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Day: September 4, 2014

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Proposed design for Smithsonian Institution Building by John Notman, north front elevation. It is a Gothic design with three stories, a central tower/cupola, crenellated embattlements, and symmetrical wings. The design was submitted for the competition sponsored by the Building Committee of the Board of Regents, December 23, 1846

Unbuilt 1846 Proposed Design for Smithsonian Castle

What a fascinating old drawing from 1846. This is the proposed design for the Smithsonian Castle, Source: Smithsonian Archives

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Abraham Lincoln colorized (1865)

Abraham Lincoln in Color (1865)

Photo shows night view of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., decorated with electric lights for the first inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson. (Source: Flickr Commons project, 2008)

Beautiful 1913 Night Photo of Pennsylvania Ave.

1891 Map of Street Sweeping

What Is the History of CIA’s Langley Headquarters?

Looking toward the west side of the United States Capitol building, a panoramic view of the city of Washington, D.C. shows the Mall area in the foreground before the railroad tracks were removed. A train is visible on the tracks. The domed structure in front of the Capitol is the Botanic Garden original octagonal greenhouse of 1859 and behind it the central pavilion added after the Civil War. The buildings were razed in 1932. The Botanic Garden was on a site previously occupied by the Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences in Washington, D.C.

Wow. Stunning Black and White Photo of the Capitol

May 29, 1959. "Prince George Plaza, Hyattsville, Maryland. Night view." An actual mall (a long, open plaza) when it opened in 1959, the shopping center was enclosed in the 1970s and renamed the Mall at Prince Georges. Large-format safety negative by Samuel H. Gottscho.

Prince George’s Plaza in 1959

Video Visualizing Early Washington, D.C.

What Did Petworth Look Like in the 1930s?

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Today's Featured Posts

Pullman autos are extremely rare. They were mass produced between 1905 and 1917 but less than 30 are known to still exist today.

What Did 4th and G St. Look Like in 1912?

Snow's Court

The Changing Tides of Race in the District: The Case of Snows Court

Aerial View of Washington Circle

Aerial View of Washington Circle Along K Street Corridor

Washington, D.C. Automobile store on 14th Street which has stock of frozen cars

Car Dealerships Prohibited From Selling During World War II

Sidwell Friends girls' basketball team (1917)

Sidwell Friends Girls’ Basketball Team (1917)

1903 Map of National Mall’s East End

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"Full size mockup of partial Metro station 1968" from Harry Weese Associates' 1994 book describing Metro's early plans.

Metro’s 17-Foot Long “Experimental Station” in 1968

Why Is It Named Trinidad?

Map of Washington Subdivisions in 1961

The Story of Russian Oligarch Oleg Deripaska’s Mansion

Robert Todd Lincoln at His Father’s Memorial Dedication

Au Pied de Cochon

Remember Au Pied de Cochon?

Susan Ford gettin' down in the East Room with her date

Senior Prom at the White House

Anti-Saloon League slogan

Lips That Touch Liquor Shall Not Touch Ours

President's Palace design by John Collins

Who Almost Designed the White House?

Murder Bay in 1855 (Smithsonian)

Murder Bay, the Rough-and-Tumble Lost Neighborhood

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