Touring Washington DC
Compiled by Carrie Ann Cook for Gregath Company, Incorporated
Copyright 2011 Carrie Ann Cook
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Author Notes
This book was originally compiled in the mid-1990s as a complement to a genealogical research and sight-seeing trip provided by our company. Its last major revision occurred in 1999. However, some brief updates have been made to this book since then.
Table of Contents
Checklist of Items for the Trip
Hirshhorn - Museum & Sculpture Garden
Bureau of Printing and Engraving
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Maintain a self-assured presence. If you act like a tourist, you will be noticed as a tourist. Act as if you belong in the city. Here are a few specific tips to help a new traveler blend in and not be noticed:
When possible, maintain soft eye contact. To do this, let your peripheral vision expand beyond what you are paying specific attention to. It lets you be more aware of what's happening around you, as well as making you look less like a deer caught in the headlights.
Try to dress without outwardly showing you belong to a certain (tourist) group. Name tags, specialty ribbons or jewelry, etc. are dead giveaways to those looking for a tourist.
Keep all facial expression neutral when you are not sure of the situation. Women often stare limply (a real smile causes your eyes to wrinkle) out of discomfort, which makes them look weak and approachable. Keep your mouth relaxed without frowning or tightening your lips.
Keep moving when going somewhere. Walk with purpose at a comfortable gait, like you know where you are going, even when you don't.
Never travel anywhere alone. Safety is truly in numbers. Even a quick cab ride could turn into trouble if one is alone.
Upon check-in at the hotel, locate the nearest exit to your room, other than the elevator in case of fire or other emergency.
Gold Line/Gray Line Tours: (301) 386 - 8300. Tours can be arranged through our gift shop. Other tours are available with pick up stops on Pennsylvania Ave. and 12th Street.
Old Town Trolley Tours: (301) 985 - 3021. All weather, trackless trolleys available daily. Pick - up and tickets 12th street next to Old Post Office.
Tourmobile: (202) 554 - 5100. Shuttle tour of 18 historic sights, including White House, Smithsonian museums and Arlington Cemetery. (Monday Ticket included in your tour)
Checklist of Some Items For the Trip
Note: The following is simply a brief listing of some things to consider packing and taking along a the trip. They are by no means everything one should take and as you can see, the list is incomplete.
While traveling, the rule of thumb is no more than two checked bags. While you can take this much, do need to decide if you really want to have all surcharges, tips, etc., on that second bag. As always, the airline passenger is allowed one reasonably sized carry-on, which you will be responsible for. Don't forget, however, that many airlines now consider a purse or laptop as your one carry-on.
Medications
Favorite Toiletries
Camera, Film, etc.
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Clothing:
Daywear & Eveningwear
Shoes & Accessories
Umbrella
Jacket and/or Raincoat and appropriate accessories
See other listings for more information on many of these attractions.
Arlington National Cemetery: Metro: Arlington Cemetery.
Bureau of Engraving and Printing: (202) 874 - 3188, 14th and C St. SW. Metro: Smithsonian.
Capital Children's Museum: (202) 543 - 8600, 800 Third St. NE. Metro: Union Station.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): (202) 324 - 3447, 10th Street and Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Metro: Metro Center, Gallery Place - Chinatown.
Ford's Theatre: (202) 347 - 4833, 511 10th St. NW. Metro: Metro Center.
Library of Congress: (202) 707 - 5458, 10 1st St. NE. Metro: Capital South.
National Archives: (202) 501 - 5000, 7th Street & Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Metro: Archives - Navy Memorial.
National Cathedral: (202) 537 - 6200, Massachusetts Ave & Wisconsin Ave. NW. 14th Century- style Gothic cathedral.
National Shrine: (202) 526 - 8300, 4th St. & Michigan Ave. NE Largest Roman Catholic Church in the United States. Metro: Brookland - Catholic University.
National Zoological Park: (202) 673 - 4800, 3000 block of Connecticut Ave. NW. Metro: Woodley Park- Zoo.
Pentagon: (703) 695 - 1776. 90 min. tour with film. Metro: Pentagon.
Smithsonian Institution: (202) 357 - 2700, The world's largest museum complex with 14 museums and the National Zoo. Free admission. Visitor information Center, 1000 Jefferson Dr. SW. Metro: Smithsonian.
Supreme Court of the United States: (202) 479 -3030, 1 First St. NW. Metro: Capital South or Union Station.
US Capitol: (202) 225 - 6827 (tours), National Mall (East End). Metro: Capitol South.
US Holocaust Memorial Museum: (202) 488 - 0400, 14th and Raoul Wallenberg Place SW. Guided Tours recommended especially for school groups. Advance reservations required. Metro: Smithsonian.
US Navy Memorial: (202) 737 - 2300, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #123. Admission. Metro: Archives Navy Memorial.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Constitution Ave. between Henry Bacon Drive and 21st St. NW.
White House: (202) 456 - 7041, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Metro: McPherson Sq. or Federal Triangle.
The National Mall was created as a main part of the original design of the national capital parks system. The Residence Act of 1790 allowed President George Washington to locate a site for the nation's capital city. The District of Columbia was built on the land chosen by the president.
To design the new city President Washington appointed a Frenchman, Pierre Charles L'Enfant. In accordance with L'Enfant's 1791 plan, the Mall became part of Reservation 2, which included Capitol Hill. Much of L'Enfant's original plan was ignored, allowing for unregulated development which marred the dramatic vista between the Capitol and the Washington Monument. A park commission was organized under the auspices of Senator James McMillan to prepare a design that would revitalize the neglected Mall. The 1902 McMillan Plan urged a return to L'Enfant's original concept. The landscape of the Mall today is largely a result of the McMillan Plan's implementation.
Since being transferred to the National Park Service in 1933, the National Mall has served as a national open space for celebrations, demonstrations, protests, festivals, and numerous recreational activities. The museums of the Smithsonian Institution and rows of stately elm trees bound its 146 acres. Visitors can now enjoy one of the nation's most historic landscapes with its preserved vistas. The park is accessible. Concession stands are located throughout. Restrooms are available in the museums and memorials. A National Park Service Ranger Station is located on the Washington Monument grounds and is open from 8 a.m. until 12 midnight. For more information on ranger programs and National Mall activities call 202-426-6841.
Monuments & Memorials: On and Near the Mall
Congress authorized the creation of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in 1934 to honor the founding father most accepted as having been the political philosopher of the American Revolution.
Construction of the Jefferson Memorial was completed between 1938 and 1943 under National Park Service auspices. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the chief proponent for building the memorial, attended the 1943 dedication ceremony. Architect John Russell Pope incorporated Jefferson's own architectural tastes into the design of the memorial. The memorial, like Jefferson's home Monticello, is based on the Roman Pantheon. The interior ceiling is modeled on the Pantheon's lacunar design.
The exterior of the monument is made of Vermont Imperial Danby marble. Interior walls are Georgia White marble; the floor Tennessee pink marble; and the ceiling Indiana limestone. Standing in the center of the circular chamber is the statue by Rudolph Evans surrounded by four walls with excerpts of Jefferson's writings. Above the entrance, on the exterior, is a sculptural depiction by A. A. Weinman of the Declaration Committee.
The Jefferson Memorial overlooks the Tidal Basin around which flourish the Japanese flowering cherry trees which bloom each Spring for a mere two weeks. The memorial is currently undergoing restoration.
Begun in the shadow of World War II, waged in a faraway land, and concluded not with the enemy's surrender but with a negotiated armistice, the Korean War gave most Americans little to remember and much to forget. But for the 1.5 million U.S. men and women who served there and the families and friends of those who did not return, the Korean War could never be The Forgotten War. The end of the Cold War has brought renewed interest in the conflict that helped determine its course and has generated a new appreciation for the contributions of those who left home and homeland to aid in the struggle against aggression.
The Korean War Veterans Memorial honors the men and women who served in Korea, for their struggles and sacrifices under trying circumstances in service to their country and the cause of freedom. Only five years had passed since the end of the World War II when a war-weary United States found itself again embroiled in a major international conflict. In the early morning hours of June 25, 1950, the communist government of North Korea launched an attack into South Korea.
Visitors approaching the memorial come first to the triangular "field of service." Here 19 stainless steel statues depict a squad on patrol and evoke the experience of American ground troops in Korea. Strips of granite and scrubby juniper bushes suggest the rugged Korean terrain, while windblown ponchos recall the harsh weather also endured. This symbolic patrol brings together members of the Air Force, Army, Marines, and Navy, and portrays servicemen from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. A granite curb on the north side of the statues lists the 22 countries of the United Nations that sent troops or gave medical support in defense of South Korea. The adjacent "pool of remembrance", encircled by a grove of linden trees, provides a setting for quiet reflection. Numbers of those killed, wounded, missing in action, and prisoners of war are etched into the curb. Opposite this counting of the war's toll the granite wall bears a message inlaid in silver: Freedom is Not Free.
The memorial is staffed from 8 a.m. to midnight every day except December 25 by park rangers who are available to answer questions and present interpretive themes. A bookstore in the nearby Lincoln Memorial sells informational items relating to both the memorial and the Korean War. Address inquiries to: Superintendent, National Capital Parks-Central, 900 Ohio Drive SW, Washington, DC 20242.
The Lincoln Memorial is a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln and the nation he fought to preserve during the Civil War (1861-1865). The nation's bloodiest conflict, the Civil War (which followed the secession of southern states) was the supreme test of the durability of the Union created by the founding fathers. Lincoln's stewardship of the Union cause contributed to the final victory of the Union and the abolishment of slavery in the United States. These victories earned him the sobriquets of "Savior of the Union." Lincoln was assassinated while attending a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. For many he then became a martyr to the causes of union and emancipation.
In 1911, Congress authorized the building of the Lincoln Memorial on the undeveloped West End of the Mall. Construction took place between 1914 and 1922. Architect Henry Bacon modeled his design for the building after the Greek Parthenon. Built into the design are symbols of Union like the 36 exterior Doric columns representing the 36 states in the Union at the time of Lincoln's death--the Union he had fought to preserve. Those states are listed on the frieze above the columns. Above those states are listed the 48 states in the Union when the memorial was built, making the memorial a tribute to the Union as much as a tribute to Lincoln himself. Alaska and Hawaii are represented with a plaque on the front steps.
The exterior is made of Colorado Yule marble with a walkway made of Massachusetts's granite and Potomac River stones. The interior walls and columns are Indiana limestone, the floor Tennessee Pink marble, and the ceiling is made of panels of Alabama marble soaked in paraffin to make them translucent. Dominating the interior is Daniel Chester French's Lincoln statue along with allegorical murals by Jules Guerin, and carved inscriptions of two of Lincoln's most important speeches.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is today the most visited National Park Service site in Washington, D.C. It is open daily from 8 a.m. until 11:45 p.m. A ranger station is open during these hours to assist visitors in locating names on the memorial. The memorial is accessible. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial serves as a testament to the sacrifice of American military personnel during one of this nation's least popular wars.
By erecting this memorial, it was hoped that the issue of the veterans and their sacrifice could be separated from the U.S. policy in the war, thereby creating a venue for reconciliation. Congress authorized the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1980, stating that it would be located prominently on the National Mall on two acres of Constitution Gardens.
Following a contest involving over 1400 entries, a jury selected the design of Maya Ying Lin of Athens, Ohio, who at the time was a 21-year old architectural student at Yale University. The Wall that Lin designed drew criticism from various veterans groups. Rather than allow the memorial to the veterans of a controversial war to itself become divisive and controversial, it was decided to add Frederick Hart's Statue of the Three Servicemen to the overall design.
The Wall was built in 1982 and the Statue of the Three Servicemen was added in 1984. That same year, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial came under National Park Service stewardship at a dedication ceremony with President Ronald Reagan in attendance. In 1993, the Vietnam Women's Memorial by sculptor Glenna Goodacre was added to represent the work of the women Vietnam veterans.
Authorized by Congress in 1833, construction was not begun until 1848. Architect Robert Mills was hired to design a great column with a colonnade at its base. It was intended that the colonnade would have heroic statues of Washington and other revolutionary heroes and founding fathers. Financial considerations forced the abandonment of the colonnade and statues.
In 1854, members of the controversial Know-Nothing Party gained control of the Washington National Monument Society. Private contributions, which had only been trickling in, came to a halt during the Know-Nothing period, effectively forcing construction to halt for almost 25 years.
In 1876, frustrated that the nation's tribute to George Washington was still incomplete during the Centennial year, the Grant administration got the Society to donate the project to the people of the United States, allowing Congress to appropriate public funding for the Monument's completion. Construction was resumed in 1878 under the auspices of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The exterior of the obelisk was completed in 1884 and opened to the public in 1888.
The Washington Monument is 555 feet tall. It is made of marble from two different quarries (One in Maryland and the other in Massachusetts), resulting in the change of color about one-third of the way up. It has 897 steps which are now closed to the public except for ranger-led tours. An elevator takes visitors on the 70 second trip up to the 500 foot landing for magnificent views of the city. A bronze replica of the Jean Antoine Houdon statue of George Washington adorns the waiting room. The stairwell walls contain 192 memorial stones honoring Washington, all donated as gifts of the 50 states, and foreign governments, organizations, cities, and individuals.
The Washington Monument is Underwent restoration in 1999, which included:
• Constructing scaffolding for the entire 555-foot, 5 1/8-inch monument.
• Sealing 500 feet of exterior and interior stone cracks.
• Pointing 64,000 linear feet of exterior joints.
• Cleaning 59,000 square feet of interior wall surface.
• Sealing eight observation windows and eight aircraft warning lights.
• Repairing 1,000 square feet of chipped and patched stone.
• Pointing 3,900 linear feet of interior joints.
• Preserving and restoring 192 interior commemorative stones.
Due to an earthquake in 2011, the memorial is closed to foot traffic until further notice.
Not all Smithsonian buildings are located on the Mall
The Smithsonian was established in 1846 by an act of Congress as an institution for the "increase and diffusion of knowledge." Congress intended to set up a museum, a library, and a program of "active operations" for research and publications.
By the 1850s the organization was called the U.S. National Museum and housed in the first Smithsonian building, then and now known as the "Castle." Twenty years later, many of the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition displays were transferred to the Smithsonian. The expanded collections moved into a new building--Arts and Industries--in 1881.
The Anacostia Museum is a community based and constituency focused museum that increases public awareness of the Black experience through research, programs and exhibitions.
It is a national resource for the identification, documentation, protection, and interpretation of African American history and culture in Washington, D.C., and in those areas of the rural South that have been historically significant to generations of African Americans. The museum also examines the impact of contemporary urban and rural issues such as housing, land loss, transportation, health care, and economic development on African American communities. Consistently, and throughout the museum's nearly three decades of work in cultural documentation and preservation, the museum has encouraged and facilitated widespread community involvement and interest in project planning and execution.
The Museum's current major research initiative is Speak to My Heart: African American Communities of Faith and Contemporary Life. This project will examine the profound changes and new challenges of the last 25 years for African American communities and the role of the church in addressing issues such as HIV/AIDS, homelessness, and youth violence. The project will look at "faith in action" to document how communities of faith build and maintain links for the maintenance and further development of the community. The project will result in an exhibition in 1997.
A landmark structure of red brick and Ohio sandstone, the Arts and Industries Building (originally known as the U.S. National Museum) was designed in a High Victorian style by the Washington architectural firm of Cluss and Schulze. Opened in 1881 in time for the inaugural ball of President James A. Garfield, the building was constructed to exhibit materials acquired from the nation's Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia. The name of this museum was derived from the theme of that exposition; the statue above the entrance depicts the figure of Columbia protecting the two seated figures of Science and Industry.
Over the years the Arts and Industries Building has served as a repository for many special exhibits, from the first ladies' gowns to the Spirit of St. Louis, now displayed in other Smithsonian museums on the Mall. The museum was partially restored in 1976 to its original appearance for the nation's bicentennial. Also re-created for 1976 from the original patterns are geometric stencils in rich Victorian colors of yellow, red, green, and blue on the rotunda and hall spandrels. In the Rotunda a working fountain surrounded by seasonal plants provides a quiet respite in a picturesque setting. Located off the west hall is the Discovery Theater, which showcases programs for young children throughout most of the year.
The Arts and Industries Building has a special role among Smithsonian buildings as the original home of the National Museum. From this structure grew the complex of Smithsonian museums which line the Mall and extend into every area of human inquiry. This building housed the anthropological and scientific specimens now in the National Museum of Natural History, the products of the industrial arts and technology now in the National Museum of American History, works of art now in the National Museum of American Art and the National Portrait Gallery, and the milestones of progress now in the National Air and Space Museum.
Over the past hundred years the Arts and Industries Building has remained very much the same on the exterior while it has changed dramatically in both purpose and interior spatial organization. The essential nature of the changes may be understood as direct reflections of changing attitudes toward the purpose of the National Museum. In its first decades, the new building provided a place for the Smithsonian collections to be presented to the public in a complete and scholarly fashion. At the turn of the century a new attitude toward the nature of education in the museum context influenced the Director of the National Museum to change exhibition space to a complex of spaces for exhibition, storage, and study. As a result of the growth of the Smithsonian as a public service institution for the entire nation, space use in the building was greatly altered to provide offices for the new functions and for their administrative support.
The New Building
In the 1880s the role of the museum was to exhibit collections in as complete a fashion as possible in order to let them demonstrate their educational value. Visitors could view large portions of the collection in order to learn through observation.
The design of the museum by Montgomery Meigs and the firm of Cluss and Schulze was advanced in its day because of its flexible spaces and ample provision of natural light. No uninterrupted solid wall separated the 17 spacious exhibition halls. The large, open space was lit by natural light from the windows on all four sides of the building and on the roof.
Turn of the Century
By the end of the 19th Century, the National Museum was seen to be an educational institution reaching visitors with varied levels of interest. Exhibition spaces featured general information for the public, extended collections were nearby to serve the more serious inquiry, and study space was provided to house scholars doing research on the collection.
Abandoning the open flow of the original plan, the museum's director created a series of related spaces on a number of levels to fit the new plan. Balcony-like galleries designed by the architectural firm of Hornblower and Marshall were added to 11 exhibition halls. Another hall was closed off for a permanent lecture room. The shadows cast by the balconies and the enclosing of wall openings caused a dramatic decrease in the lighting of the public space. A new aesthetic approach was introduced to correct the Victorian deficiencies of the building as then perceived. The cool colors and classical motifs in the wall stencils, as well as the model of the Statue of Freedom by Thomas Crawford, expressed this newer taste.
The Bicentennial Decade
By 1976, the Smithsonian had become a public service institution serving the entire nation with exhibitions, research, publications, membership programs, and public outreach. Collections formerly exhibited in the building were moved to the newly built museums of Natural History (1910), American History (1964), and Air and Space (1976). At the same time the vacated exhibition space was converted to administrative space, new floors were inserted for additional offices to accommodate growing outreach programs. While changes were made to accommodate the museum's new role, the remaining four halls and rotunda were carefully restored in order to give visitors a glimpse of the building's Victorian appearance.
Although the programmatic changes which occurred in the role of the National Museum have obscured the design, it is apparent that the original plan was outstanding for its natural light and flexible space. With its colorful decorative surfaces and pierced walls, which allowed abundant flow, the Arts & Industries Building had a character unique among museum buildings.
Memoirs
Possibly one of the better known discussions of the Smithsonian, done by an employee of more than a decade and an early member of the Smithsonian magazine, Edwards Park, in his Treasures of the Smithsonian, remembers the Arts and Industries building with fondness as it is where he worked and where the magazine he helped shape was (and still is) published:
A mannequin in an A&I display case models a two-piece costume of the Centennial period similar to those designed by E. Butterick and Co., one of the pioneer manufacturers and distributors of paper patterns in America. Butterick had sold some four million patterns in the U.S. by 1871 and five years late exhibited some of its wares in Philadelphia.
Transportation is caught at the exhibit with carriages and a red and green pung that tiny sleigh for two. But there are among these vehicles two marvels. One is a Baldwin locomotive, built right in 1876 and used in California. Brasswork abounds on its engine parts, and the paint is fresh and new. The engineer's cab was originally done in cherry, but the more readily available walnut has been used for its restoration.
One forgets that tragedy was still fairly close at hand in 1876. The horror of the Civil War had been over for barely a decade. Part of a bay is filled with military displays, dominated by two huge Rodman guns, one of about seven tons, one of about 2.5 tons, and a 15-inch cannon whose enormous round shells were raised to its muzzle by a hoist.
Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum
The Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum features changing exhibitions drawn from its own and other collections. Its collection contains more than 250,000 design and decorative art objects spanning over 3,000 years and covering most of the world's cultures. Major categories include drawings, prints, textiles, furniture, metalwork, ceramics, glass, woodwork, wall coverings, embroidery, and lace. The Doris and Henry Dreyfuss Study Center contains more than 50,000 books, including many rare volumes.
The Smithsonian Institution's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, was founded in 1897 as the Cooper Union Museum for the Arts of Decoration by Eleanor, Sarah, and Amy Hewitt, granddaughters of the 19th-century inventor/philanthropist Peter Cooper. Its collections were transferred to the Smithsonian Institution in 1968. In 1995, it was renamed Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.
The museum is housed in a New York City mansion built in 1901 by Andrew Carnegie at a cost of one and a half million dollars. Designed by Babb, Cook & Willard, this Fifth Avenue Georgian Revival landmark was donated by the Carnegie Corporation to the Smithsonian Institution in 1972. Original renovations by Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates were done with a sensitivity both to its landmark status and to its present function as an active public museum, permitting the dynamic display of objects and the processes that created them as well as showing how design affects our lives. Polshek and Partners Architects renovated the building in 1995-97; it made the museum facility completely accessible and created a Design Resource Center.
The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery are the two national museums of Asian art at the Smithsonian Institution. The Freer also houses a collection of 19th-century and early 20th-century American art, including the world's largest group of works by James McNeill Whistler. The galleries are located on the National Mall, which is the two-mile-long park extending from the U.S. Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day except Dec. 25, and admission is free.
The Freer Gallery houses a world-renowned collection of art from China, Japan, Korea, South and Southeast Asia and the Near East. Visitor favorites include Chinese paintings, Japanese folding screens, Korean ceramics, Indian and Persian manuscripts, and Buddhist sculpture. A highlight of the Whistler holdings is the Peacock Room, a dining room that was once part of a London townhouse. In 1876, Whistler lavishly decorated the room with a blue and gold peacock design. After the owner's death, the room was brought to the United States and permanently installed in the Freer Gallery.
The gallery was founded by Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), a railroad-car manufacturer from Detroit who gave to the United States his collections and funds for a building to house them. The Italian-Renaissance-style gallery, constructed in granite and marble, was designed by American architect Charles Platt. When the gallery opened to the public in 1923, it was the first Smithsonian museum for fine arts. In subsequent years, the collections have grown through gifts and purchases to nearly triple the size of Freer's bequest.
The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Auditorium, located in the Freer, provides a venue for a broad variety of free public programs relating to the collections of the Freer and Sackler galleries, including concerts of Asian music and dance, films, lectures, chamber music and dramatic presentations.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden of the Smithsonian Institution invites you to explore its galleries and garden and participate in its programs. You may be dazzled or troubled by what's on view, but we don't think you'll be bored. Art, especially new art, can evoke powerful responses.
The museum is named after the American collector of modern art Joseph H. Hirshhorn (1899-1981). His gifts and bequest to the nation of more than 12,000 works form the core of this dynamic art collection. Open since 1974, the Hirshhorn keeps current through changing exhibitions and frequent acquisitions, which include gifts from many donors. Research, publications, interpretive programs, films, and community outreach generate an informed awareness and lively dialogue about modern and contemporary art.
The museum offers a compelling ambiance for viewing art, indoors and out. The elevated, drum-shaped building on the National Mall, midway between the Washington Monument and the Capitol, is surrounded by more than four landscaped acres for sculpture. Award-winning architect Gordon Bunshaft designed the complex. Redesigns of the Sculpture Garden in 1981 and the plaza in 1993 increased their accessibility and enhanced the placement of sculpture with additional greenery.
Explore the museum at your own pace or join a docent-led tour. A brief video introduction to the Hirshhorn collection is screened several times each day in the Orientation Theater. In the galleries, wall texts focus on selected works, and free brochures are available for most exhibitions. Reflect on your experience in the third-floor's Abram Lerner Room, where you may enjoy a panoramic view of the Mall.
The origins of modern art are found in the nineteenth century, where the Hirshhorn's collection begins. Outdoors, Auguste Rodin's Monument to the Burghers of Calais, 1884-89, sets the stage for sculpture's evolution to the present day. This history is traced along Sculpture Garden paths and on the lawns and granite floors of the plaza. Inside, in an intimate setting, glass-enclosed ambulatories overlooking the fountain also present sculpture from two centuries.
Whether depictive or abstract, made with passion or conceptual reserve, art at the Hirshhorn speaks to every sensibility. A twentieth-century procession to the post-World War II era unfolds in the third-floor galleries: variations on realism and Cubism by American originals Thomas Hart Benton and Marsden Hartley, the serene geometry of Piet Mondrian, and the metaphoric abstraction of Louise Bourgeois are among numerous currents.
The National Air and Space Museum (NASA) maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. It is also a vital center for research into the history, science, and technology of aviation and space flight. The museum continues to develop new exhibits to examine the impact of air and space technology on science and society.
Located on the Mall in Washington, D.C., the Museum has hundreds of artifacts on display including the original Wright 1903 Flyer, the "Spirit of St. Louis," Apollo 11 command module, and a Lunar rock sample that visitors can touch. The museum has thousands of additional artifacts in its collection, many of which are housed at the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility in Suitland, MD. A new museum extension (Dulles Center) is being developed near Dulles Airport in Virginia to display some of the museums larger artifacts such as the Space Shuttle Enterprise and the SR-71 aircraft.
The National Gallery of Art and its collections belong to the people of the United States of America. European and American paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, and selected works on paper are displayed in the permanent collection galleries, and temporary exhibitions of art from countries and cultures throughout the world are presented on a regular basis. Admission is always free.
The National Gallery of Art houses one of the finest collections in the world illustrating major achievements in painting, sculpture, and graphic arts from the Middle Ages to the present. Search the collection by specific artist, title, or a combination of criteria. Tour the collection by medium and school, or choose a foreign language guide (PDF format) for your visit.
National Museum of American History
Opened to the public in January 1964, as the Museum of History and Technology, it was the sixth Smithsonian building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. During the five years of construction, staff members planned the inaugural exhibitions under the direction of Frank A. Taylor and John C. Ewers, the new museum's first director and assistant director. When the building opened in 1964, ten exhibition halls were complete.
The Museum's area is approximately 750,000 square feet, including a basement, three main exhibition levels, two office-collection levels, and a mechanical penthouse on the roof. The space includes workshops, laboratories, offices, libraries, archives, and other support areas along with an auditorium, a bookstore, gift shops, public and staff cafeterias, an ice cream parlor, and a working post office.
The building's location on the National Mall qualifies it as a category I National Historic Landmark. It is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places because of its location and because it was one of the last structures designed by the renowned architectural firm of McKim, Mead, and White.
In October 1980, the Museum's name was changed to the National Museum of American History to better represent its basic mission--the collection, care, and study of objects that reflect the experience of the American people.
National Museum of Natural History
Of all the museums at the Smithsonian, the National Museum of Natural History is one of the most popular. Some 6 million visits are made each year to the beloved permanent exhibits of gems, fossils, birds, mammals, and human cultures. The Museum also produces and hosts a variety of thought-provoking temporary exhibits.
Although several new exhibits have been added recently, many of the permanent exhibits are between 10 and 30 years old, and the Office of Exhibits is working to upgrade and renovate many of them. In some areas, this will mean simply adjusting labels, adding videotapes, displaying information on current research, and discussing environmental issues. In other halls, the exhibits will be upgraded, which will include displaying objects in new contexts. Other halls will be completely renovated.
Currently, the Museum is upgrading the marine life hall and the hall of African cultures. Plans are under way for multi-million dollar renovations of the gem hall, human cultures halls, and the exhibit on early humans. The new displays will encourage visitors to focus on a global future and the inter-relatedness of all life in sustaining our planet for future generations.
National Museum of American Art & National Portrait Gallery
The concept of an American national portrait gallery is as old as our republic. During the Revolutionary War, Charles Willson Peale took upon himself the mission of creating a gallery to portray the great men of his era. The first official gesture toward assembling a national portrait collection was made in 1857, when Congress commissioned George Peter Alexander Healy to paint a series of presidential portraits for the White House; however, it was not until about a century later that the National Portrait Gallery was finally established. It is housed in the Old Patent Office Building, one of the oldest government structures in Washington, on the very site that Pierre Charles L'Enfant--in his original plan for the city--had designated for a pantheon to honor the nation's immortals.
Heroes and villains, thinkers and doers, conservatives and radicals are represented in the National Portrait Gallery's Permanent Collection--whose more than seven thousand images are supplemented by an array of special collections and the Study Collection. Keystones of the nation's history, they also reflect how the art of portraiture has been interpreted in a wide range of media.
With the exception of the Presidents of the United States, whose portraits are admitted to the collection as soon as an appropriate image can be found, the portraits of other individuals may be admitted to the Permanent Collection ten years after the death of the subject. Under other special circumstances, the Gallery will also accept a work for later addition to the collection. Portraits taken from life sittings are preferred. Recommendations for acquisitions are made by the National Portrait Gallery Commission, whose members convene in the spring and autumn.
Guided tours of the Permanent Collection and special exhibitions are available on a walk-in basis by inquiring at the Information Desk, or they may be prearranged with the Education Department. Telephone 202-357-2920. The full schedule of events--exhibitions, lectures, dramatic presentations--is detailed in the bimonthly Calendar of Events, available at the Information Desk or by mail.
As long as civilization has fostered written language, people have relied on mail communication. In 3,500 B.C., the Sumerians, who are believed to have originated written communication, carried messages that were inscribed on cuneiform tablets and placed in clay envelopes.
Thousands of years later, America established its mail service. From the moment colonists settled, mail routes were carved through the terrain of America's northeast. By 1770, there were 28 post offices in the colonies, 1,900 miles of post roads and 75 men employed as post riders. Mail was vital in helping the colonies attain a level of cooperation necessary to the success of the American Revolution.
Over the next two centuries, the postal service evolved in tandem with America's industrial, technological and social progress. This unique perspective on American history is told in the National Postal Museum, a new Smithsonian Institution museum. Through approximately 400 graphics and personal letters, more than 55,000 stamps, 400 objects and 30 interactive displays and video presentations, the National Postal Museum tells the inspiring and oft-overlooked story of America's mail service.
Drawing on its vast postal history and philatelic collection, the museum includes six major exhibition galleries highlighting a range of topics, from the earliest history of the mail and its rapid growth as a modern enterprise to the art of letter writing and the beauty and lore of stamps. Through an exploration of letters and how they were sent and received, the museum serves as a testament to the remarkable growth of families and businesses in America.
The National Museum of American Art of the Smithsonian Institution is the first federal art collection in the United States. The museum's history spans more than 160 years, beginning as a private collection in Washington, D.C., and predating the founding of the Smithsonian itself in 1846.
The collection of more than 37,500 works of art in all media reflects 200 years of American artistic achievement. Colonial portraiture, 19th-century landscape, American impressionism, 20th-century realism, New Deal projects, American crafts, contemporary photography, graphic arts, and the creativity of self-taught artists are featured in the museum's galleries.
The museum, the largest resource in the world for the study of American art, is committed to the understanding, enjoyment, and preservation of America's visual heritage. The collection of the National Museum of American Art spans the nation's artistic heritage, representing outstanding visual accomplishments from the 18th century to the present.
The National Museum of American Art's Renwick Gallery, located in a separate historic building diagonally across from the White House, exhibits American crafts and decorative arts. In keeping with the building's Second Empire architecture, the Grand Salon and Octagon Room are furnished in the styles of the 1860's and 1870's.
Opened in 1972, the Renwick Gallery features a permanent collection of outstanding contemporary works in glass, ceramics, wood, fiber, and metal. Complementing the acquisition program are exhibitions, fellowships for scholarly research in the modern craft movement, and a variety of educational programs including lectures, craft demonstrations, and films.
Theatre entrepreneur John T. Ford leased the First Baptist Church in 1861 and converted it into a music hall. "Ford's Athenaeum" grew in popularity and was poised for tremendous success when the building was destroyed by fire. Undaunted, the entrepreneur immediately began reconstruction and opened Ford's "New Theatre" in August 1863.
On the evening of April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, his wife and two guests attended Our American Cousin. That night, John Wilkes Booth fired a shot that plunged the nation into mourning and a Theatre into darkness. John Ford tried to reopen the Theatre but threats of arson closed its doors. The government bought the Theatre in 1866 and over the next 90 years it was an office building, warehouse and museum.
In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a congressional act to restore the Theatre. Reconstruction began ten years later, and a beautifully restored Ford's Theatre reopened in 1968 with the play John Brown's Body.
Free tours of the Kennedy Center are given by the Friends of the Kennedy Center, from 10a.m. to 1 p.m. daily. They depart from the parking plaza on Level A, and feature the hall of States and Hall of Nations, the Center's main theaters, and dozens of paintings, sculptures, and other artworks given to the Center by foreign countries. More information may be obtained by calling 202-416-8340.
For diners at the Kennedy Center, meals are close and convenient. The Center's restaurants are on the Roof Terrace level; to reach them, take the elevators from the Hall of Nations. For meals the options include the Roof Terrace Restaurant, the Encore Café, and the Hors D'Oeuvrerie. Food carts (sandwiches, desserts, coffee) and service bars (soft drinks, wine, beer, mixed drinks) are also open in the Grand Foyer and outside the theaters on the Roof Terrace level one hour before evening and matinee performances, and during intermissions.
On Level A, patrons will find the main Gift Shop, parking plaza, and a Riggs Bank ATM.
Kennedy Center Facts
The Kennedy center was constructed using 3,700 tons of Carrara marble, a gift from Italy. Each block of marble was cut, numbered, and labeled in Italy to fit an exact spot on the Center's walls.
The Hall of States features the flags of all 50 states, as well as the District of Colombia and five territories. The flags are hung according to the date each state was granted admittance to the Union.
The Grand Foyer, which provides access to the Center's three largest theaters - the Concert Hall, Opera House, and Eisenhower Theater - is itself one of the world's largest rooms. If the Washington Monument were laid on its side, it would fit inside the Grand Foyer with 75 feet to spare.
In and around the Kennedy Center are displayed gifts from 40 different countries, presented to the Center in honor of President Kennedy and our nation's performing arts.
Each of the 18 chandeliers in the Grand Foyer is 15 feet long and weighs one ton. The chandeliers are made from Orresfors crystal, and were a gift from Sweden.
The spectacular chandelier in the Opera House is made from Lobmeyr crystal and was a gift from Austria. It is 50 feet wide and contains 1,735 bulbs. The chandelier is cleaned and burnt-out bulbs replaced every three years by a stagehand raised to the ceiling in the bucket of a long-armed "cherry picker" that has been wheeled onto the Opera House stage.
The bust of President Kennedy is positioned directly opposite the entrance to the Opera House. Kennedy is portrayed looking off to the right. Sculptor Robert Berks noted that people tend to look at a bust straight on, and recognized that if Kennedy were looking straight ahead at the Opera House entrance, theater patrons would stop to look, thereby causing traffic jams. As it is, patrons unconsciously shift to the side, leaving the doorway clear for those behind them.
Numbers of Interest
Arena Stage: (202) 488 - 3300
Ford's Theater: (202) 347 - 4833
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: (202) 467 - 4600
National Theater: (202) 628 - 6161
Shakespeare Theater: (202) 393 - 2700
Movie Theaters: AMC Union Station 9 (703) 998 - 4262, features and times.
Ticketmaster: (202) 432- 7328
"The Theatre of Presidents"
The National Theatre is the oldest cultural institution in the Nation's Capital, and one of the oldest continuously operating theatres in America.
The theatre is located in the heart of downtown Washington looking out over Freedom Plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th Street, three blocks east of the White House. Directly across the Avenue are the Ronald Reagan Building and World Trade Center -- the government's newest major building (second in size only to the Pentagon) -- and the District Building, historical site of the local government.
With 1676 seats in the orchestra, mezzanine, and balcony, the National Theatre is Washington's "Broadway-type" theatre. It is known as an "actor's theatre" because of its excellent acoustics. Words spoken on the stage can be heard in the balcony without amplification. Audiences applaud its intimacy: the mezzanine and balcony are closer to the stage than in modern theatres.
In 1835, President Andrew Jackson paid off the national debt...the last time that has happened. That same year the Liberty Bell cracked, P.T. Barnum organized his first circus, and the National Theatre opened its doors.
The National Theatre has operated longer than any other major touring house in the United States. Subsequent to its opening on December 7, 1835, the Building was destroyed by fire and rebuilt on the same site five times during the 1800's. Part of the original foundation can still be seen in the basement of the present structure.
The history of this theatre is a panorama of American theatre: a Who's Who of the stars of the past, the present, and, undoubtedly, the future. Virtually every great stage performer of the past century has appeared here. One star of the season was Junius Brutus Booth, whose three sons, including the infamous John Wilkes Booth, all played at the National.
The first performance in the theatre was "Man of the World," in 1835. When the theatre reopened its doors in 1850, after a disastrous fire, the featured performer was Miss Jenny Lind, "the Swedish Nightingale".
April-September from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tomb of the Unknown Solider, the Amphitheater, the Cutis-Lee Mansion and the graves of Presidents John F. Kennedy and William Howard Taft. Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown solider every hour on the hour during winter months and every half-hour during the summer months should be included on anyone’s “gotta see” list. Phone: (703) 692-0931.
Open 7 days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Group tours are available with 6-7 days advance reservations. Tours are at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. Phone: (202) 225-8333.
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Located on Raoul Wallenberg Place (formerly 15th Street) and C Street SW, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing prints all U.S. currency, as well as postage stamps, Treasury bonds and White House invitations. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing was established in 1862, and moved to its present site in 1914.
Public tours are available Monday-Friday. From April 1-Labor Day, public tours are available from 9 a.m-2 p.m. A ticket booth is located on Raoul Wallenberg Place, and opens at 7:45 a.m. The BEP also houses a visitor's center, open from 8:30 a.m.- 2 p.m. Monday-Friday. The center includes displays featuring the history of money, the printing process, and a display of $1 million.
Standing higher than the Washington Monument, the Cathedral crowns fifty-seven acres at the city's highest point, a living symbol of our country's heritage of religious freedom and faith. It is popularly known as the National Cathedral. Major Pierre L'Enfant first proposed a "great church for national purposes" when he drew up his plan for the city of Washington following the American Revolution.
The foundation stone was laid on September 29, 1907, in the presence of President Theodore Roosevelt who declared, "Godspeed the work begun this day." Every president of the United States since then has attended services at or visited the Cathedral.
Construction continued through wars and the depression and in 1964 the central tower was completed. President George Bush spoke at the September 29, 1990 ceremony at which the final stone was set on the Cathedral's southwest tower.
Built in the same manner as medieval churches, stone on stone with no structural steel, the Cathedral is the sixth largest in the world and the second largest in the United States. The Cathedral is 514 feet long (about one-tenth of a mile) and contains more than 200 stained glass windows. The central tower is 676 feet above sea level, making its top the highest point in the District of Columbia. The Cathedral is designed in the style of fourteenth century English Gothic and is perhaps the world's last example of pure Gothic architecture. While the first design was by English architects George Bodley and Henry Vaughan, an American named Philip Hubert Frohman is considered to be the principal architect of Washington National Cathedral.
Located in Georgetown, Gardens Open Daily from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Museum is open Tuesday-Sunday from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Both are closed on Federal holidays and December 24. Tours are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays (a.m. only) Reservation is required. Appointments are necessary for tours of 10 or more (202-342-3212). A $1.00 contribution is suggested. Admission is $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for senior citizens and children. (Admission is free to senior citizens on Wednesdays). Phone: (202) 338-8278.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The FBI tour includes a review of the famous crime cases, a crime lab investigation and a visit to the indoor firing range. Arrive early. Enter at the rear of the FBI Building on E Street between 9th and 10th Streets, NW Open Monday-Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. closed on the weekends and Federal holidays. The tour leaves every 15 to 20 minutes and lasts anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes. Limited Congressional tours are available with 6 to 8 weeks advance notice. Phone: (202) FBI-3447.
This picturesque area, located on the C&O Canal and parallel to the Potomac, was first settled in the 17th century as a tobacco port. Now it is one of the most prestigious residential neighborhoods, filled with blooming window boxes and gorgeous homes. It is renowned for its shops, exclusive clubs, top-notch restaurants, and exciting nightlife.
The Museum presents the history and persecution of the victims of the Nazi Holocaust. Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Limited tickets for special floor. Call Information (202) 488-0400.
Home of George Washington. Open 8:00 a.m. from April through August. Open 9 a.m., September through March. Admission is $7 for adults and $6 for senior citizens and children 6-11. Special prices for certain school and youth group. Limited Congressional Tours. Phone: (703) 780-2000.
The story of the Old Post Office is a story of survival. When completed in 1899 it stood out as a symbol prestige and technical innovation for the Federal Post Office Department. At the turn of the century, it was the largest government building in Washington, D.C. and the first clock tower. It was the city's first modern "skyscraper," over 12 stories tall, with a steel frame covered by a skin of granite to make it fireproof. Its electric power plant, capable of running 3,900 lights was the first to be installed in the city. The building is a fine example of Richardsonian Romanesque Revival architecture, a style in vogue at the time, and its courtyard remains one of the largest uninterrupted interior spaces in the city at of 99 feet wide by 184 feet long and 160 feet high.
Despite all of its modern features, the building was described as "old" only 15 years after its completion. The New York Times said the building looked "like a cross between a cathedral and a cotton mill," others called it an "old tooth." Criticism intensified during the planning and construction of the Federal Triangle. Designers wanted to incorporate a uniform classical style to bring order and grandeur to the central city. The Old Post Office presented a stunning contrast to the new construction. When the U.S. Post Office moved out in 1934, it was decided to extract the "old tooth." Planned demolition of the building was put off by a lack of federal money due to the Great Depression. For next 44 years the building was occupied by various government agencies. When money finally became available to raze the building in the 1960's, many concerned citizens questioned the wisdom of doing it. A Washington preservationist group, Don't Tear it Down, spearheaded efforts to save the building. Thanks to the work of many individuals, the Old Post Office stands today on America's "main street," a symbol of how the nation's older buildings can be saved and given new life.
The Old Post Office Tower is located on the corner of 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. Tours begin approximately every five minutes from the glass elevator at the northwest corner of the stage level of the Pavilion.
Tours of the Old Post Office Tower provide visitors with the history of the building, a view of the city form the Observation Deck 270 feet above Pennsylvania Avenue and an opportunity to walk down through the clock tower to see the Congress Bells. Park Rangers present various interpretive programs and talks throughout the year. Educational programs on cultural history and the national parks are available for school groups; phone Park Rangers for information.
You will find the old Presbyterian Meetinghouse, Gadsby's Tavern and the Torpedo Factory. In addition, there are boutiques, restaurants, cafes and nightclubs.
Open Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Hour long tours start every half-hour beginning by the ticket window at the north end of the concourse. Follow the signs from the visitor's parking lot. Phone: (703) 695-1776.
Open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except Federal holidays. Public lectures are conducted in the courtroom from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every hour on the half-hour, except when the court is in session. No tours are given during August. Limited Congressional tours are available with 6 to 9 weeks advance notice. Phone: (202) 479-3499.
Tours are conducted daily from 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. beginning in the Rotunda. Visit your Congressman or Senator for passes to the House of Representatives or Senate Galleries. Limited Congressional tours are available with a 6 to 8 weeks advance notice. Phone: (202)22403121.
Union Station, opened October 27, 1907 and completed in 1908, is considered to be one of the finest examples of the Beaux Arts style of architecture. The eclectic Beaux Arts style has its roots in the pure, classical orders of imperial Greece and Rome, and embodies a dignified, formal luxury. It was to serve as a gateway for the capital city. The cost was monumental as well: $25 million for the station and its approaches.
At the time it was built, the Station covered more ground than any other building in the United States and was the largest train station in the world. The total area occupied by the station and the terminal zone was originally about 200 acres and included 75 miles of tracks.
For half a century and through two world wars, Union Station served Washington and the U.S. as a major center of transportation and the venue for many historic events. In many ways, Union Station was a city within a city.
Union Station is a totally unique place, with many different kinds of shops and services, as well as Amtrak and the Metro.
Near Vienna, VA. The nation's first National Park for the performing arts, offers opera, symphonic music, pop concerts. rock, folk, jazz and ballet. Concerts are given all winter in The Barn, which has 3509 indoor seats. The Filene Center approximately 7,000 indoor/outdoor seats. Phone: (703) 255-1916.
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