Washington, D.C. -- A Capital City

ers. The memorial is modeled after the Pantheon in Rome--the style Jef- ferson used for the design of his home, Monticello. The stately memorial offers one of the best views of the cherry blossoms surrounding the in early April. Inscribed in the rotunda are ex- cerpts from Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence and his Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom. Jefferson’s writ- ings, and the memorial itself, capture his brilliant spirit, as did President Kennedy at a 1962 dinner for Nobel Prize winners. Assembled here, said Kennedy, was “the most extraordi- nary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gath- ered at the , with the possible exception of when Thomas The with the in the background Jefferson dined alone.” Washington Monument Washington, D.C. is a unique city. all offer a once-in-a-lifetime experi- Center of the Mall at Constitution Where else can you see Dorothy’s ence for the visitor. Avenue and 15th Street, NW. (202) ruby slippers (from The Wizard of Oz) The following is a brief listing of 426-6839. Metro: Smithsonian, two and the Star Spangled Banner (the some sites in Washington, starting blocks. Open daily, 8:00 a.m.-midnight, original flag that flew “by the dawn’s from L’Enfant’s “Grand Avenue,” the Tours descending the steps offered early light” in 1814 and inspired Francis Mall, which stretches from the Capi- frequently; call for times. Scott Key to compose our national tol to the Washington Monument. Construction of the monument anthem) in the same building? Or began in 1848, but it was not com- catch a glimpse of the famous giant On the Mall pleted until 1888. Ashortage of funds pandas from China, Ling-Ling and during the Civil War halted building, Hsing-Hsing? Or tour the home of and when it resumed, the marble used Memorial was a different shade--thus the two- the President of the ? Southern end of 15th Street, SW on Or visit your Senator or Representa- tone coloring of this 555-foot ceno- the Tidal Basin. (202) 426-6841. Metro: taph. tive in the halls of Congress? Smithsonian, six blocks. These are just a few of the many When completed, the monument Nothing less spectacular, yet so things you can see and do in Washing- was the world’s tallest structure, and simple, could better commemorate ton, and all convention attendees are it still dominates the downtown sky- our third president. The Jefferson urged to spend as much time as pos- line. Visitors may now ascend only by Memorial’s serene Ionic columns sible touring the nation’s capital. Many elevator, though by reservation, they gracefully encircle the 19-foot statue of the sites listed below are free, and may walk down the monument’s 897 of one of our nation’s greatest lead-

8 March 1992/Construction Dimensions steps--perhaps worth the energy to than 1,400 permits are granted each records are a gold mine for research- see the 192 decorative memorial stones year for public gatherings and peace- ers; Alex Haley began his work on set in the interior walls. ful demonstrations at the Lincoln Roots here. Memorial. The Archives’ extensive photo West end of the Mall at 23rd Street, National Archives collection captures America’s many NW, between Constitution and Inde- between 7th and triumphs and tragedies. pendence Avenues. (202) 426-6841. 9th Streets, NW. (202) 501-5000 (gen- Metro: Federal Triangle (Constitution eral information), (202) 501-5205 Constitution Avenue at 4th Street, Avenue exit), then Metrobus #13 to (guided tours) and (202) 501-5400 NW. (202) 737-4215. Metro: Archives- Memorial. Also accessible by Tour- (research information). Metro: Ar- Navy Memorial, two blocks. Open mobile. chives-Navy Memorial. Exhibit Hall June-Labor Day, Monday-Saturday, The dedication inscribed in the open daily, April 1-Labor Day, 10:00 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.; September-May, Lincoln Memorial captures the es- a.m.-9:00 p.m.; September-March, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; Sundays (year sence of perhaps the best-known 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (Research facili- round), 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Tours monument in America: “In this temple ties closed Sunday.) daily. as in the hearts of the people for The National Archives houses some One of the world’s finest collec- whom he saved the nation, the mem- of the most important documents that tions of paintings, sculpture and ory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined have shaped our country’s history. Each graphic art is housed inside the pink forever.” night national treasures such as the Tennessee marble walls of the Na- Guarded by 36 Doric columns original Declaration of Independence, tional Gallery. representing the number of states in Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the The neoclassical West Building, the Union at the time of his death, the Emancipation Proclamation are low- designed by John Russell Pope, con- statue of the “War President” pre- ered into a 21-story vault for safe- tains the most comprehensive survey sides over the National Mall and serves keeping. The Archives also houses of Italian painting and sculpture in as the setting for Americans seeking immigration and census records dat- the western hemisphere, including guarantees of their civil rights. More ing back to 1790, and much more. The Ginevra de’ Benci, Da Vinci’s only

Construction Dimensions/March 1992 9 painting displayed outside Europe. The decor of the galleries reflects their contents, highlighting works by Dutch, Italian, French, American, British, Spanish, German, and Flemish mas- ters. The interlocking triangles of the East Building were designed by I.M. Pei to house a permanent collection of 20th-century art featuring works by Picasso, Matisse, Miro and others, as well as temporary exhibits. U.S. Capitol East end of Mall. (202) 225-6827 (tour office) or (202) 224-3121. Metro: Capi- tol South, one block. Open daily, 9:00 am.-4:30 p.m.; rotunda 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Extended summer hours. Guided tours leave about every 10 minutes from Rotunda until 3:45 p.m. For early morning Congressional tours or gallery passes, contact your Congres- sional representative in advance. In- ternational visitors need a passport to visit the gallery. The Capitol’s cornerstone was laid by , who lauded the design as a combination of “gran- deur, simplicity and convenience.” Today, Constantino Brumidi’s fresco entitled The Apotheosis of Washing- ton welcomes millions of visitors to the central Rotunda. Statuary Hall displays statues of each state’s two most famous citizens. Also of interest are the restored Old Senate and Supreme Court chambers.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial 23rd Street and Constitution Ave- nue, NW, near the Lincoln Memo- rial. (202) 426-6841. Metro: Federal Triangle (Constitution Avenue exit), then Metrobus #13 to Memorial. Also accessible by Tourmobile. The polished black granite walls of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial re-

10 March 1992/Construction Dimensions fleet not only the trees and the sky, Off The Mall but also the pensive faces of the mil- lions who visit it each year. Arlington National Cemetery The concept for the memorial was Across the Memorial Bridge, Arling- developed by a former Vietnam in- ton, VA; entrance faces Lincoln fantry corporal, Jan Scruggs. Its de- Memorial. (703) 692-0931. Metro: Ar- sign had to meet four criteria: 1) it lington Cemetery. Also accessible by had to be reflective and contempla- Tourmobile Bus. Open daily, 8:00 a.m.- tive in character; 2) it had to harmo- 7:00 p.m. nize with its surroundings; 3) it had to At Arlington National Cemetery, contain the names of all who died and symmetrical rows of white stones mark remained missing in the conflict; and the graves of more than 200,000 vet- 4) it could make no political state- erans and their families at the na- ment about the war. Maya Lin, a 21- tion’s most famous military shrine. year old Yale student, fulfilled Scruggs’ Perhaps the best-known epitaph here concept with her design of a 500-foot is inscribed on the Tomb of the Un- wall shaped in a broad “V” with one knowns: “Here rests in honored glory end of the Memorial pointing toward an American soldier known but to the Washington monument and the God.” The site is attended 24 hours a other to the Lincoln Memorial. The day by a soldier in crisp dress uniform, names of more than 58,000 casualties who paces 21 steps, stops, turns to- of Vietnam are engraved on the wall. ward the tomb, pauses 21 seconds, In 1984, Frederick Hart sculpted then paces back--a ceremony corre- The Three Servicemen, personifying sponding to America’s highest mili- the nation’s multicultural participa- tary honor, the 21-gun salute. The tion in the conflict. The sculpture, ad- changing of the guard occurs every jacent to the memorial, depicts the half hour from April 1 through Sep- strength and the vulnerability of those tember 30, and every hour from Octo- who served in Vietnam. ber 1 through March 31. Smithsonian Museums Among those buried at Arlington Smithsonian Information Center in are President Kennedy, whose grave the Castle, 1000 Jefferson Drive SW. is lit by the eternal flame; two of the Open daily, 9:00 am.-5:30 p.m. Metro: seven Challenger astronauts; and Pi- Smithsonian (Mall exit) erre L’Enfant, the Federal City’s plan- Smithsonian Museums, housing the ner. nation’s treasures, are free and open every day except December 25. The museums around the mall include the National Museum of American His- tory (home of the Star Spangled Banner and much more), the National Mu- seum of Natural History (home of the Hope Diamond), the Air and Space Museum (the most visited museum in the world), and the Museum of His- tory and Technology. The National Zoo, across thestreet from the Wash- ington Sheraton Hotel, is part of the The White House Smithsonian as well. 1600 , NW. (202) Learn about the museums at the 456-7041 (tape) or (202) 456-2200. Information Center in the Castle, the Metro: McPherson Square, 1-1/2 original build- blocks Tours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 ing. Within the Castle’s Great Hall, a.m.-12:00 noon. In summer, pick up two theaters show an excellent 20- tickets at booth on after minute overview of the museums, and 8:00 a.m. (arrive early, limited availa- touch-screen video stations provide bility). From September-May, wait at current information in English and the Ellipse (line begins to form around six other languages. 14 March 1992/Construction Dimensions 9:00 a.m.; all in line before noon will front section’s exterior, revealing long- only security printing plant in the world see the mansion). hidden architectural detail and ele- that is open to the public, visitors can “The president’s house should have gant scrollwork. glimpse the production of every dol- the sumptuousness of a palace... and Of the 132 rooms in the oldest lar of U.S. currency--from inking and the agreeableness of a county seat,” public building in America, the fol- cutting to examining for defects. The thought city planner Pierre L’Enfant. lowing are open to visitors: the Green Bureau also prints postage stamps, Although George Washington helped Room, the Red Room, the State Dining White House invitations and many select the site, he was the only presi- Room, the Blue Room and the East other items. dent who did not live in the White Room where Gilbert Stuart’s famous The visitor’s center displays one House. painting of George Washington hangs, million dollars and sells bags of shred- In 1992, the White House cele- and where press conferences, presi- ded currency and sheets of uncut money brates the 200 anniversary of the lay- dential weddings and funerals are held as souvenirs. ing of its cornerstone. Two centuries Bureau of Engraving and Printing Federal Bureau of Investigation have witnessed substantial changes in 14th and C Streets, SW. (202) 447- J. Edgar Hoover Building, Pennsyl- the presidential home, beginning with 9709. Metro: Smithsonian, 2-1/2 vania Avenue and 10th Street, NW. the first addition during Jefferson’s blocks. Open weekdays, except legal (202) 324-3447. Metro: Metro Cen- administration. It was burned by the holidays; closed between Christmas ter or Gallery Place-Chinatown, three British during the War of 1812, and and New Year’s Day. Self-guided tours blocks. Tours: weekdays only, 8:45 completely gutted and restored un- 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Arrive early dur- a.m.-4:15 p.m. every 20 minutes. Pic- der President Truman. Jacqueline ing peak tourist season. ture taking prohibited. Kennedy began renovating the state Making money is literally big busi- Founded under Theodore Roose- rooms to their prior grandeur with ness in Washington. Every “green- velt in 1898 and dedicated to solving priceless Americana similar to the back” in circulation (more than 7 the nation’s interstate crimes, the FBI original furnishings. Perhaps the most billion notes last year) is printed at is one of the most popular stops in noticeable change is the recent strip- the Bureau of Engraving and Print- Washington. Arrive early for tours or ping of 28 layers of paint from the ing, and has been since 1872. At the write your Congressional representa-

16 March 1992/Construction Dimensions tive for advance reservations. his death in 1895. His books, paint- The vast holdings include the first Visitors can view weapons used by ings, and furnishings, supplemented draft of the Declaration of Independ- big-time gangsters, learn how much by two films, tell the story of this self- ence, with Jefferson’s handwritten can be deciphered from a single strand educated man who was born a slave changes; a Gutenberg Bible, the first of hair, and see a presentation about and escaped to freedom at age 21 to book printed with movable type; col- the six major priorities among the become a spokesman for his people lections of papers by notables as di- Bureau’s 200 jurisdictions. On sev- and an advisor to four presidents. verse as Freud and Groucho Marx; eral occasions, visitors have recog- the contents of Lincoln’s pockets the nized faces from mug shots of the 10 1st Street and Independence Avenue, night he died; and the world’s largest most wanted fugitives, who were then SE. (202) 707-8000 (tape) or (202) collection of comic books. captured. Tour ends with a bang: a 707-5458. Metro: Capitol South, one The library comprises three build- real live firearms demonstration. block Open daily, but some sections ings. Although the Thomas Jefferson Frederick Douglass National Historic undergoing renovation. Call for up- Building is closed for renovation at Site dated information. Tours at 10:00 am., least through 1993, its magnificent 1411 W Street, SE (Anacostia). (202) 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.; reservations Main Reading Room has reopened 426-5960. Metro: Potomac Avenue, required for groups of 10 or more. after extensive restoration. Signified then Metrobus B2. Open daily, April- With more than 500 miles of shelv- by its 160-foot dome and concentric September, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; Oc- ing for nearly 100 million items, this arrangement of oak reading tables, tober-March, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. library is the world’s largest. Acquisi- the room is open to researchers with Group reservations required. tions increase at the rate of one every proper identification and to the pub- Cedar Hill, the restored home of five seconds of each workday--total- lic on a limited, reserved tour basis black abolitionist Frederick Douglass, ing 1.6 million items a year. (call (202) 707-5458 for more infor- is a rare historic site--90% of the origi- The Library’s first priority is to mation). The Building nal possessions of Douglass and his serve the U.S. Congress, but the pub- specializes in science and technology family are on display. Douglass lived lic is welcome seven days a week and collections, and the James Madison in this Victorian home from 1877 until books are only part of the treasures.

Construction Dimensions/March 1992 17 Building houses multi-media collec- visitors enter the 15-story Great Hall Visitor Center open Monday-Satur- tions, the law library, the copyright of the Old Pension Building. Often day, 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; Sunday, 10:00 office and congressional research referred to as “the most astonishing a.m.-5:00 p.m. services. interior space in America,” the build- Opened in the late spring of 1991, ing was once the site of veterans’ the Navy Memorial honors all men Pension Building in Judiciary Square, pension check disbursements and and women of the United States Navy on F Street Between 4th and 5th Street, Presidential inaugural balls. --past, present and future. This “liv- NW. (202) 272-2448. Metro: Judici- Today the structure serves as the ing memorial” boasts an amphithea- ary Square. Open Monday-Saturday, National Building Museum--a pri- ter on a 1000-foot diameter circular 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; Sunday, 12:00 vately funded institution that cele- plaza where the bronze Lone Sailor noon-4:00 p.m. brates American achievements in statue towers above the largest gran- Eight of the largest Corinthian building and encourages excellence ite map of the world columns in the world inspire awe as in the building arts through exhibits, The Visitors Center houses a educational programs and special motion picture theater, reception construction site tours. room, Ship’s Store, and a Log Room National Law Enforcement documenting the contributions on Officers Memorial behalf of former and present Navy Judiciary Square, between E and F members. Streets and 4th and 5th Streets. (703) U.S. Supreme Court 827-0518. Metro: Judiciary Square. 1st and East Capitol Streets, NE. (202) Authorized by Congress in 1984 479-3499 or 479-3211. Metro: Capi- and completed in October 1991, the tol South, three blocks. Open week- National Law Enforcement Officers days, 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m., with self- Memorial is one of Washington’s guided tours. Congressional tours newest additions. Local architect Davis arranged in advance through Con- Buckley designed the memorial to gressional offices. When court is in feature an oval, tree-lined “pathway session (first two weeks each month, of remembrance” displaying the names October through April), the public of fallen officers on a granite wall. may attend oral arguments (10:00 am. The names date back to 1794 when and 1:00 p.m.) on a first-come, first- the first law enforcement officer was seated basis. killed in the line of duty. New names “Equal Justice Under Law” is will be added annually. etched on the frieze above the en- U.S. National Arboretum trance to the highest court in the land. 3501 New York Avenue, NE. (202) The Great Hall, lines with busts of 475-4815. Metro: Stadium Armory, previous chief justices, leads to the then Metrobus B2, B4 or B5. Grounds imposing court chamber. are open Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.- Within the Chamber that is draped 5:00 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday and holi- in deep red velvet and paneled in days, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (National mahogany, the nine justices exercise Bonsai Collection open daily, 10:00 their responsibility to protect and a.m.-2:30 p.m.). interpret the Constitution of the United Nothing is more breathtaking than States. the site of 70,000 azaleas (the most Each justice sits in a custom-made extensive collection in the country), chair, which the other justices buy for rhododendrons, day lilies, hollies, the departing member upon retire- cherry trees, boxwoods, dogwoods and ment. other flora that fill the 444 acres of Two more memorials are not open the National Arboretum. The Bonsai yet, but information on them is avail- Collection, a gift from Japan, includes able: 53 trees from 30 to 350 years old. The The U.S. Holocaust National Herb Garden is also on the Memorial Museum grounds. (opening Spring 1993) (202) 653-9219. U.S. Navy Memorial and Pennsylvania Avenue, between 7th Women in Military Service and 9th Streets, NW. (202) 737-2300. Memorial Metro: Archives-Navy Memorial. (opening date not projected) (703) 533-1155. 18 March 1992/Construction Dimensions