Buildings, Agencies, and Installations

Capitol Hill

The most prominent building in Washington, with its dome visible for a great distance, is the Capitol. It is built on a knoll with a commanding view westward over the Mall. The building has been remodeled and enlarged several times since the cornerstone was laid by George Washington in 1793. Within the Capitol are the Senate and House chambers and many statues and paintings of historic interest.

Grouped around the Capitol are the Senate and House office buildings, the white-marble Supreme Court building, and the three buildings that make up the Library of Congress. At the north end of Capitol Hill is Union Station, a railway terminal.

Federal Triangle

Between the Capitol and the White House is the Federal Triangle, a 70-acre (28-hectare) area formed by Pennsylvania and Constitution avenues and 15th Street, N.W. Here are offices of several federal government agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice, Internal Revenue Service, and Department of Commerce. Also in the Triangle is the National Archives Building, where the originals of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are preserved.

White House and Vicinity

The White House, home of the President, is at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. The building, begun in 1792, has been altered and reconstructed several times since being burned by the British in 1814. Adjacent to the White House are the Treasury Building and the Old Executive Office Building (once the home of the State, War, and Navy departments). North of the White House, near Lafayette Square, are Blair House and Decatur House. Blair House (1824) is used by foreign dignitaries who are guests of the President. Decatur House (1818) is a museum and the headquarters of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Southwest of the White House are numerous government buildings. Among them are the Department of the Interior, Department of State, and Federal Reserve System buildings. Also in the area are the headquarters of the American Red Cross, the Organization of American States, and the National Academy of Sciences. Opposite the Ellipse, a park in front of the White House, is Constitution Hall, part of the headquarters complex of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

South of the Mall

Many government offices and buildings are located south of the Mall between the Capitol and the Tidal Basin. They include those of the National Aeronautical and Space Administration and the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Energy, and Agriculture.

Elsewhere In Washington

Embassies cluster along or near Massachusetts Avenue in a section known as Embassy Row and also along upper 16th Street. Elegant 19th-century homes and mansions make Georgetown one of Washington's most fashionable residential sections. The MCI Center, a sports arena located west of the White House, is home to the Mystics and the Wizards (both professional basketball teams) and the Capitals (professional hockey team); the Washington Nationals (professional baseball) play at RFK Stadium. Overlooking the Potomac River in the Foggy Bottom section of the city is the vast Watergate complex, consisting of apartments, shops, and offices.

Military installations in Washington include Bolling Air Force Base, the largely inactive Washington Navy Yard, the Washington Naval Station, the Naval Research Laboratory, the Naval Observatory, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.