Welcome to the Architecture City Guide series. Here at ArchDaily we thought this series could especially be put to use during the upcoming holiday season. Many will be traveling to see family, having family visit, or taking a New Year’s vacation to a new city. Here is a small City Guide list, starting with Washington D.C.
We want to hear from you, share with us your City Guide list for buildings in Washington D.C. More cities to come, so be sure to check back.
Follow the break for our Washington D.C. list and a corresponding map!
Architecture City Guide: Washington D.C.
- Dulles Airport / Eero Saarinen
- Kogod Courtyard – Smithsonian American Art Museum / Foster + Partners
- Kreeger Museum / Philip Johnson
- St. Coletta School / Michael Graves
- Metro Stations / Harry Weese
- Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library / Mies van der Rohe
- East Building at the National Gallery of Art / I.M. Pei
- Joseph H. Hirshhorn Museum / SOM-Gordon Bunshaft
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial / Maya Lin
- AIA Headquarters Building / The Architects’ Collaberative (TAC)
- Pope Leighey House / Frank Lloyd Wright
- Ronald Reagan National Airport North Terminal / Pelli Clark Pelli Architects
View Architecture City Guide: Washington D.C. in a larger map
This is great! Also a google map featuring Archdaily projects around the world would be amazing (users could check interesting projects in a certain location via archdaily)
This is an awesome project!
Whenever I travel, I always look for unique architecture in that city to photograph. This series will be useful for sure!
A suggestion for this great project – add Kelly Minner’s November 16, 2010 Arch Daily article on Bing Thom’s fabulous encapsulation, Arena Stage’s Mead Center for the American Theater on the waterfront in Southwest DC – just blocks off the national mall. It is the latest significant landmark in this city of landmarks and those visiting Washington should include it in their tour.
Thought for sure the Newseum would be on here.
I’m hoping that this list will be expendable, letting additional projects to be added can be easily re-visited. Perhaps a new tab on the main page with all the cities featured?
We are definitely interested in continuing to expand this list, thanks for pointing it out. We want to hear from the readers on what buildings are on their can’t miss list for DC. Thanks for the suggestions so far and keep them coming!
Wonderful Idea. I can’t wait to see more of these city guides.
Yes! I have been looking for these architectural guides when traveling.. and now, here it is!
Brilliant. Please keep these coming!!!
Great idea! I’m headed to Dallas/Ft Worth area in a couple of weeks. It would be great to know what to check out while I am there.
Congratulations – you managed to move Dulles Airport into the DC city limits. Even Congress hasn’t been able to get an airport constructed in DC so they don’t have to cross the river. The people in upper NW will probably be dismayed to find their homes replaced by runways.
Nice article, though. I look forward to other cities.
I agree this is a great idea. Add I.M. Pei’s National Gallery of Art East Building, this is a building I’ve visited over 100 times and is still exciting each time I go. Also visit the Building Museum Smithsonian has some very interesting architectural exhibitions.
really really nice!
i think you should do guides for everywherer! or at least for the most important cities….
I’ve been a DC resident for 10 years (including 5 years at Catholic University School of Architecture). So I couldn’t resist adding my suggestions.
The Lacey – Division 1 Architects
Harman Center for the Arts – Diamond+Schmidt
Pryzbyla Student Center at CUA – Ennead (formerly Polshek Partnership)
Cooper Lewis Condos – SmithGroup
View 14 Condos – SK&I Architects
Union Row – SK&I Architects
Almost anything by Shalom Baranes Architects http://sbaranes.com/
notably:
Incinerator/Ritz Carlton/Loews development in Georgetown
1875 Pennsylvania Ave
22West Condos
WestEnd25 Condos
Additionally as mentioned above or featured previously on ArchDaily:
Newseum – Ennead (formerly Polshek Partnership)
Arena Stage – Bing Thom
Watha T. Daniel Library – Davis Brody Bond
This is just a fraction. I could probably list about 2 dozen more if you’re interested. Lots of my DC architecture photos here: http://bit.ly/gv8rnB
Instead of starting something new/cooking your own little soup:
Post your stuff on mimoa.eu! There are several cities already available.
I’d suggest including Marcel Breuer’s HUD and HHS Buildings – they’re great examples of postwar concrete architecture. They are better than Mies’ Library, which is one of his worst designs in my opinion. The library is beautifully proportioned, but alien to its urban context (I’m not referring to its style, but instead how the building’s exterior engages pedestrians).
All the ones you have listed are great. I would add Dumbarton Oaks, Roosevelt Island and the Jefferson Library. Dumbarton Oaks is easily the most beautiful garden in the area during the summer, fall, and especially during the cherry blossom festival in spring.
Roosevelt Island was designed by Olmsted Jr. and is a fairly underrated place. Although the memorial leaves much to be desired, the design of the island is fairly nice. Even though Dumbarton and R. Island are not specifically architecture, I thought a few others might be worth adding since the vietnam memorial was up there (probably the most moving memorial)
The Jefferson Library might be a little over the top, but getting a readers card to access the main room and taking in all the detail is well worth.