Washington, D.C., District of Columbia 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 once a hub of cutting-edge science. This is…
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In the heart of Georgetown, you'll find a neoclassical yellow brick and sandstone building that looks like a quiet library, but it was once a hub of cutting-edge science. This is the Volta Laboratory and Bureau, constructed in 1893 under the direction of Alexander Graham Bell. Bell used this space to test new technologies designed to aid Deaf Americans and to research telecommunications.
While it's now a National Historic Landmark, it's still a working site, operated by the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. It's a beautiful example of how 19th-century architecture was used to house a vision for a more accessible world.
Updated June 2026