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The District of Columbia, capital of the United States, is home to 76 National Historic Landmarks. The National Historic Landmark program is operated under the auspices of the National Park Service, and recognizes structures, districts, objects, and similar resources according to a list of criteria of national significance.[1] The city's landmarks reflect its status as the national capital, including grand government buildings, homes of politicians, military facilities, and museums. The list also includes sites relating to support for the disabled, the Civil Rights Movement, pioneering urban infrastructure, and other historic themes.
National Historic Landmarks are normally listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Washington is home to three specifically legislated exceptions to this rule: the White House, the United States Capitol, and the United States Supreme Court Building. All are designated landmarks, but are not on the National Register.
[2] | Landmark name | Image | Date designated[3] | Location | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cleveland Abbe House | ![]() |
May 15, 1975 (#69000289) |
NW 38°54′05″N 77°02′46″W |
Cleveland Abbe, a prominent meteorologist who became known as the father of the National Weather Service, lived in this house from 1877 to 1909. Previous occupants in the early decades of the 19th century included James Monroe and the British legation. Built ca. 1802 to 1805, this is a fine example of the Federal style of residential architecture. |
2 | Administration Building, Carnegie Institution of Washington | ![]() |
June 23, 1965 (#66000959) |
NW 38°54′39″N 77°02′07″W |
|
3 | American Federation of Labor Building | May 30, 1974 (#74002154) |
NW 38°54′12″N 77°01′28″W |
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4 | American Peace Society | ![]() |
May 30, 1974 (#74002155) |
NW 38°53′58″N 77°02′19″W |
Headquarters of the American Peace Society from 1911 to 1948, in LaFayette Square Historic District. |
5 | Anderson House | ![]() |
June 19, 1996 (#71000993) |
NW 38°54′39″N 77°02′53″W |
|
6 | Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel, Frederick Douglass Memorial Hall, Founders Library, Howard University | ![]() |
January 3, 2001 (#01000070) |
NW 38°55′23″N 77°01′15″W |
Three Howard University buildings: Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel, Frederick Douglass Memorial Hall, and Founders Library. |
7 | Arts and Industries Building, Smithsonian Institution | ![]() |
November 11, 1971 (#71000994) |
SW 38°53′13″N 77°01′29″W |
|
8 | Ashburton House | ![]() |
November 7, 1973 (#73002071) |
NW 38°54′01″N 77°02′09″W |
House on Lafayette Square that was site of 10 months of U.S.-British negotiations leading to the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842. This settled U.S.-Canada border disputes and ended the Aroostook War. |
9 | Newton D. Baker House | ![]() |
December 8, 1976 (#76002126) |
NW 38°54′25″N 77°03′37″W |
|
10 | Blair House | ![]() |
October 26, 1973 (#66000963) |
NW 38°53′56″N 77°02′19″W |
|
11 | William E. Borah Apartment, Windsor Lodge | December 8, 1976 (#76002134) |
NW 38°55′03″N 77°02′57″W |
The home of William E. Borah, a United States Senator from Idaho and a noted isolationist. | |
12 | Blanche K. Bruce House | ![]() |
May 15, 1975 (#75002046) |
NW 38°54′21″N 77°01′29″W |
A home of Blanche K. Bruce, who was an African American Senator from Mississippi. |
13 | Carnegie Endowment for International Peace | ![]() |
May 30, 1974 (#74002156) |
NW 38°53′56″N 77°02′19″W |
|
14 | Mary Ann Shadd Cary House | ![]() |
December 8, 1976 (#76002128) |
NW 38°55′09″N 77°01′58″W |
A home of writer and abolitionist Mary Ann Shadd Cary. |
15 | City Hall / D.C. Courthouse | ![]() |
December 19, 1960 (#66000857) |
NW 38°53′43″N 77°01′04″W |
Also known as the Old Courthouse, it was renovated and rededicated on June 17, 2009 as the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. |
16 | Congressional Cemetery | ![]() |
June 14, 2011 (#69000292) |
SE 38°52′52″N 76°58′38″W |
Burial place of early city residents and many members of Congress who died in office. |
17 | Constitution Hall | September 16, 1985 (#85002724) |
NW 38°53′38″N 77°02′24″W |
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18 | Corcoran Gallery and Corcoran School Of Art | April 27, 1992 (#71000997) |
NW 38°53′45″N 77°02′24″W |
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19 | Elliott Coues House | ![]() |
May 15, 1975 (#75002049) |
NW 38°54′25″N 77°02′24″W |
Elliott Coues, a leading 19th century ornithologist, led great expansions of the knowledge of North American bird life, helped found the American Ornithologists' Union in 1883, edited approximately 15 volumes of journals, memoirs, and diaries by famous Western explorers and fur traders. He lived in this house from 1887 until his death in 1899. |
20 | Decatur House | ![]() |
December 19, 1960 (#66000858) |
NW 38°53′59″N 77°02′20″W |
Federal Style house designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe for naval hero Stephen Decatur across Lafayette Square from the White House. During 1827-1833 was home to successive Secretaries of State Henry Clay, Martin Van Buren, and Judah P. Benjamin. |
21 | Franklin School | ![]() |
June 19, 1996 (#73002085) |
NW 38°54′08″N 77°01′47″W |
A nineteenth-century school, site of Alexander Graham Bell's experiments with the photophone. |
22 | Gallaudet College Historic District | ![]() |
December 21, 1965 (#66000856) |
NE 38°54′26″N 76°59′35″W |
The world's first college for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. |
23 | General Federation of Women's Clubs Headquarters | ![]() |
December 4, 1991 (#91002057) |
NW 38°54′25″N 77°02′25″W |
|
24 | General Post Office | ![]() |
November 11, 1971 (#69000311) |
NW 38°53′48″N 77°01′22″W |
This post office is a fine example of restrained Neoclassical design. Built in phases between 1839 and 1866, the building features beautiful scaling and fine details. |
25 | Georgetown Historic District | ![]() |
May 28, 1967 (#67000025) |
NW[4] 38°54′34″N 77°03′54″W |
|
26 | Samuel Gompers House | May 30, 1974 (#74002161) |
NW 38°55′08″N 77°00′44″W |
Samuel Gompers was president of the American Federation of Labor from 1886 until his death in 1924. Gompers helped found the AFL, and vigorously pursued its three goals of higher wages, shorter hours, and better working conditions for American workers. He lived in this three-story brick rowhouse from 1902 to 1917. | |
27 | Charlotte Forten Grimke House | May 11, 1976 (#76002129) |
NW 38°54′45″N 77°02′13″W |
A home of Charlotte Forten Grimke, a prominent Abolitionist and educator. | |
28 | Healy Hall, Georgetown University | ![]() |
December 23, 1987 (#71001003) |
NW[4] 38°54′26″N 77°04′23″W |
This large-scale High Victorian Gothic structure is the most prominent building on the Georgetown University campus and a picturesque landmark for all Georgetown. Built from 1877 through 1879, its construction marked the evolution of the school toward true university status. |
29 | General Oliver Otis Howard House | ![]() |
May 30, 1974 (#74002163) |
NW 38°55′23″N 77°01′20″W |
Located on Howard University campus, a home of Union general and Howard founder Oliver O. Howard. |
30 | Charles Evans Hughes House | November 28, 1972 (#72001424) |
NW 38°54′45″N 77°02′58″W |
Charles Evans Hughes was a leader in the progressive movement, and 1916 presidential candidate. He held office as Associate Justice and Chief Justice of the United States, as well as multiple executive positions under several Presidents. He lived in this house from 1930 until his death in 1948. | |
31 | Hiram W. Johnson House | ![]() |
December 8, 1976 (#73002072) |
NE 38°53′29″N 77°00′18″W |
|
32 | Lafayette Building | ![]() |
September 1, 2005 (#05001205) |
NW 38°54′03″N 77°02′04″W |
Home of Reconstruction Finance Corporation which helped finance the buildup for World War II. |
33 | Lafayette Square Historic District | August 29, 1970 (#70000833) |
NW[4] 38°53′59″N 77°02′12″W |
District including LaFayette Square Park, surrounding but excluding the White House. | |
34 | Library Of Congress | ![]() |
December 21, 1965 (#66000000) |
SE 38°53′20″N 77°00′16″W |
The Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress |
35 | Andrew Mellon Building | ![]() |
May 11, 1976 (#73002100) |
NW 38°54′33″N 77°02′30″W |
A residence of Andrew W. Mellon. |
36 | Memorial Continental Hall | November 28, 1972 (#72001427) |
NW 38°53′37″N 77°02′25″W |
||
37 | Meridian Hill Park | ![]() |
April 19, 1994 (#74000273) |
NW 38°55′16″N 77°02′08″W |
|
129 | National Archives | ![]() |
December 11, 2023 (#100009816) |
Constitution Ave. between 7th and 9th Sts., NW. 38°53′33″N 77°01′24″W |
|
38 | National Training School For Women And Girls | ![]() |
July 17, 1991 (#91002049) |
NE 38°53′46″N 76°55′48″W |
|
39 | National War College | ![]() |
November 28, 1972 (#72001535) |
SW[5] 38°51′48″N 77°01′01″W |
Listing is for Roosevelt Hall, which houses the National War College. |
40 | Octagon House | ![]() |
December 19, 1960 (#66000863) |
NW 38°53′46″N 77°02′30″W |
Plantation owner's home lent to President Madison after the Burning of Washington in 1814. |
41 | Old Naval Observatory | ![]() |
January 12, 1965 (#66000864) |
NW 38°53′42″N 77°03′07″W |
The original US Naval Observatory, current home of the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery; closed to the public. |
42 | Old Patent Office | ![]() |
January 12, 1965 (#66000902) |
NW 38°53′52″N 77°01′23″W |
Current home of the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. |
43 | Pan American Union Headquarters | ![]() |
January 13, 2021 (#10000625) |
17th St. between C St. and Constitution Ave., NW. 38°53′34″N 77°02′27″W |
|
44 | Pension Building | ![]() |
February 4, 1985 (#69000312) |
NW 38°53′51″N 77°01′05″W |
|
45 | Frances Perkins House | ![]() |
July 17, 1992 (#91002048) |
NW 38°54′55″N 77°03′07″W |
A home of Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor and the first woman to serve in the United States Cabinet. |
46 | PHILADELPHIA (Gundelo) | ![]() |
January 20, 1961 (#66000852) |
NW 38°53′28″N 77°01′46″W |
Philadelphia, the only remaining American gunboat from the Revolutionary War, sank in a battle on Lake Champlain in 1776. It was salvaged in remarkably good condition in 1935 and now resides at the National Museum of American History. |
47 | Red Cross (American National) Headquarters | ![]() |
June 23, 1965 (#66000853) |
NW 38°53′41″N 77°02′26″W |
|
48 | Renwick Gallery | ![]() |
November 11, 1971 (#69000300) |
NW 38°53′56″N 77°02′22″W |
|
49 | Zalmon Richards House | ![]() |
December 21, 1965 (#66000866) |
NW 38°54′42″N 77°01′49″W |
A home of National Education Association founder Zalmon Richards. |
50 | St. Elizabeth's Hospital | ![]() |
December 14, 1990 (#79003101) |
SE 38°50′57″N 76°59′23″W |
|
51 | St. John's Church | ![]() |
December 19, 1960 (#66000868) |
NW 38°54′01″N 77°02′07″W |
Popularly nicknamed the "Church of the Presidents". |
52 | St. Luke's Episcopal Church | May 11, 1976 (#76002131) |
NW 38°54′37″N 77°02′05″W |
The first African-American Episcopal church in Washington, DC. | |
53 | SEQUOIA (Yacht) | ![]() |
December 23, 1987 (#87002594) |
SE 38°52′32″N 77°01′20″W |
The former Presidential yacht, moored at the Washington Marina. |
54 | Sewall–Belmont House | ![]() |
May 30, 1974 (#72001432) |
NE 38°53′31″N 77°00′13″W |
Headquarters of the National Women's Party and home to a museum of the Suffrage movement. |
55 | Smithsonian Institution Building | ![]() |
January 12, 1965 (#66000867) |
SW 38°53′19″N 77°01′35″W |
|
56 | John Philip Sousa Junior High School | August 7, 2001 (#01001045) |
SE 38°53′01″N 76°57′09″W |
In 1950, eleven black students were denied admission to the newly constructed all-white Sousa school. This action was eventually overturned in the landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision in Bolling v. Sharpe, which made segregated public schools illegal in the District of Columbia. This defeat of the principle of "separate but equal" was a significant landmark in the modern Civil Rights Movement. | |
57 | State, War, And Navy Building | ![]() |
November 11, 1971 (#69000293) |
NW 38°53′51″N 77°02′21″W |
|
58 | Supreme Court Building | ![]() |
May 4, 1987 (#87001294) |
NE 38°53′27″N 77°00′16″W |
|
59 | Mary Church Terrell House | May 15, 1975 (#75002055) |
NW 38°54′56″N 77°01′00″W |
A home of Mary Church Terrell, abolitionist and first African-American woman to serve on a school board. | |
60 | Tudor Place | ![]() |
December 19, 1960 (#66000871) |
NW 38°54′39″N 77°03′48″W |
A home, designed by Capitol designer Dr. William Thornton, and containing a collection of artifacts of George Washington and Martha Washington. |
61 | Twelfth Street YMCA Building | ![]() |
October 12, 1994 (#83003523) |
NW 38°54′54″N 77°01′42″W |
NRHP 83003523. The earliest "Y" built by and expressly for African Americans. |
62 | Oscar W. Underwood House | ![]() |
December 8, 1976 (#76002132) |
NW 38°53′53″N 77°02′43″W |
A home of Oscar W. Underwood, United States Senator from Alabama. |
63 | United Mine Workers of America Building | ![]() |
April 5, 2005 (#00001032) |
NW 38°54′06″N 77°02′05″W |
|
64 | United States Capitol | December 19, 1960 (#19600002) |
NW, NE, SE, SW[4] 38°53′23″N 77°00′32″W |
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65 | United States Department of the Treasury | ![]() |
November 11, 1971 (#71001007) |
NW 38°53′51″N 77°02′03″W |
|
66 | United States Marine Corps Barrack and Commandant's House | ![]() |
May 11, 1976 (#72001435) |
SE 38°52′49″N 76°59′38″W |
|
67 | United States Soldier's Home | ![]() |
November 7, 1973 (#74002176) |
NW 38°56′30″N 77°00′42″W |
|
68 | Volta Bureau | November 28, 1972 (#72001436) |
NW 38°54′34″N 77°04′09″W |
Founded in 1887 by Alexander Graham Bell "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge relating to the Deaf"; merged with the American Association for the Promotion and Teaching of Speech to the Deaf in 1908, and operates today as the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. | |
69 | Washington Aqueduct | ![]() |
November 7, 1973 (#73002123) |
NW 38°56′15″N 77°06′51″W |
Extends into Montgomery County, Maryland. |
70 | Washington Navy Yard | ![]() |
May 11, 1976 (#73002124) |
SE 38°52′24″N 76°59′49″W |
|
71 | White House | December 19, 1960 (#19600001) |
NW 38°53′52″N 77°02′12″W |
Residence of the president of the United States. | |
72 | David White House | ![]() |
January 7, 1976 (#76002133) |
NW 38°55′32″N 77°02′04″W |
Geologist David White of the United States Geological Survey lived in this house from 1910 to 1925. His researches into the distribution of petroleum resources became essential to the oil industry. |
73 | Woodrow Wilson House | ![]() |
July 19, 1964 (#66000873) |
NW 38°54′51″N 77°03′05″W |
A home of Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States. |
74 | Carter G. Woodson House | ![]() |
May 11, 1976 (#76002135) |
NW 38°54′36″N 77°01′27″W |
A home of Carter G. Woodson, the "Father of Black History". |
75 | Robert Simpson Woodward House | January 7, 1976 (#76002136) |
NW 38°54′32″N 77°02′11″W |
From 1904 to 1914, this was the home of Robert Simpson Woodward, the first President of the Carnegie Institution during the same period. Woodward had made his name as a leading geologist and mathematician. |
There are no delisted NHLs in Washington, D.C. Ships that are designated NHLs have previously been located in Washington, but have been moved elsewhere, and the Army Medical Museum and Library collection has been relocated to Maryland.
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2013) |
Landmark name | Image | Date designated | Date moved | Quadrant | Description | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Army Medical Museum and Library | ![]() |
January 12, 1965 | 1988 | NW 38°58′37″N 77°01′57″W | The listed building was demolished in 1969; the museum collection and library are now part of the National Museum of Health and Medicine, and are based in Silver Spring, Maryland. The landmark designation is under evaluation. |
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