Its skyrocketing tower clock remains a current Avenue of Presidents landmark. Edbrooke completed the building in the Romanesque Revival style by 1899. Yet, it stands in relative obscurity among the other city buildings nearby.Īnother historic treasure is the Post Office Pavilion. The US Department of the Treasury is the same building you will find on the back of a ten dollar note which should give it a certain degree of familiarity. Considered by many to be the most spectacular Greek revival building in the United States, it is surpassed in age only by the White House and the Capitol among the federal buildings that are Washington, D.C., tourist attractions. Today, the Treasury Building, designed by Robert Mills, is one of Pennsylvania Avenue's historic structures. Right next door to the White House is the United States Department of the Treasury. The summit of the front of the Supreme Court contains a triangular arch depicting a frieze of several judges, under which is engraved the words in bold print: "Equal Justice Under Law." Eventually, someone put in the budget enough money to build a more permanent and dignified monument to the judicial process and it stands proudly and firmly on this site. These were during the more informal days of U.S. They would sit around and hear arguments and then settle disputes when the need arose. The justices used to meet in a Washington, D.C., pub. The original Supreme Court is no longer in existence. This is where the laws are interpreted by the judges in the United States. Today the Capitol contains 540 rooms.Īcross the street from the Capitol building is the Supreme Court. The sculpture “Freedom” on the top of the Capitol dome was put in place in 1830. George Washington laid the corner stone for the Capitol with a silver trowel on September 18, 1793. The design featured two identical wings, one for the House of Representatives and one for the Senate, joined by a round, domed center room, called a rotunda. Jenkins Hill was chosen as the site for the nation’s capitol building. The White House has 132 rooms and 20 bathrooms.Īt the east end of the mall is Capitol Hill. The White House has been the home of all American presidents since November 1800 when George Washington’s successor, John Adams moved in it with a prayer “May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.” A significant change in recent years was President Bill Clinton’s 1995 decision – for security reasons – to turn Pennsylvania Avenue into a walking Mall in front of the White House. The cornerstone of the “President’s House” as it was originally named was set in place in 1792.George Washington never lived in the White House, serving his two terms as the first president in Philadelphia, while the White House and the Capitol were under construction. The oldest public building in Washington, D.C., is also the most famous residence in America. The White House, the official residence of the president. Over 5 million people live within the Potomac watershed, where precipitation provides the equivalent of over 8 m³ (more than 2,100 US gallons) of water per person per year. In terms of area, this makes the Potomac River the fourth largest river along the Atlantic coast of the USA and the 21st largest in the USA. The river is approximately 413 statute miles (665 km) long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles (38,000 km²). The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. Since then, decisions for the future of the nation and even international parts of the globe have been made within its borders. Washington, D.C., was established as the seat of the federal government in 1800. Washington, the city, and D.C., the district, have the same boundaries, roughly about 67 square miles. The surrounding metropolitan area, which includes 12 counties and 5 cities from Maryland and Virginia, is home to more than five million residents. (the District of Columbia), a federal territory since 1790. More than 500,000 people occupy Washington, D.C. The city is named for George Washington, military leader of the American Revolution and the first President of the United States. Washington, D.C., United State's capital, is located along the eastern seaboard of the continent, between the states of Virginia and Maryland at the junction of the Potomac and Anacostia rivers.