellicott]], who worked with L'Enfant in surveying the city, was then tasked with completing its design. Though Ellicott revised the original L'Enfant plans, including changing some street patterns, L'Enfant is still credited with the city's overall design.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Crew |first1=Harvey W. |last2=Webb |first2=William Bensing |last3=Wooldridge |first3=John |title=Centennial History of the City of Washington, D.C. |publisher=United Brethren Publishing House |year=1892 |location=Dayton, OH |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5Q81AAAAIAAJ |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5Q81AAAAIAAJ/page/n108 101]–103}}</ref> By the early 20th century, however, L'Enfant's vision of a grand national capital was marred by slums and randomly placed buildings in the city, including a railroad station on the National Mall. Congress formed a special committee charged with beautifying Washington's ceremonial core.<ref name=ramroth /> What became known as the [[McMillan Plan]] was finalized in 1901 and included relandscaping the Capitol grounds and the National Mall, clearing slums, and establishing a new citywide park system. The plan is thought to have largely preserved L'Enfant's intended design for the city.<ref name=lenfant /> By law, the city's skyline is low and sprawling. The federal [[Height of Buildings Act of 1910]] prohibits buildings exceeding the width of the adjacent street plus {{convert|20|ft|m}}.<ref name="Schwartzman">{{cite news |last=Schwartzman |first=Paul |title=High-Level Debate on Future of D.C. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/01/AR2007050101939.html |access-date=July 1, 2012 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=May 2, 2007 |archive-date=November 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113045109/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/01/AR2007050101939.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite popular belief, no law has ever limited buildings to the height of the United States Capitol or the {{convert|555|ft|m|adj=on}} [[Washington Monument]],<ref name="legend" /> which remains the district's tallest structure. City leaders have cited the height restriction as a primary reason that the district has limited affordable housing and its metro area has suburban sprawl and traffic problems.<ref name="Schwartzman" /> Washington, D.C., still has a relatively high homelessness rate, despite its high living standard compared to many American cities.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} Washington, D.C., is divided into [[Quadrants of Washington, D.C.|four quadrants]] of unequal area: [[Northwest (Washington, D.C.)|Northwest (NW)]], [[Northeast (Washington, D.C.)|Northeast (NE)]], [[Southeast (Washington, D.C.)|Southeast (SE)]], and [[Southwest, Washington, D.C.|Southwest (SW)]]. The axes bounding the quadrants radiate from the U.S. Capitol.<ref name=dcstreets>{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/visiting/one_item_and_teasers/layout_of_washington.htm |title=Layout of Washington DC |access-date=July 14, 2008 |date=September 30, 2005 |publisher=United States Senate |archive-date=March 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331213926/https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/visiting/one_item_and_teasers/layout_of_washington.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> All road names include the quadrant abbreviation to indicate their location. House numbers generally correspond with the number of blocks away from the Capitol. Most streets are set out in a grid pattern with east–west streets named with letters (e.g., C Street SW), north–south streets with numbers (e.g., 4th Street NW), and diagonal avenues, many of which are [[List of state-named roadways in Washington, D.C.|named after states]].<ref name=dcstreets /> <gallery mode="packed" heights="130" caption="Selection of [[neighborhoods in Washington, D.C.]] "> File:DC Capitol Historic District.jpg|[[Capitol Hill]] File:Cathedral Heights, Washington, D.C..jpg|[[Cathedral Heights]] File:Washington DC Chinatown - a - Oct 2016.jpg|[[Chinatown (Washington, D.C.)|Chinatown]] File:Columbia Heights market plaza (5081654910) (cropped).jpg|[[Columbia Heights (Washington, D.C.)|Columbia Heights]] File:Dupont Circle Shops.jpg|[[Dupont Circle]] File:MG 4844 (8326652403).jpg|[[Edgewood (Washington, D.C.)|Edgewood]] File:4-9 Logan Circle NW Washington, D.C (cropped).jpg|[[Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.)|Logan Circle]] File:4th and Tingey Streets SE.jpg|[[Navy Yard (Washington, D.C.)|Navy Yard]] </gallery> The City of Washington was bordered on the north by Boundary Street (renamed [[Florida Avenue]] in 1890); [[Rock Creek (Potomac River tributary)|Rock Creek]] to the west, and the [[Anacostia River]] to the east.<ref name=neighborhoods /><ref name=lenfant /> Washington, D.C.'s street grid was extended, where possible, throughout the district starting in 1888.<ref>{{cite book |title=Laws relating to the permanent system of highways outside of the cities of Washington and Georgetown |year=1908 |publisher=Government Printing Office |location=Washington, D.C. |page=3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k4zVAAAAMAAJ |access-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906003349/https://books.google.com/books?id=k4zVAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Georgetown street renaming|Georgetown's streets]] were renamed in 1895.<ref name=Tindall /> Some streets are particularly noteworthy, including [[Pennsylvania Avenue (Washington, D.C.)|Pennsylvania Avenue]], which connects the [[White House]] to the Capitol; and [[K Street (Washington, D.C.)|K Street]], which houses the offices of many lobbying groups.<ref name=kstreet>{{cite news |first=Jeffrey H. |last=Birnbaum |title=The Road to Riches Is Called K Street |date=June 22, 2005 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/21/AR2005062101632.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=A01 |access-date=June 17, 2008 |archive-date=February 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216235548/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/21/AR2005062101632.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Constitution Avenue]] and [[Independence Avenue (Washington, D.C.)|Independence Avenue]], located on the north and south sides of the National Mall, respectively, are home to many of Washington's iconic museums, including many [[Smithsonian Institution]] buildings and the [[National Archives Building]]. Washington hosts 177 [[List of diplomatic missions in Washington, D.C.|foreign embassies]]; these maintain nearly 300 buildings and more than 1,600 residential properties, many of which are on a section of [[Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.)|Massachusetts Avenue]] informally known as [[Embassy Row]].<ref name="embassies">{{cite news |last=Van Dyne |first=Larry |title=Foreign Affairs: DC's Best Embassies |url=http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/foreign-affairs-dcs-best-embassies/ |access-date=June 17, 2012 |newspaper=Washingtonian Magazine |date=February 1, 2008 |archive-date=June 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614222252/http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/foreign-affairs-dcs-best-embassies/ |url-status=live }}</ref> === Architecture === {{Main|Architecture of Washington, D.C.}} The architecture of Washington, D.C., varies greatly and is generally popular among tourists and locals. In 2007, six of the top ten buildings in the [[American Institute of Architects]]' ranking of [[America's Favorite Architecture]] were in the city:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://favoritearchitecture.org/afa150.php |title=America's Favorite Architecture |access-date=July 3, 2008 |year=2007 |publisher=American Institute of Architects and Harris Interactive |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510113118/http://favoritearchitecture.org/afa150.php |archive-date=May 10, 2011}}</ref> the [[White House]], [[Washington National Cathedral]], the [[Jefferson Memorial]], the [[United States Capitol]], the [[Lincoln Memorial]], and the [[Vietnam Veterans Memorial]]. The [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]], [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]], [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]], and [[Modern architecture|Modern]] styles are reflected among these six structures and many other prominent edifices in the city.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} [[File:Jefferson Memorial At Dusk 1.jpg|thumb|The [[Jefferson Memorial]] and many of D.C.'s other monuments are built in the [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]] motif.]] Many of the government buildings, monuments, and museums along the [[National Mall]] and surrounding areas are heavily inspired by [[Classical architecture|classical]] [[Ancient Roman architecture|Roman]] and [[Ancient Greek architecture|Greek]] architecture. The designs of the White House, the U.S. Capitol, [[United States Supreme Court Building|Supreme Court Building]], [[Washington Monument]], [[National Gallery of Art]], Lincoln Memorial, and Jefferson Memorial are all heavily drawn from these classical architectural movements and feature large pediments, domes, columns in classical order, and heavy stone walls. Notable exceptions to the city's classical-style architecture include buildings constructed in the [[Second Empire (architecture)|French Second Empire]] style, including the [[Eisenhower Executive Office Building]], and the modernist [[Watergate complex]].<ref name=nps>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/sitelist.htm |title=Washington, D.C., List of Sites |access-date=December 12, 2010 |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |archive-date=November 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129073309/http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/sitelist.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Thomas Jefferson Building]], the main [[Library of Congress]] building, and the historic [[Willard InterContinental Washington|Willard Hotel]] are built in [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts style]], popular throughout the world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/buildings-grounds/library-of-congress/thomas-jefferson-building |title=Thomas Jefferson Building |access-date=September 8, 2022 |publisher=Architect of the Capitol |archive-date=July 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714001104/https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/buildings-grounds/library-of-congress/thomas-jefferson-building |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Denby">Denby, ''Grand Hotels: Reality and Illusion'', 2004, p. 221–222.</ref> [[Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park|Meridian Hill Park]] contains a [[Cascading Waterfall|cascading waterfall]] with [[Italian Renaissance]]-style architecture.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tourwashingtondc.com/2017/11/15/meridian-hill-park/ |title=Meridian Hill Park |date=November 15, 2017 |access-date=September 8, 2022 |publisher=Tour Washington DC |archive-date=September 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909013922/https://tourwashingtondc.com/2017/11/15/meridian-hill-park/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[File:CityCenterDC courtyard in 2019.jpg|thumb|[[Contemporary architecture]] at [[CityCenterDC]] in [[Downtown (Washington, D.C.)|Downtown]]]] [[Modern architecture|Modern]], [[Postmodern architecture|Postmodern]], [[contemporary architecture|contemporary]], and other non-classical architectural styles are also seen in the city. The [[National Museum of African American History and Culture]] deeply contrasts the stone-based neoclassical buildings on the [[National Mall]] with a design that combines modern engineering with heavy inspiration from [[African art]].<ref name=taylorthorny>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/us/23smithsonian.html |last=Taylor |first=Kate |title=The Thorny Path to a National Black Museum |work=The New York Times |date=January 23, 2011 |page=A1 |access-date=June 14, 2015 |archive-date=July 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729201515/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/us/23smithsonian.html?_r=0 |url-status=live }}</ref> The interior of the [[Washington Metro]] stations and the [[Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden]] are designed with strong influence from the 20th-century [[Brutalism]] movement.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ables|first=Kelsey|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/03/25/brutalist-architecture-washington-dc/ |title=Brutalist buildings aren't unlovable. You're looking at them wrong. |date=March 25, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=September 8, 2022}}</ref> The [[Smithsonian Institution Building]] is built of [[Seneca Quarry|Seneca red]] [[sandstone]] in the [[Norman architecture|Norman Revival]] style.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bisceglio|first=Paul|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-story-behind-smithsonian-castles-red-sandstone-17818600/|title=The Story Behind Smithsonian Castle's Red Sandstone|work=Smithsonian Magazine|access-date=September 8, 2022|archive-date=September 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909013907/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-story-behind-smithsonian-castles-red-sandstone-17818600/|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Old Post Office (Washington, D.C.)|Old Post Office]] building, located on [[Pennsylvania Avenue]] and completed in 1899, was the first building in the city to have a [[steel frame]] structure and the first to use electrical wiring in its design.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.streetsofwashington.com/2012/04/old-post-office-stand-out-on.html |title=The Old Post Office, a Standout on Pennsylvania Avenue|date=April 15, 2012 |access-date=September 8, 2022 |publisher=Streets of Washington|url-status=live|archive-date=September 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909013904/http://www.streetsofwashington.com/2012/04/old-post-office-stand-out-on.html}}</ref> Notable [[contemporary architecture|contemporary]] residential buildings, restaurants, shops, and office buildings in the city include [[the Wharf (Washington, D.C.)|the Wharf]] on the [[Southwest Waterfront]], [[Navy Yard (Washington, D.C.)|Navy Yard]] along the [[Anacostia River]], and [[CityCenterDC]] in [[Downtown (Washington, D.C.)|Downtown]]. The Wharf has seen the construction of several high-rise office and residential buildings overlooking the [[Potomac River]]. Additionally, restaurants, bars, and shops have been opened at street level. Many of these buildings have a modern glass exterior and heavy curvature.<ref name=wapo1>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/going-out-guide/wp/2017/10/05/what-to-expect-at-the-wharf-washingtons-newest-dining-and-entertainment-destination/ | title=What to expect at the Wharf, D.C.'s newest dining and entertainment hub | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=October 5, 2017 | access-date=July 19, 2020 | last1=Ramanathan | first1=Lavanya | last2=Simmons | first2=Holley | archive-date=December 22, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222021931/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/going-out-guide/wp/2017/10/05/what-to-expect-at-the-wharf-washingtons-newest-dining-and-entertainment-destination/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="wtop1">{{cite news | url=https://wtop.com/dc/2017/09/the-wharf-dcs-most-ambitious-development-project-set-to-open/ | title=The Wharf: DC's most ambitious development project set to open | date=September 11, 2017 | agency=WTOP | access-date=July 19, 2020 | author=Clabaugh, Jeff | archive-date=February 6, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206010157/https://wtop.com/dc/2017/09/the-wharf-dcs-most-ambitious-development-project-set-to-open/ | url-status=live }}</ref> CityCenterDC is home to Palmer Alley, a pedestrian-only walkway, and houses several apartment buildings, restaurants, and luxury-brand storefronts with streamlined glass and metal facades.<ref name="DietschMarch">Dietsch, Deborah K. "Modernism's March on Washington." ''Washington Times.'' September 8, 2007.</ref> [[File:Dupont Circle Historic District-2.jpg|thumb|[[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] houses in [[Dupont Circle]]]] Outside Downtown D.C., architectural styles are more varied. Historic buildings are designed primarily in the [[Queen Anne style architecture in the United States|Queen Anne]], [[Châteauesque]], [[Richardsonian Romanesque]], [[Georgian architecture|Georgian Revival]], [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]], and a variety of [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] styles.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.neighborhoods.com/blog/dc-architecture-styles-and-where-to-find-them |title=D.C. Architectural Stules and Where to Find Them |access-date=September 8, 2022 |publisher=Neighborhoods.com |archive-date=September 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909013907/https://www.neighborhoods.com/blog/dc-architecture-styles-and-where-to-find-them |url-status=live }}</ref> Rowhouses are prominent in areas developed after the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] and typically follow [[Federal architecture|Federal]] and late [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] designs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/adecenter/essays/Scott.html |title=Residential Architecture of Washington, D.C., and Its Suburbs |access-date=June 5, 2008 |last=Scott |first=Pamela |year=2005 |publisher=Library of Congress |archive-date=April 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427174525/https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/adecenter/essays/Scott.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)|Georgetown]]'s [[Old Stone House (Washington, D.C.)|Old Stone House]], built in 1765, is the oldest-standing building in the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc17.htm |title=Old Stone House |access-date=August 13, 2011 |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |archive-date=November 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110225644/http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc17.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Founded in 1789, [[Georgetown University]] features a mix of Romanesque and [[Gothic Revival architecture]].<ref name=nps /> The [[Ronald Reagan Building]] is the largest building in the district with a total area of about 3.1 million square feet (288,000 m<sup>2</sup>).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.itcdc.com/About-Us/Our-Building.aspx |title=Our Building |access-date=January 6, 2013 |publisher=Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115081257/http://www.itcdc.com/About-Us/Our-Building.aspx |archive-date=January 15, 2013}}</ref> [[Washington Union Station]] is designed in a combination of architectural styles. Its Great Hall has elaborate gold leaf designs along the ceilings and the hall includes several decorative classical-style statues.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hudson|first=Stephen|url=https://ggwash.org/view/65707/building-of-the-week-washington-union-station|title=Building of the Week: Washington Union Station|work=Greater Greater Washington|access-date=September 8, 2022|archive-date=September 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909013909/https://ggwash.org/view/65707/building-of-the-week-washington-union-station|url-status=live}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! 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