washington

The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander in chief of the early Continental Army and the first American president.Standing due east of the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial, the monument, made of marble, granite, and bluestone gneiss,is both the world tallest stone structure and the world tallest obelisk, standing 554 feet 7 and 11 or 32 inch (169.045 meters) tall although taller monumental columns exist, they are neither all stone nor true obelisks.

The National World War II Memorial is a national memorial dedicated to Americans who served in the armed forces and as civilians during World War II.Consisting of 56 pillars and a pair of small triumphal arches surrounding a plaza and fountain, it sits on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on the former site of the Rainbow Pool at the eastern end of the Reflecting Pool, between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

The International Spy Museum is a privately owned museum dedicated to the tradecraft, history and contemporary role of espionage, featuring the largest collection of international espionage artifacts currently on public display.The museum is located within the 1875 Le Droit Building in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C., across the street from the Old Patent Office Building (which houses the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery) and one block south of the Gallery Place Metro station via Red, Green and Yellow lines.

Ford Theatre is a historic theatre in Washington, D.C., used for various stage performances beginning in the 1860s.It is also the site of the assassination of U.S.President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865.After being shot, the fatally wounded president was carried across the street to the Petersen House, where he died the next morning.The theatre was later used as a warehouse and office building, and in 1893 part of it collapsed, causing 22 deaths.It was renovated and re opened as a theatre in 1968.During the 2000s it was renovated again, opening on February 12, 2009, in commemoration of Lincoln bicentennial.A related Center for Education and Leadership museum experience opened February 12, 2012 next to Petersen House.

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is the largest of the many reflecting pools in Washington, D.C., United States.It is a long and large rectangular pool located on the National Mall, directly east of the Lincoln Memorial, with the Washington Monument to the east of the reflecting pool. Part of the iconic image of Washington, the reflecting pool hosts many of the 24 million visitors a year who visit the National Mall.It is lined by walking paths and shade trees on both sides.Depending on the viewer vantage point, it dramatically reflects the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Mall trees, and or or the expansive sky.

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a prominent Roman Rite Catholic basilica located in Washington, D.C., United States of America, honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the principal Patroness of the USA.The shrine is the largest Catholic church in the United States, the eighth largest church building in the world, and the tallest habitable building in Washington,Construction of this church, notable for its Neo Byzantine architecture, began in 1920 under Philadelphia contractor John McShain.It opened unfinished in 1959.An estimated one million pilgrims visit the basilica each year.

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum beside the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., the United States.The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H.Hirshhorn.One of the big five modern art museums in the U.S., it was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft and is part of the Smithsonian Institution.It was conceived as the United State museum of contemporary and modern art and currently focuses its collection building and exhibition planning mainly on the post World War II period, with particular emphasis on art made during the last 50 years.

The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people.It was the first portrait gallery in the world when it opened in 1856. The gallery moved in 1896 to its current site at St Martin Place, off Trafalgar Square, and adjoining the National Gallery.It has been expanded twice since then.The National Portrait Gallery also has three regional outposts at Beningbrough Hall, Bodelwyddan Castle and Montacute House.It is unconnected to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, with which its remit overlaps.The gallery is a non departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M.Sackler Gallery form the Smithsonian Institution national museums of Asian art in the United States.The Freer and Sackler galleries house the largest Asian art research library in the country and contains art from East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Islamic world, the ancient Near East, and ancient Egypt, as well as a significant collection of American art.The gallery is located on the south side of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., adjacent to the physically connected Sackler Gallery.The museum is open 364 days a year (being closed on Christmas), and is administered by a single staff with the Sackler Gallery.

The National Archives Building, known informally as Archives I, is the original headquarters of the National Archives and Records Administration.It is located north of the National Mall at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C..The Rotunda entrance is on Constitution Avenue, while the research entrance is on Pennsylvania Avenue.