Beyond the Mall and the monuments, Washington is full of landmarks with stories worth knowing. These posts cover the squares, circles, markets, arenas, and buildings that have defined the city’s geography and character over the centuries.
Take a look at this aerial view of Washington Circle along K Street in Washington, DC. How many buildings can you recognize? With a bit of help, you can even spot the Capitol Building at the top right corner
Three Sisters Islands in the Potomac carry a Native American curse stretching back centuries. They also nearly vanished under a 1970s highway bridge. Here’s both stories.
Explore the journey of Frederic Auguste Bartholdi’s “Fountain of Light and Water” from the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia to its current home in Bartholdi Park. Learn how the fountain became a popular nighttime destination in Washington D.C.
A hand-drawn map of Washington, DC centered on Scott Circle, with Dupont Circle visible at the top right.
Explore Analoston Island with Georgetown University Library. Discover the beauty and history of this unique island with photos and resources from the university’s archives.
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.
L’Enfant Plaza in Washington D.C. has a sad history. It was once a vibrant part of the city, but it was bulldozed in the 1960s as part of an urban renewal program. Learn more about this unfortunate chapter of D.C. history.
A photograph from 1977 shows Union Station in Washington, DC before its restoration, when the surrounding area was far less developed.
Congress introduced a bill in 1887 to build a medieval granite fortress bridge across the Potomac in honor of Ulysses S. Grant. Here is what it would have looked like.
