Stories
Washington, D.C. stories for walks, landmarks, and local context
Short, source-backed reads that explain what you are seeing while you move through the city.
City story
A Monument Funded by Wages
Most monuments are funded by governments or wealthy donors, but the Emancipation Memorial in Lincoln Park was different. This bronze s…
City story
A Monument to Innovation
In the heart of Georgetown, you'll find a neoclassical yellow brick and sandstone building that looks like a quiet library, but it was…
City story
A Monument to Nature
Imagine a stretch of neglected farmland in the 1930s being transformed into a living tribute. That's how Theodore Roosevelt Island beg…
City story
A Monument to Sacrifice
Down at the Southwest Waterfront Park, there's a poignant memorial dedicated to a tragedy far from D.C.'s shores. The Titanic Memorial…
City story
A Museum's Transformation
Even a world-class museum needs a recovery period. The National Museum of Women in the Arts was established in 1981 to champion women…
City story
A Neighborhood Revived
Walk down 8th Street SE and you'll find Barracks Row, a place where history and modern city life collide. This corridor is the oldest…
City story
A New Chapter for Woodley Mansion
Built in 1801, the Woodley Mansion was once a Federal-style hilltop retreat for some of the most powerful men in America, including Gr…
City story
A New Depth for the Capitol
The U.S. Capitol is one of the most historic sites in the world, but in 2008, it underwent its largest transformation in over two cent…
City story
A New Kind of Stage
For decades, the Washington Improv Theater operated as a nomadic company, bringing long-form comedy to various venues across the city.…
City story
A New Vision for Women's Art
The National Museum of Women in the Arts was a pioneer when it was established in 1981, becoming the first museum in the world solely…
City story
A Night of Silent Film and Tragedy
In 1917, the Knickerbocker Theatre opened as one of the most fashionable spots in D.C., seating 1,700 people. It was the largest movie…
City story
An Island for a Conservationist
Floating in the Potomac River is a unique sanctuary: Theodore Roosevelt Island. It wasn't always a park; back in the day, it was negle…
City story
An Island in the Current
Tucked away in the Potomac River is Theodore Roosevelt Island, a place that feels worlds away from the city's concrete. In the 1930s,…
City story
An Italian Dream in DC
Meridian Hill Park feels more like a trip to Tuscany than a walk in DC. Between 1912 and 1936, designers George Burnap and Horace Peas…
City story
A Passion for Water Lilies
Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens started as a personal hobby. Long before it was a National Park site, a Civil War veteran cultivated these…
City story
A Poet's Neighborhood
Right here in Georgetown, Francis Scott Key and his family lived from about 1805 to 1830. This memorial marks the spot where the autho…
City story
A Pop Culture Grotesque
High up on the Northwest Tower of the Washington National Cathedral, you'll find a figure that doesn't exactly fit the traditional rel…
City story
A Presidential Refuge
Imagine the chaos of 1814, when the White House was in ruins. For President James Madison and First Lady Dolley Madison, the Octagon H…
City story
A Presidential Refuge
Imagine the chaos of 1814. The White House has been burned, and President James Madison needs a place to stay. He finds refuge here, a…
City story
A Presidential Refuge
Imagine the year 1814. The White House has been burned, and President James Madison and First Lady Dolley Madison need a place to stay…
City story
A Presidential Refuge
In 1800, the Octagon House stood as one of the grandest townhouses in the young United States. Built for John Tayloe the Third, this l…
City story
A Presidential Refuge
The Octagon House is a masterpiece of late Federalist architecture, but it's most famous for a moment of crisis. Built in 1799 for Col…
City story
A Presidential Time Capsule
Tucked away in the Kalorama neighborhood is a house that feels like a preserved moment in time. The Woodrow Wilson House became the ho…
City story
A Retreat at Cedar Hill
Frederick Douglass lived a life of incredible transformation, from a runaway slave to a world-renowned abolitionist and statesman. But…