Victorian Washington was booming in the 1880s. The decade brought the dedication of the Washington Monument (finally finished in 1884), the consolidation of Georgetown into DC, and a wave of grand Romanesque architecture that still defines many of the city’s neighborhoods. These posts explore Washington at its Victorian peak.
Take a journey back in time and explore the old B&P Railroad Station where President Garfield was assassinated. View an image of the station from the 1880s
The Windom House at Scott Circle was home to a Treasury Secretary who died mid-speech in 1891. The Queen Anne mansion was razed in 1964 and is now the site of the Australian Embassy.
On December 6, 1884, the aluminum capstone of the Washington Monument was placed at the top of the obelisk. Here is the story of how it got there.
A hand-drawn map of Washington, DC centered on Scott Circle, with Dupont Circle visible at the top right.
Check out this highly detailed map of Washington streetcars from 1880. Get a glimpse of history and explore the past
Discover the history of the neighborhood of Harlem in Washington, DC, located west of Georgetown. Learn how this area was developed in the early 1880s and why it was named after the town in the Netherlands.
In 1886, a proposal for Rock Creek Park in Washington DC was made. Read and explore the idea, its history and how the land was eventually used for something more important than a park: Arlington National Cemetery.
Discover the Washington Navy Yard through an old plan from June 1st, 1881. See the position and dimensions of all the buildings in this plan from the Library of Congress.
Take a look back in time to 1880 and the Old Ebbitt House in D.C.! Back then, the District had 178 phone lines. See the photograph from the Library of Congress.
