Washington, D.C.’s Top 10 : Historic Homes and Buildings – Top 10 Architectural Sights

1. Ford’s Theater

   The theater where Lincoln was shot in 1865 , has been restored by the federal government. It is now a memorial to the music- and theater-loving president.

   
   

   
   
   

   Ford’s Theater

2. Decatur House

   Stephen
   Decatur was a renowned naval hero when he built this Federal-style
   townhouse in 1818, but he was killed in a duel soon after he moved in.
   It evokes the life of 19th-century middle-class America.

   • 1610 H Street NW

   • Open 10am–5pm Mon–Sat, noon–4pm Sun

   • Free

3. Gadsby’s Tavern Museum

   George
   Washington was a patron of this former tavern. The older of the two
   colonial buildings, dating from 1770, was a growing concern six years
   before the Declaration of Independence. The second building houses a
   restaurant that serves food typical of the 18th century.

   • 134 N Royal St, Alexandria, VA

   • 703 838 4242

   • Open Apr–Oct: 10am–5pm daily; Nov–Mar 11am–4pm daily

   • Adm

4. Carnegie Library

   Andrew
   Carnegie’s campaign to build libraries across America (he funded 1,679
   in all) changed the country forever. This magnificent Beaux Arts
   building has been fully restored and is operated by the Historical
   Society of Washington, DC.

   • Mt Vernon Sq NW

5. Woodrow Wilson House

   The
   28th president was exhausted and demoralized when he left office in
   1921, but this Georgian Revival house must have done much to restore his
   spirits. It now gives a delightful insight into 1920s American life.

   • 2340 S St NW

   • Open 10am–4pm Tue–Sun

   • Adm

   
   

   
   
   

   Woodrow Wilson House

6. Cedar Hill

   Frederick
   Douglass and his wife Anna became the first African-American family in
   Anacostia when they moved into this estate in 1877. Born a slave,
   Douglass became America’s most effective anti-slavery speaker. Accessible by Tourmobile.

   • 1411 W St SE

   • Open Nov–Apr: 9am–4pm daily; May–Oct: 9am–5pm daily; closed Thanksgiving, Dec 25, Jan 1

   • Dis. access

   • Adm

   
   

   
   
   

   Cedar Hill

7. Mary McLeod Bethune Council House

   The renowned teacher and advocate for women’s and African-Americans’ rights bought this
   Victorian townhouse – now a National Historic Site – in 1935. It is
   still furnished with her possessions.

   • 1318 Vermont Ave NW

   • Open 9am–4pm Mon–Sat

   • Free

   
   

   
   
   

   Mary McLeod Bethune Council House

8. Old Stone House

   The
   oldest surviving structure in DC, this evocative little building holds
   demonstrations of crafts and skills of pre-Revolutionary life, such as
   sheep-shearing, and cooking on an open hearth.

9. Anderson House

   This
   astounding Beaux Arts mansion from 1905 is decorated in the eccentric
   style of its original resident, Ambassador Larz Anderson. Its 600-ft
   (180-m) long ballroom is spectacular.

   • 2118 Massachusetts Ave NW

   • Open 1–4pm Tue–Sat

   • Free

10. Sewell-Belmont House

    The
    1800 construction date makes this enchanting home one of the oldest on
    Capitol Hill, and a National Historic Landmark. It is now a museum of
    women’s emancipation .

Top 10 Architectural Sights