Washington D.C.

∙ founded by the Act of Congress in 1790

∙ the site was selected by George Washington because his mansion was in Mount Vernon
 plantations, slaves
 he designed a tomb for himself and his wife Martha = final resting
place
- D.C. means District of Columbia – a federal district named after Columbus
∙ situated on a river Potomac
∙ an artificial city, it was planned, architect: Pierre L´Enfant
∙ it´s a white-collar city – many people work in the government sector, in offices
- there are many international organizations:
 the World Bank
 the National Monetary Fund
 the Organization of American States
○ only 5 % of workers – manufacturing (blue-collar)
○ newspapers published in Washington D.C.: USA Today, the Washington Post

∙ located in a flat area, only Capitol Hill is higher

 there are 3 important buildings (the Capitol, the Supreme Court, the
Library of Congress), National Archives

the Capitol (Congress)

○ 3 parts:
 central – with a dome
 topped with the Statue of Freedom (bronze)
 Senate Wing (northern)
 House of Representatives Wing (southern)
○ 2 big staircases
 most important – the Eastern front staircase – each new elected President holds
his inaugural speech there
○ the dome
 painted by Constantino Brumidi (= the “Michelangelo of the Capitol”)
 the fresco in the eye of the Rotunda dome and the frieze that encircles it; frescos
– important events from American history
○ Statuary Hall
 originally it was the site of the House of Representatives (problems of acoustics)
 nowadays there are statues of famous politicians
○ House Chamber
 435 chairs organized in a semi-circle
 large podium in the front – the Speaker (head of the House of Rep.)
○ Senate Chamber
 100 chairs, very roomy, large mahogany desks
○ flag flying – when Congress is in session

Supreme Court
○ judiciary constitution
○ 9 justices (judges) – for their lifetime

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  President appoints them, the Senate approves them

Library of Congress
○ More than 90 million items (books & manuscripts)
○ originally served to politicians, now is national

National Archives
○ hold the nation’s documentary treasures
 the Declaration of Independence
 the Constitution
 the Bill of Rights

Folger Shakespeare Library

○ only works of Shakespeare + his 1st folio

the Mall
○ dividing line (northern & southern part)
○ the widest street (park)
○ there are monuments dedicated to some American presidents
○ along some monuments that commemorate some Americans wars, buildings that belong
to the complex of the Smithsonian Institution and federal departments

Smithsonian Institution
○ largest American educational institution
○ consists of 19 museums and a ZOO , for example:
National Air and Space Museum
 planes, space vehicles
 very interactive, 5 movies – history of flying…
the Hirshorn Museum
 excellent, modern art, visual art
 circular building – architectural masterpiece
- named after James Smithson
 an illegitimate son of the Duke of Northumberland → inherited $$, scientist
 admired American political system → gave his money to the U.S. his money for
scientific & educational purposes

Washington Monument
○ white marble obelisk, landmark
○ stands on the Mall
○ dedicated to George Washington
○ the highest building in Washington D.C.
○ elevators – observation deck – 8 windows
○ 50 flags around

Reflecting Pool
○ between Lincoln memorial & Washington Monument (reflects it)

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 ○ the top of pyramid (Washington Monument) points at Lincoln Memorial (1st summer day,
noon) – symbolic link
Lincoln Memorial
○ large staircase
○ resembles a Doric temple – imitates Parthenon in Athens
○ huge statue of seated President Lincoln
 the sculpture is very impressive
 his fingers say A & L (in sign language)
○ walls
 2 parts of his best speeches – Gettysburg address & 2nd inaugural address
 2 huge murals – freeing slaves & the unity of the north and south
○ 2 parts:
 the steps
 the colonnade
 36 columns that represent 36 States that were members of the Union when
Lincoln was assassinated
○ popular place for demonstrations, marches, speeches…, for example:
 Martin Luther King Jr. – speech “I have a dream” (1963)

Tidal Basin
○ body of water – artificially made to prevent Washington D.C. from floods
○ alley of cherry trees along the shores
 given as a symbol of friendship by the mayor of Tokyo
 in blossom every spring

Jefferson Memorial
○ on the south shore of the Tidal Basin
○ an example of Ionic architecture
○ designed by President Jefferson himself
○ resembles Pantheon in Rome
○ open air rotunda with colonnade around it
○ walls: Jefferson’s speeches & writings
○ in the middle – standing sculpture of Jefferson
 wearing a fur-collar coat
 addressing Continental Congress

Roosevelt memorial
○ system of walls and fountains – inscriptions of his speeches → in front of them –
sculptures of President and his wife, dog…
○ he felt for unemployed people
○ creator of a plan called New Deal

Vietnam Veterans War Memorial

○ nobody speaks by the monument
○ 3 parts:
1) black granite wall
 designed by Japanese student of funeral architecture – made it as her thesis

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  shaped in letter “V” in all directions
 built in to the ground
 58 000 names of people who died or remained missing, also who died due to
injuries
 putting candles by the wall
2) memorial dedicated to nurses
 dying soldier in arms of white nurse, besides – black nurse crying for help
3) monument dedicated to all races – Three soldiers
 3 soldiers – black, white, Hispanic

Korean War Memorial

○ soldiers walking by – stand in grass, look for enemies
○ part of the social life
○ consists of statues of soldiers walking in rain

2nd World War Memorial

○ large circle w/ 2 gates
 1st – battles in the Atlantic
 2nd – battles in the Pacific
○ system of walls and fountains
○ names of battles on the walls

White House
○ 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
○ the seat of the President since 1800 – 1st John Adams
○ 3 floors
 President + his family occupy 2nd & 3rd floor
 1st floor – offices, representative rooms (part of it opened to public)
○ opened to public: the Green, Red and Blue Room, State Dining Room, the East Room
(largest representative room in the White House)
○ the Oval Office
 faces the grounds of the Ellipse (grounds of the White House)
 when helicopter lands – President doesn’t have to go far
 international visitor → speeches – press conferences
 Easter Egg Roll – egg hunt (selecting children – they respect the ratio of black
and whites – 70:30)
○ rebuilt during the presidency of Truman
○ solar studio, doctor’s & dentist’s office, movie theatre, nuclear bomb shelter
○ Jacqueline Kennedy – cleared the White House and refurnished it in the original style of
the first half of 19th century, opened a portrait gallery (Presidents & 1st ladies)

Arlington National Cemetery

○ 2nd symbolic link – Arlington Memorial Bridge – connects the downtown w/ Arlington
(leads to Arlington house)
○ Arlington House
 owned by general Robert E. Lee (Lincoln’s opponent) – general of the Confederate
army

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  on a small hill
 gained the house from his wife – Mary Ann (a granddaughter of George
Washington, but no blood relation, G. Washington didn’t have any kids → adopted
– G. Washington Parke Custis)
 during the Civil war Lee left the house (went to Confederate states) → the
government gave him money and started to bury soldiers from the war there
Arlington National Cemetery (1864 – 1st soldier)
 after the war, son of Lee asked the Supreme Court to regain the property → the Court
decided to keep the grounds as cemetery and paid him $250,000
○ graves of soldiers and veterans who died due to injuries at war + their wives and children
○ graves of 2 Presidents:
 J.F. Kennedy – fought in WW2, a lieutenant of the US Navy, also commander-in-
chief
 eternal flame – lit at the time of his burial
 also grave of his brother Robert
 W. H. Taft
○ Memorials:
 Iwo Jima Memorial = Marine corps memorial
 tomb of an unknown soldier – famous legend:
 (In 1921, in a small French city, colonel of the US Army met a group of 6
soldiers. He liked one of them – sergeant Edward Younger, so he gave him a
bouquet of roses and told him to go to church and put the bouquet on one of four
caskets in which were non-identified bodies of soldiers who died in war. The
soldier went there and heard a voice coming from one casket – it was saying:
“I’m a pal of yours.” The soldier laid there the roses → that was the body that
was put in to the tomb of an unknown soldier. )- changing of the guard

Theaters in Washington
○ J. F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
 huge complex (4 theaters, Opera House, Concert Hall – home of the National
Symphony Orchestra, movie theaters)
 may accommodate more than 2,700 spectators
○ Ford’s Theater
 assassination of President Lincoln by the actor J. W. Booth (didn’t die there →
carried to the house across the street → operated → died during the operation)

Traffic in Washington
○ functioning public transportation
○ subway system
○ easy to walk
○ 2 international airports (Dulles IP, Baltimore – Washington IP), 1 national airport
○ river is shallow → no ships w/ cargos

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