Walking Tour of President's Park

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The Metropolitan Club is a private club headquartered in Washington, DC. Founded in 1863 by six members of the United States Treasury, the Metropolitan Club was established in an effort to create Washington, DC’s, “first literary and social club.” The current residence of the Club was constructed in 1908 and was placed on the national Register of Historic Places in March of 1995. The Metropolitan Club is still active and is as exclusive as it was at the time of its founding.

2. Decatur House

The Decatur House is one of the last remaining creations of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, America’s first professional architect. Located in central Washington, D.C., the Decatur House is a historic home built by Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., in 1818, and it is one of the oldest historic homes in the area still standing. Designed with entertaining guests in mind, the Decatur House’s spacious quarters were lavishly furnished, and the home would change hands numerous times over the course of a century. It was converted into a public museum in the 1960s, and since 2010, it has served as the headquarters of the National Center for White House History.

3. Baron von Steuben Statue, Washington DC

This statue commemorates the military service of Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben of Prussia, who served as an ally of the colonial rebels against the British during the American Revolution. Baron von Steuben is known for establishing training and regulations within the fledgling U.S. Army and bringing a new professional identity to the American military. His work with General George Washington was essential in turning the tide of the Revolutionary War. With a forceful personality and immense knowledge of military tactics, he was a successful leader in different militaries around the world. Without his efforts, the American military could not have succeeded in freeing the colonies.

4. Ashburton House (St. John's Church Parish House)

This four-story brick house was originally constructed by Matthew St. Clair Clarke between 1834 and 1836. The house's special place in U.S. history has to do with a longstanding feud between several northeast U.S. states and the U.K. government, which ruled Canada at the time, over territorial disagreements. Ashburton House was the site of negotiations that went on for 10 months, led by Ashburton and Webster, which resulted in the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842. Today, St. John's Episcopal Church, known as the church of the presidents, uses the building as its parish house and holds many of its events at the site. The Ashburton house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973.

5. St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square

Built from 1815 to 1816, St. John's Episcopal Church was the second building to be constructed in Lafayette Square. Known as "the church of the Presidents," every sitting president since James Madison has attended services at St. John's. Notable features of St. Johns include the nearly-1,000 lb steeple bell, cast by Paul Revere's son, and 25 historic stained glass windows, produced by Lorin Stained Glass Windows. The adjacent Parish House is also a National Historic Landmark.

6. General Thaddeus Kosciuszko Statue

Thaddeus Kosciuszko was a general during the American Revolution. He arrived in the colonies from Poland in 1776, first working as a civil engineer and then rising in ranks in the military. His contributions as a military leader helped the Continental Army win a few major battles, including the Battle of Saratoga. For his efforts, Kosciuszko was memorialized in a bronze statue in Lafayette Park. The statue was erected by the Polish National Alliance of America on behalf of Polish citizens in the United States. The 10-foot tall sculpture was designed and created by Antoni Popiel and dedicated by William Howard Taft on May 11, 1910.

7. Marquis de Lafayette Statue

This statue was created to honor Marquis de Lafayette, an important ally in the American Revolution. It was installed in 1891 in Lafayette Square, named for the major general in 1824. In 1951, French president Vincent Auriol visited Lafayette's statue and placed a wreath at the foot of the statue.

8. Silent Sentinels Picket for Women's Suffrage (1917-1919)

The Silent Sentinels were members of the National Woman's Party advocating for women's suffrage. They picketed outside the White House for six days a week from January 10, 1917 to June 4, 1919, the day the Nineteenth Amendment was passed in Congress. They received the nickname "Silent Sentinels" for choosing to remain silent while picketing, the words on their banners and their stoic nature making the most powerful statements. They were subjected to harassment and violence while picketing and were later arrested and jailed. President Woodrow Wilson released them from jail and publicly supported women's suffrage for the first time in 1918. Their work help lead to the passing and ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment and contributes to a larger history of women's rights in the United States.

9. The White House

Designed by architect James Hoban and built in coordination with George Washington and other American leaders, the Executive Mansion is known informally around the world as "The White House." Although President Washington oversaw construction, he never lived in the house. President John Adams, elected in 1796 as the second President, and First Lady Abigail Adams were the first residents of the White House, which was still unfinished at the time. It completed in 1800, though construction and restoration projects have taken place ever since. It was partially burned by the British in the War of 1812. Contrary to the popular story that it was painted white to hide burn marks, the White House was simply painted white in 1818. The building was known as the White House prior to this time because of lime-based whitewash that was used to protect the exterior. The White House also includes two wings: the West Wing, built in the early 1900s under Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, and the East Wing, first built by President Theodore Roosevelt and significantly expanded in 1942 to include an underground bunker and office spaces. In all, the White House complex covers around 18 acres and includes gardens and spacious lawns.

10. U.S. Department of Treasury Building

A National Historic landmark, the U.S. Department of Treasury Building was constructed in multiple phases dating back to the 1830s.. Prior to that time, the first Treasury building was a simple two-story brick structure with a basement and attic. This modest treasury was damaged by fire within its first six months. During the repair of the original treasury building, a vault extension was added, a feature that would be the only part of the building to survive the War of 1812. As the nation and its government grew following the War of 1812, Congress decided to build a more permanent structure for its treasury. Architect Robert Mills won the design competition and construction began in the 1830s. The project ran into multiple difficulties and Congress even debated whether they should demolish what Mills had started. Congress decided to stick with Mills and his design, and the building was completed in 1842. It would be expanded during the 1850s and also in the midst of the Civil War.

11. Alexander Hamilton Statue

One of the most prominent figures in early American history is represented by this 10-foot-tall outdoor bronze sculpture by American sculptor James Earle Fraser. The Alexander Hamilton Statue stands atop a granite base created by Henry Bacon. The base features multiple inscriptions pertaining to the "Father of the American Monetary System." It is located on the on the south patio (Alexander Hamilton Place, NW) of the U.S. Treasury Building in Washington D.C.

12. General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument

This bronze monument honors one of the leading Civil War generals, William Tecumseh Sherman, and is located near the exact location where Sherman reviewed Union troops at a ceremony commemorating the end of the war in May, 1865. The monument features an equestrian statue of the general on top of a square platform with a soldier at each corner of the base. The four bronze statues represent each of the four branches of the army at that time (infantry, cavalry, engineers, and artillery). President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt dedicated the statue in 1903. The monument was designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, a master craftsman who produced numerous sculptures before completing this piece, his very last work before his death in 1907.

13. First Division Monument

The First Division Monument honors fallen members of the First Division of the United States Army. Located in President's Park outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the monument was originally erected and dedicated in 1924 in honor of First Division members who died in World War I. The Society of the First Division, under the leadership of Major General Charles P. Summerall, advocated for a World War I monument in the nation's capital. Over the years, multiple additions to the monument honor First Division members who died in World War II, the Vietnam War, and Desert Storm. Its design reflects the Battle Monument at the United States Military Academy in West Point. It features a granite columnn and pedestal designed by Cass Gilbert and a winged statue of Victory by David Chester French. The First Division Monument is under the care of the National Park Service and hosts services on Veterans Day.

14. Motherland (Armenian Earthquake Statue)

On December 7, 1988, two earthquakes devastated the northwestern region of the small Soviet republic of Armenia. Occurring within four minutes of each another, the tremors killed between 25,000 and 60,000 people, injured over 100,000 more, and left more than 500,000 homeless. Following the natural disaster, the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, made the surprising and unprecedented move of requesting international humanitarian aid to help the people of Armenia. One of the organizations that responded to Gorbachev’s call was the American Red Cross. In the year following the earthquakes, the organization donated over $14 million in disaster assistance. Of the total amount, the American Red Cross gave $8 million worth of medicine and medical supplies and $6.5 million in cash. Following the disaster and the influx of foreign aid, Armenian sculptor Friedrich Sogoyan went to work creating a statue. The result of his labors was Motherland, a stylized bronze sculpture of a mother closely clutching her child. Completed in 1990, the piece was inspired by the story of Susanna Petrosyan who was trapped beneath rubble with her four-year-old daughter for eight days. To alleviate the thirst of her child, the mother lacerated her hand and allowed her daughter to drink some of her own blood. Miraculously, both survived. The following year, Sogoyan presented the sculpture to the American Red Cross as a gift from the people of Armenia in recognition of the organization’s help in the aftermath of the devastating 1988 earthquakes. The sculpture sits on the lawn outside the American Red Cross National Headquarters on Seventeenth Street NW in Washington, D.C.

15. Winder Building

Constructed in 1846 by William H. Winder, this building has been home to offices of the U.S. Army since before the Civil War and has held the Office of the United States Trade Representative since 1981. The building was utilized by the U.S. Army who rented the structure from Winder beginning in 1848. In 1854, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis purchased the building from its owner for $200,000. President Abraham Lincoln and Union General Ulysses S. Grant are among various prominent government officials who visited this building, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1950, a historic marker was added but later removed after some of its information was challenged by historians.

16. Renwick Gallery

The Renwick Gallery is a Branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum dedicated to exhibiting American contemporary craft. The Renwick Gallery is just on the other side of the White House in the heart of historic federal Washington. This National Historic Landmark was designed by architect James Renwick Jr. in 1858. This was the first building that specifically made to be an art museum in the United States.

17. Blair House

Blair House, a National Historic Landmark, is part of the President’s Guest House Complex. The house itself was built for Dr. Joseph Lovell, the first Surgeon General on the United States, in 1824. In 1836 it was bought by Francis Preston Blair, Sr., a member of President Jackson’s “Kitchen Cabinet.” The Blair’s built a house next door for their daughter in 1852, which became known as the Lee House. The two houses were and still are practically used as one. The United States Government purchased Blair House in 1942 and it has been housing guests of the presidents since that time.

18. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (former headquarters)

Just a short walk away from the White House, and directly across from the Old Executive Office Building, is the former headquarters of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP). The organization, a foreign policy think tank, has centers in Washington, D.C., Moscow, Beirut, Beijing, Brussels, and New Delhi. The CEIP was established in 1910 by Andrew Carnegie to advance cooperation between nations and promote the active international engagement of the United States of America. Owing to this building's association with the organization, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1974.

19. Rochambeau Statue

Dedicated on May 24, 1902 by President Theodore Roosevelt, this monument commemorates the life of Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau. This monument was dedicated to Rochambeau in recognition of his military service to the American colonies during the Battle of Yorktown in the Revolutionary War. The monument is placed in the southwest corner of Lafayette Square. The monument serves as a reminder of the alliance between France and the American colonists who fought for independence from Britain. During the dedication ceremony of the monument, President Roosevelt stated to the French diplomats, "because the history of the United States has been so interwoven with what France has done for us...the American people, through me, extend their thanks to you."

20. General Andrew Jackson Statue

Commemorating President Andrew Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans, this bronze equestrian statue was cast in 1853 by Clark Mills (1810-1883). It stands at the center of Lafayette Park, on the north side of the White House. This statue is one of four identical statues, with the others standing in New Orleans, Louisiana; Jacksonville, Florida; and Nashville, Tennessee.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Walking Tour of President's Park

Created by Pamela Curtin on December 29th 2017, 1:05:48 pm.

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Description

This short tour includes over a dozen landmarks such from monuments and historic buildings that surround the White House. Every President who followed George Washington has lived in the White House and the grounds surrounding the mansion have served as the location for many of the nation's most historic events. Highlights of the tour include a monuments dedicated to military leaders such as Baron von Steuben and early statesmen such as Alexander Hamilton. The tour also includes stops at nearby buildings such as Blair House and the Renwick Gallery.

Entries on This Tour

Walking Tour of President's Park

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