This memorial commemorates the life and legacy of Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States and commander of US forces in the final years of the Civil War. The monument is situated between the United States Capitol and the Capitol Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. The statue of Grant faces west, looking toward the Lincoln Memorial, dedicated to President Abraham Lincoln, who was in office during Grant's successful career as General of the Union Army in the American Civil War.
Dedicated in 1877, the Peace Monument stands in remembrance of members of the United States Navy who perished in battle in defense of the Union during the Civil War. The Monument is also known as the Naval Monument and the Civil War Sailors Monument. The monument is over 40 feet tall and is one of several large monuments in the nation. It also stands as apart of a trifecta of sculptures next to the James A. Garfield Monument and the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial.
Construction on this hexagonal brick structure that is built into the sloping hillside of the front lawn of the Senate side of the Capitol began in 1879. The building was part of Frederick Law Olmsted's plan to improve the Capitol Grounds, a task that he had been appointed to by Congress five years prior. Dubbed the Summerhouse, the hexagon building was a response to parched and overheated visitors to the capitol and featured shady spaces and water fountains along with wrought-iron gates and decorative landscaping. The Summerhouse utilized an open-air design to maximize breezes while the benches are covered and protected from the sun and rain.
The son of President William Howard Taft, Senator Robert A. Taft represented Ohio in the Senate from 1938 to 1953. By 1952, Taft was known as "Mr. Republican" and would have likely been the GOP candidate for the Presidency that year had it not been for Dwight D. Eisenhower's decision to run on the Republican ticket. Taft represented the conservative wing of the Republican Party and sought a return to isolationism after World War II. Eisenhower was more liberal and felt strongly about the need to maintain a global military and alliances through organizations such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization which had been formed in 1949. As a result, Eisenhower made Taft an offer in the months leading up to the election. If Taft would support a globalist position, Eisenhower would not run for President leaving the Republican nomination to the Ohio Senator. Taft also believed fervently in his position and refused, giving up a Presidential nomination in the process. Taft died in 1953 and most Republicans by that time endorsed Eisenhower's globalist vision of the United States as the leader of NATO.
Dedicated fifty-five years after the end of World War II, this memorial recognizes the approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans living on the West Coast who were forcibly relocated and held in internment camps throughout the American West during the war. The memorial also honors the more than 33,000 Japanese Americans who served in the U.S. military during the conflict, of whom over 800 made the ultimate sacrifice. Located on a three-quarter-acre plot of land at the intersection of Louisiana Avenue, New Jersey Avenue, and D Street NW, the memorial was dedicated on November 9, 2000 and opened to the public several months later. The monument features a bronze sculpture of two cranes breaking free from barbed wire, a reflecting pool with five granite boulders, a sixteen-foot-long tube-shaped bell, and many large stone panels that serve to enclose the space. The sculpture was designed by artist Nina Akamu, a third-generation Japanese American. Inscribed into the panels are the names of the ten internment camps, the number of Japanese Americans held there, and the names of those Japanese Americans who gave their lives while serving in the U.S. military during the war.
Dedicated on July 16, 1932, the Senate Fountain features a hexagonal granite base with high jets of water surrounded by six smaller water jets and underwater light fixtures. Both the lights and the jets operate through a computer program that repeats the display every twenty minutes. Water from the fountain is circulated by pumps to and from the 180 foot by 80 foot reflecting pool that serves as the central point of Senate Park.
This building has been the home of the National Women's Party since 1929. This historic structure is also the home of the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument which preserves and shared the histories of women who dedicated their lives to the promotion and advancement of equal rights for women. Permanent exhibit galleries, the first feminist library, and hundreds of artifacts are on display in addition to special programs and events throughout the year. The monument is named after women's suffrage leaders Alva Belmont and Alice Paul, and visitors can explore the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument free of charge thanks to the National Park Service and others who helped to make this building a national monument in 2016.
The United States Supreme Court Building houses the highest federal court in the nation. Prior to the building’s completion in 1935, the Supreme Court has occupied various places, including in New York City and Philadelphia while the capital was being built, and inside the U.S. Capitol Building and in public and private spaces around Washington, D.C. After pressed by Chief Justice William Howard Taft, Congress approved a Supreme Court Building where landmark cases in American history would be heard. It designed by Cass Gilbert, who chose a neoclassical style that complements courts across the country and other federal buildings in D.C.
The Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library located on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. It houses the world's largest collection of works by William Shakespeare, in addition to other rare examples of Renaissance literature and works of art. The Folger is a leader in the preservation of rare materials and engages in numerous initiatives which promote the legacy of one of most influential writers of all time. In addition to providing ample educational resources, the Folger Library also has a theater which serves as a venue for live performances, including plays and concerts, and a garden.
The Jefferson Building is the oldest of three Washington structures that house the collections of the Library of Congress, established in 1800 as a depository for reference material that might be useful to legislators. The Jefferson Building opened in 1897 and was named in honor of the third President, whose personal library was used as the basis of the Library's collections. Prior to the construction of this building, the Library of Congress was housed in a wing within the United States Capitol Building. The Jefferson Building was a response to a sudden increase in the library's collection, which was spurred by an 1870 law requiring all publishers to send the library two copies of new works as part of the process of obtaining a copyright. As the Library's collection continued to grow, Congress authorized the construction of the John Adams Building, which was completed in 1939, and the James Madison Memorial Building, which was completed in 1976. These two buildings are adjacent to the Jefferson building along Independence Avenue. In addition to its massive collection of books and research materials, many of which are one-of-a-kind, the Library of Congress influences the practices of publishers and libraries throughout the world. In addition to its massive collection of books and research materials, many of which are one-of-a-kind, the Library of Congress influences the practices of publishers and libraries throughout the world. The Library of Congress is the largest library in the United States and second-largest in the world, after the British Library in London.
Located at the entrance to the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress, the Court of Neptune features the Roman god of the sea with a variety of serpents, turtles, and sea nymphs astride horses. The fountain was designed by Roland Hinton Perry who at the age of 27 had impressed the designers of the library after creating relief medallions for the building's entrance. The fountain and building were dedicated in 1898.
The process of erecting this building began in 1957 by L. Quincy Mumford, who was the Librarian of Congress. After congress made plans to fund the construction in 1960, it wasn’t until five years later that they received approval of 75 million dollars for building. The foundation was laid in June of 1971, and superstructure was completed in 1976. The building did not officially open until May 28, 1980, twenty-three years after plans were made to construct the building
This memorial is dedicated to American soldiers who became disabled for life during their service. The memorial was dedicated in October 2014, and stands as reminder of the four million men and women who have been seriously injured in the line of duty.
This park is home to the U.S. Botanic Garden Administration Building and the Bartholdi Fountain. The park was renamed in 1985 to honor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi who designed the Statue of Liberty. The thirty-foot-tall Bartholdi Fountain was also renamed and was originally designed for Philadelphia's 1876 Centennial Exhibition. Capitol architect Frederick Law Olmsted purchased the fountain after the Philadelphia exposition was complete and placed it at the center of the National Mall which served as the home o the U.S. Botanic Garden until 1927. The statue was re-dedicated in 1932.
Established by the U.S. Congress in 1820, this botanic garden is one of the oldest in the nation and reflects President George Washington's vision for the nation's capital which included aesthetically pleasing buildings and gardens. The indoor exhibits and gardens take users through a variety of natural environments and include many endangered species. The outdoor spaces offer a variety of species that are native to the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.
Dedicated on May 12, 1887, this monument commemorates the twentieth President of the United States, James A. Garfield (1831-1881). A native of Ohio and U.S. Army general during the Civil War, he served for nine terms in the U.S House of Representatives as a Republican before being elected president in 1881. Less than four months after his inauguration, on July 2, 1881, Garfield was shot twice by Charles Guiteau, a disgruntled officer seeker, while waiting at a train station in Washington, D.C. For several weeks, he languished in pain as doctors unsuccessfully searched for one of the projectiles. Riddled with infection from the countless unsterile examinations, he passed away on September 19. Garfield’s death came as the Society of the Army of the Cumberland was holding its annual reunion in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Before adjourning, members of the Union veterans’ organization voted to create the Garfield Memorial Committee and charged it with erecting a monument to their former officer and fellow member in Washington, D.C. After fundraising proved challenging, the committee held a fair in the Capitol Rotunda in 1882, which raised nearly $15,000. The following year, Congress appropriated $30,000 for the project. At the 1883 reunion of the veterans’ organization, members selected esteemed New York sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward to design the monument. Dedicated near the U.S. Capitol, the monument consists of a larger-than-life sized bronze statue of Garfield on a marble pedestal, designed by prominent architect Richard Morris Hunt. Ward depicted Garfield standing, as if delivering a speech. Lounging around the base of the pedestal are three larger-than-life-sized bronze figures, each representing one of the three stages of Garfield’s life: scholar, soldier, and stateman.
The United States Capitol building is the home to the United States Congress. As one of the most recognizable buildings in the world, the Capitol serves as a working office building and monument to American history. Visitors are welcome to attend tours and explore exhibits. The original portion of the building was completed in 1800 and has been expanded through the years.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
Get a QR Code for this tour
This walking tour begins at the Capitol and includes stops at the leading monuments and fountains on the Capitol Grounds. It also includes the U.S. Botanic Garden and many of the public buildings that are located adjacent to the Capitol Grounds such as the Library of Congress and Supreme Court Building.
