Basilica of the Immaculate Conception – DC
Not to be outdone, The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is unique in the world reflecting the diverse heritage of America itself. An original design that is traditional yet distinctively American, the architects chose a Romanesque-Byzantine style for this national Catholic monument. Romanesque architecture is defined by its massive size, thick walls, arches, piers, vaults, towers and ornamented ambulatories, while Byzantine architecture is noted for its most distinctive feature, the dome. The Romanesque-Byzantine style was chosen to harmonize with the architecture of Washington, DC; and to be distinct from the Washington National Cathedral – the Gothic Episcopalian cathedral whose construction was also underway at the time. The Basilica, constructed entirely of stone, brick, tile and mortar, without structural steel beams, framework or columns, is the largest Roman Catholic church in North America and is among the ten largest churches in the world. It contains the world’s largest collection of contemporary ecclesiastical art.
https://www.nationalshrine.org/
Congressional Cemetery in Washington – DC
This “American Westminster Abbey” contains the remains of more than 60,000 people from Revolutionary War heroes and Native American tribal chiefs to some of the nation’s most respected leaders, luminaries, and activists. From the time of its establishment in 1807 until the end of the Civil War, seventy-five Senators and Representatives, as well as 10 former mayors of Washington and many high-ranking executive, judicial and military officers were interred here. Among those buried here are Civil War photographer Mathew Brady, composer John Philip Sousa, and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. There are perhaps more early historical figures buried within this unique than in any other cemetery in the country. The Cemetery also stands out for its beauty. The visual layout resembles that of Pierre L’Enfant’s plan of Washington, DC. The pattern of rectangular burial sections and straight pathways intersecting at right angles rejects the curvilinear sections common to the Victorian-era’s garden cemeteries. https://congressionalcemetery.org/
The Folger Shakespeare Library – DC
The Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. It has the world’s largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare and is a primary repository for rare materials from the early modern period (1500–1750) in Britain and Europe. The Library is an Elizabethan monument with a neoclassical exterior. On the outside, its white Georgia marble harmonizes with nearby buildings, such as the Library of Congress, the Capitol, and the Supreme Court. Inside, the design evokes Tudor England, with oak paneling, ornamental floor tile, and high plaster ceilings. Built like the great hall of an Elizabethan house, the 131-foot Reading Room incorporates 16th- and 17th-century French and Flemish tapestries, carved oak paneling, a high trussed roof, and a large fireplace. At the west end of the Reading Room is a large stained-glass window depicting the Seven Ages of Man. This window is modeled after the one in Stratford’s Holy Trinity Church. The intimate Elizabethan Theatre is the setting for Folger Theatre productions, early music concerts, Poetry programs, and many educational programs. With its three-tiered wooden balconies, carved oak columns, and half-timbered facade, the Theatre evokes the courtyard of an English Renaissance inn. Overhead, a canopy represents the sky. Period photography at its best. https://www.folger.edu/visit/our-building-and-grounds/
The Franciscan Monastery – DC
The Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America is a hidden gem in Washington, D.C., often overlooked by visitors but highly cherished by those who seek unique experiences. This Byzantine-style church is a breathtaking replica of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, drawing inspiration from Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia. It offers a visual feast for architecture and garden enthusiasts alike. The monastery’s stunning architecture features classic arches and exquisite statuary, while it’s meticulously designed gardens provide a serene backdrop for photography. Visitors can explore remarkable full-size replicas of Holy Land shrines, including the Tomb of Christ and various catacombs, all of which make for striking photographic subjects. The church’s interior, open for handheld photography, invites visitors to capture its intricate details and serene ambiance. This location offers an exceptional opportunity to create memorable images and enjoy a tranquil escape. https://myfranciscan.org/
The Highway to Heaven – MD
The road known as the Highway to Heaven is actually a section of nearby and well-traveled highway – New Hampshire Avenue here in Montgomery County. This ten-mile stretch of road is home to numerous religious institutions from just about any faith imaginable. There are two Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Halls, a mosque, two Ukrainian churches, two Buddhist temples (Viet Namese and Cambodian) and a Hindu temple. Of course there are quite a number of Christian churches as well. Foreign language services, in Spanish, Vietnamese, Khmer, Hindu,
Chinese can be found along this road. There’s even a tiny “prayer stop” shack across from a golf course where you can stop in and pray for your game to improve. For some unknown reason however, there is no Jewish synagogue. Several of these churches are so-called “megachurches” that attract up to 3,000 worshipers at a time.
Sorry, no website for this one.
The Institute of Peace Building – DC
One of the most interesting and unique new buildings in Washington sits on the edge of the National Mall. Its distinctive curved roof was designed by Israeli architect Moshe Safdie to resemble the wings of a dove, the bird of peace. The converging curved lines of the building’s uncommon architecture make for wonderful photography. The design of the building positions three discrete office blocks organized around two shared atria, fanning out from a corner entrance–with one atrium facing the Potomac River and the other facing the Lincoln Memorial. The Institute has become a national symbol of peace on the Capitol’s skyline, expressing lightness, transparency and openness. This is a great place for fisheye lenses and tripods are allowed. https://www.usip.org/about/our-building-and-location
The Kennedy Center – DC
Designed as a living memorial for John F. Kennedy, the Center for the Performing Arts takes an active position among the great presidential monuments of the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials. Situated on the banks of the Potomac River, the 630-foot-long Modernist structure is sheeted in Carrara marble and is surrounded by a wide colonnade of thin gold-colored columns. Open-air porches project out onto wide plaza wings. An entrance plaza is framed by parallel groves that shoulder a central 110-foot-long reflecting pool. Public artworks located at the entrance include the sculptures Don Quixote by Aurelio Teno and From Columbia to John F. Kennedy by Eduardo Ramirez Vallamizar. Overlooking the Potomac River, the broad south and west terraces contain rows of willow trees set in raised planter boxes interspersed with square fountains. Repetitive geometric floor tiles and planted terrace podiums visually connect the entrance, and south and west terraces to the penthouse roof terrace. “The Reach”, recently added, features a sloping lawn, which doubles as a green roof, a mahogany deck shaped to the dimensions of Kennedy’s WWII vessel, the PT 109, and a reflecting pool. Three angular pavilions connect to the rehearsal complex below. At the southern edge, a grove of 35 ginkgo trees were planted in honor of the 35th president. A pedestrian bridge connects the addition to the Potomac waterfront. All in the entire Center offers a profusion of photographic opportunities inside and out. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy_Center_for_the_Performing_Arts
The Library of Congress – DC
Said to be the largest library in the world, The Library of Congress (Jefferson Building) is one of the most beautiful buildings in the nation’s capital with its ornate interiors and grand staircases. Known for its magnificent 19th-century architecture, the elaborately designed and decorated interior is meant to celebrate the many rich literary treasures found inside. The Reading Room of the Library itself is one of the most stunning and impressive locations in the entire city. Intricately carved statues, tile mosaics, and amazing artwork cover every wall, floor, and ceiling. The breathtaking Reading Room though is only accessible to those holding a special “pass” with the exception of a few special days when it is open to the public. The centerpiece of the Library is the Great Hall on the first floor with its 3-story high atrium. The ceiling and skylight in the Great Hall are spectacular and colorful. Every surface in the building is a photographer’s dream. Fun fact: the library adds more than 10,000 items to its collection each working day. https://washington.org/visit-dc/library-of-congress-washington-dc
Mount Vernon – VA
Located on the banks of the Potomac River just south of the city named after him, visitors to the 500 acre estate of President Washington can view his restored mansion and many other original structures. The estate includes the tomb of George and Martha Washington and a memorial dedicated to the enslaved people who lived and worked on the estate. Interpretive spaces such as the Farm and George Washington’s Gristmill & Distillery provide a rich understanding of Washington’s enterprising and profitable business ventures. Additional experiences include 25 theaters and galleries showcasing Mount Vernon’s superb collections. The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon is a groundbreaking center for scholarship and research on the President’s life and the colonial and founding eras. https://www.mountvernon.org/
The National Building Museum – DC
Created in 1980 through an act of Congress, the National Building Museum has transformed the public’s understanding of the impact of architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, construction, planning, and design. The Museum occupies a magnificent building with a soaring Great Hall, spectacular 75-foot-tall Corinthian columns, and a 1,200-foot terra cotta frieze. The National Building Museum is housed in the post-Civil War Pension Bureau building four blocks from the National Mall. A structure of fifteen million bricks, it was completed in 1887 and designed by Montgomery C. Meigs, the U.S. Army quartermaster general. It is notable for several architectural features, including the colossal interior columns and the frieze, sculpted by Caspar Buberl, stretching around the exterior of the building and depicting Civil War soldiers in scenes somewhat reminiscent of those on Trajan’s Column as well as the Horsemen Frieze of the Parthenon. The vast interior, measuring 316 × 116 feet (96 × 35 m), has been used to hold inauguration balls. A Presidential Seal is set into the floor near the south entrance. https://nbm.org/
Old Post Office Tower – DC
The Old Post Office Building is the second-tallest structure in the nation’s capital, after the Washington Monument. It was built between 1892 and 1899 to house the US Post Office Department Headquarters and the city’s post office. The Old Post Office Tower offers fantastic views of the nation’s capital. From the 270-foot observation deck visitors are treated to panoramic views of the Capitol, White House, Washington Monument, Pentagon, Smithsonian museums, Supreme Court, and Lincoln Memorial. From 2016-2022 the building was leased from the government by DJT Holdings and operated as the Trump International Hotel. Currently, it is operating as the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Post_Office_(Washington,_D.C.)
The Peabody Library – MD
This is an underappreciated gem in Baltimore. While the entrance may look too conventional, a step into the library is like a trip to old Europe. With decorative Greek columns, the George Peabody Library is a temple of literature. Recognized as one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, the George Peabody Library in Baltimore is a research library within The Johns Hopkins University educational system. Formerly known as the Library of the Peabody Institute of the City of Baltimore, it is a leading center for teaching and research. But it’s the architecture and design of the main room that makes it so exceptional. Designed by architect Edmund G. Lind, the structural design of the stack room includes five tiers of cast-iron balconies that rise to a skylight 61 feet high that encompasses the entire roof. Small in size compared to the Library of Congress, it is nevertheless a breathtakingly bookish sight to behold. The amount of detail in the building is astonishing from the black and white marble floor, to the Greek key decorative borders, various floral motifs in the ironwork, the scallops on the columns, the gold trim reflecting the light, and the cathedral-like and glass-paneled ceiling. https://www.library.jhu.edu/library-hours/george-peabody-library/
St. Matthew’s Cathedral – DC
Dedicated in 1913, the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle (the patron saint of civil servants) plays a major role in the Catholic life of the nation’s capital. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Washington, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass here in 1979, and President John F. Kennedy’s funeral was celebrated here on November 25, 1963. Designed by New York architect C. Grant La Farge, the Cathedral has been cited as having “one of the most beautiful church interiors of modern times.” Its walls are laden with shimmering mosaics suggestive of those found in the renowned churches of Ravenna, Italy. The Cathedral is in the form of a Latin cross 155 feet long and 136 feet wide at the transepts. The interior of the dome rises 190 feet. The body of the Cathedral seats about 1,000 persons. https://www.stmatthewscathedral.org/
Smithsonian Castle – DC
The Smithsonian Institution Building, popularly known as the “Castle,” was designed by architect James Renwick, Jr. The building is constructed of red sandstone from nearby Seneca Creek, Maryland, in the Norman style (a 12th-century combination of late Romanesque and early Gothic motifs). It features nine towers, some with conical roofs, including the tallest, the North Tower. Its classic Romanesque features also include arched doorways and windows, square towers, an asymmetrical facade made from a mix of brick and stone, and thick masonry walls. The interior of the design included staircases inside the towers, so as to leave the floors open. The first floor consists of the Great Hall which has two rows of arched piers, and the upper floor contained a large lecture hall, an art gallery, and a scientific experimentation room. Perhaps most touching, the Castle also holds James Smithson’s crypt. Though he died in Genoa, Italy and was buried there, in 1905, he was reinterred in a marble crypt in a small, chapel-like room here. Though the iconic building faces the National Mall, the classic Enid A. Haupt garden, on the opposite side, brings together the cultures and architecture of the surrounding museums and buildings. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smithsonian_Institution_Building
Union Station – DC
Completed in 1908, Union Station is a superbly restored, historic, mixed-use, rail and transportation center located just blocks from the U.S. Capitol Building. With its arched exterior, classical ornamentation, and vaulted, gilded 24 karat gold ceiling, Union Station is a Beaux Arts triumph, intended to be “the grand gateway to the capital”. The architects designed the station along classical lines, using elements of Greek and Roman prototypes within a stylized, ornamental Beaux-Arts aesthetic. They modeled Union Station’s edifice after Rome’s Arch of Constantine to reinforce the symbolism of the station as the triumphal gateway to the city. Included were features such as rostral columns, flagpoles topped with eagles, and spaces inside and out for statuary by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The great Waiting Room, with its gilded barrel-vaulted ceiling towering 96 feet above the floor, is 626-foot-long with rows of vaulted bays punctuated by large pendant lights. Massive in scale, the station originally covered 200 acres with 75 miles of railroad tracks – more than any other building in the country at the time. https://www.unionstationdc.com/history-of-union-station/
Washington National Cathedral – DC
This Episcopal cathedral is located in northwest Washington, D.C.] The structure is of Neo-Gothic design closely modeled on English Gothic style of the late fourteenth century. Construction began in 1907 and was completed in 1990 and is ranked third on the List of America’s Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects. Some interesting facts about the cathedral: The Cathedral is a solid masonry construction – no structural steel supports the building; it is the sixth largest cathedral in the world and the second largest in the United States; total weight of the Cathedral’s limestone is 150,000 tons; there are 288 angels atop its two west towers which are each 234 feet tall; the diameter of the its largest stained glass window is 26 feet and contains 10,500 pieces of glass; the total number of stained glass windows is 215; 112 gargoyles adorn its exterior; and there are 10,650 pipes in its Great Organ. And, the interior of the Cathedral is simply magnificent. https://cathedral.org/about/