Architecture of Washington, D.C.

rdf:langString Architecture of Washington, D.C.

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rdf:langString East Building of the National Gallery of Art

rdf:langString Interior ceiling of the Washington Metro

rdf:langString International Finance Corporation headquarters

rdf:langString North façade of the White House

rdf:langString Pendry Hotel at the Wharf

rdf:langString Row houses in Adams Morgan

rdf:langString Row houses near Dupont Circle

rdf:langString Row houses on Capitol Hill

rdf:langString World Bank Group headquarters

rdf:langString Robert C. Weaver Federal Building, headquarters of the Department of Housing and Urban Development

rdf:langString James V. Forrestal Building, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Energy

rdf:langString Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress

rdf:langString Victorian-style row houses on 18th Street NW near Dupont Circle.

rdf:langString center

rdf:langString horizontal

rdf:langString Supreme Court of the United States - Philosophical Swag.jpg

rdf:langString The historic Willard Hotel, Washington, D.C LCCN2011631426.tif

rdf:langString Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception - exterior 3.jpg

rdf:langString Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C LCCN2011632175.tif

rdf:langString Robert C. Weaver Federal Building, headquarters of HUD, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, D.C LCCN2011633627.tif

rdf:langString Adams Morgan rowhouses.jpg

rdf:langString Andrew Mellon Building.JPG

rdf:langString Barr Building - facade.JPG

rdf:langString Benjamin Ogle Tayloe House.jpg

rdf:langString Capitol Hill Rowhouses.jpg

rdf:langString Church of the Pilgrims DC.JPG

rdf:langString Douglass Bridge 090621.jpg

rdf:langString Dumbarton Oaks facade.jpg

rdf:langString Dupont Circle Historic District-9.jpg

rdf:langString East Building of the National Gallery of Art.jpg

rdf:langString Embassy of Canada, Washington, D.C..jpg

rdf:langString Embassy of Sweden, Washington, D.C. in dusk.jpg

rdf:langString Francis Scott Key bridge.jpg

rdf:langString Hirshhorn Museum .jpg

rdf:langString International Finance Corporation Building.JPG

rdf:langString Jefferson Memorial, by Michael Jimenez.jpg

rdf:langString Lincoln Memorial .jpg

rdf:langString Washington dupont circle inside 15.07.2012 17-59-57.jpg

rdf:langString Memorial Bridge sunrise.jpg

rdf:langString National Archives Building 2.jpg

rdf:langString National Museum of American History 1.jpg

rdf:langString Octagon house.jpg

rdf:langString Smithsonian Institution Castle Facade.jpg

rdf:langString Spain, Washington II.JPG

rdf:langString Taft Bridge, Washington.jpg

rdf:langString The White House .jpg

rdf:langString Tudor Place 2011.jpg

rdf:langString Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, Maine Ave., near 6th St., SW, Washington, D.C LCCN2010641382.tif

rdf:langString US Dept of Energy Forrestal Building.jpg

rdf:langString United States Capitol - west front.jpg

rdf:langString Vietnam Memorial Wall with Washington Monument.jpg

rdf:langString Washington National Cathedral Looking SE.jpg

rdf:langString Watergate-DC.jpg

rdf:langString Wharf 9243512.jpg

rdf:langString World Bank building.JPG

rdf:langString World War II Memorial, 04950v.jpg

rdf:langString The Smithsonian Institution's Arts and Industries Building on the National Mall, Washington, D.C LCCN2011633056.tif

rdf:langString St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Washington, D.C. 4.jpg

rdf:langString Carnegie library in Mt Vernon Square Washington DC 2.jpg

rdf:langString Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, has a unique and diverse architectural history. Encompassing government, monumental, commercial, and residential buildings, D.C. is home to some of the country's most famous and popular structures designed by some of the leading architects of their time. The popularity of Washington's buildings is evident by the fact that a 2007 poll of Americans by the American Institute of Architects found that six of the top 10 most popular U.S. structures were located in Washington, D.C. Overall, 17 of the top 150 most popular structures were located in the capital. Due to the city's multicultural nature as well as its political and historic importance, the architectural motifs found throughout the city encompass a diverse range of styles. The city is most famous for its Neoclassical government buildings, monuments, and memorials. Located mostly Downtown or along the National Mall and Tidal Basin, these buildings, inspired from ancient Rome and Greece, were designed to capture the power, strength, and grandeur of the U.S. government while honoring the ancient political and philosophical thinkers from which many American ideals were derived. These structures have large pediments, classical columns, domes, and classical statues and reliefs often made of stone or marble. Although the city's severe height restrictions limit the upward trajectory of its buildings, many architects have contributed to the city's architectural character by intersecting creativity with practicality without surpassing the city's height limits. As such, unlike nearly all large American cities, Washington, D.C. has no skyscrapers. However, the city is home to notable examples of many important architectural movements of the 20th and 21st centuries, most notably Beaux-Arts, Brutalism, and Postmodernism. In addition to historic Neoclassical government buildings, monuments, and memorials, Washington is also famous for its museums and non-Neoclassically inspired memorials. Designed by notable architects, such as Maya Lin (Vietnam Veterans Memorial) and I.M. Pei (East Building of the National Gallery of Art), the city's museums and modern memorials are some of the most visited sites in the United States and have inspired the creation of other architecturally important structures throughout the world.