The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of sites, buildings, structures, districts, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic value".
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500, or roughly three percent, of over 90,000 places listed on the country's National Register of Historic Places are recognized as National Historic Landmarks.
The history of the National Register of Historic Places began in 1966 when the United States government passed the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), which created the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Upon its inception, the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) became the lead agency for the Register. The Register has continued to grow through two reorganizations, one in the 1970s and one in 1980s and in 1978 the NRHP was completely transferred away from the National Park Service, it was again transmitted to the NPS in 1981.
The Lafayette Square Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District in Washington, D.C., encompassing a portion of the original L'Enfant Plan for the city's core. It includes the 7-acre (2.8 ha) Lafayette Square portion of President's Park, all of the buildings facing it except the White House, and the buildings flanking the White House to the east and west. The district was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970.
District of Columbia City Hall, also known as Old City Hall and the District of Columbia Courthouse, is a historic building at Judiciary Square in downtown Washington, D.C. facing Indiana Avenue. Originally built for the offices of the government of the District of Columbia, the District's courthouse was subsequently used as a Federal courthouse, and was the scene of several notable criminal trials including those of three accused presidential assassins. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960. It now houses the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
The L. Ron Hubbard House is a writer's house museum located at 1812 19th Street NW in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C., USA. Public tours are given on a regular basis. After L. Ron Hubbard established Scientology in the 1950s the building housed offices of the Founding Church of Scientology and it is where he performed the first Scientology wedding. Hubbard's personal office was located in the building from 1956 to 1961. The Founding Church is now located at 1424 16th Street NW.
Riggs National Bank is the historic former headquarters building of Riggs Bank, located at 1503–1505 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the downtown Washington, D.C. neighborhood.
William Alfred Freret Jr. was an American architect. He served from 1887 to 1888 as head of the Office of the Supervising Architect, which oversaw construction of Federal buildings.
The Prince Hall Masonic Temple built in 1922 is an historic Prince Hall Masonic building located at 1000 U Street, NW in Washington, D.C. It is the headquarters of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge District of Columbia, and houses the MWPGM Roland D. Williams Center for Masonic Excellence. It is part of the Greater U Street Historic District.
The outdoor statue of Benjamin Franklin in Washington, D.C., is located near the intersection of 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, in front of the Old Post Office. The statue was a gift from Stilson Hutchins, founder of The Washington Post, who wanted to display his and the newspaper's stature in the city. The designer, Ernst Plassmann, and sculptor, Jacques Jouvenal, were both German-American artists. The architect of the memorial was J. F. Manning.
James G. Hill (1841–1913) was an American architect who, during the period 1876 to 1883, headed the Office of the Supervising Architect of the United States Department of the Treasury, which oversaw major Federal buildings.
Captain Nathan Hale is a bronze statue of Nathan Hale (1755–1776), a schoolteacher from Connecticut, who enlisted in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was stationed in Boston, but was later transferred to the New York City area. While in New York, Hale acted as a spy against the Kingdom of Great Britain's army. He posed as a teacher and was able to cross enemy lines to obtain military information. He left the area and before he could return home, his cousin, a Loyalist, informed the British about what Hale had done. He was captured and sentenced to death, with the hanging occurring the following day. While Hale was on the gallows, he gave a speech which ended with his famous quote: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."
The Winder Building is an office building in Washington, D.C., just west of the White House. It is located at 604 17th Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C.
Margaret Wetzel House is a historic home at 714 21st Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood.
The Lothrop Mansion, also known as the Alvin Mason Lothrop House, is an historic home, located at 2001 Connecticut Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Kalorama Triangle neighborhood.
Quality Hill, also known as the John Thomson Mason House, is a historic building, located at 3425 Prospect Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Georgetown neighborhood.
The Dr. Franklin E. Kameny House in the Northwest Quadrant of Washington, D.C., is a two-story, brick Colonial Revival-style house built in 1955, with a screened porch and a one-car garage. It is significant for its association with gay rights activist Franklin E. Kameny (1925–2011), having served as his home and office, and as a headquarters for gay civil rights organizing.
Albert L. Harris was an American architect who worked primarily in Washington, D.C. He was born in Wales and emigrated to the United States as a young child. He worked for architectural firms in Chicago and Baltimore and then Washington, where he also obtained an architectural degree from George Washington University. He was a part-time professor there while also working for the US Navy and then the city of Washington where he served as the city's Municipal Architect from 1921 until his death in 1933. A number of his works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
