Downtown Washington, D.C.

Downtown Washington, D.C.

Downtown Washington, D.C. is the central business district in the northwest quadrant of the District of Columbia, the capital city of the United States.

Location

Geographically, downtown Washington is broadly considered to be anything north of Constitution Avenue NW, east of Rock Creek Park, south of M Street NW, and west of the U.S. Capitol. The area east of the Capitol and north of Massachusetts Avenue is sometimes called "Downtown East". However, that geographical area includes as many as nine separate neighborhoods, including Foggy Bottom, West End, Penn Quarter, Mount Vernon Square, Chinatown, Sursum Corda, Judiciary Square, Swampoodle, and NoMa.

Thus, the boundaries of the Downtown district (subtracting the above-mentioned neighborhoods) are somewhat irregular and difficult to define. The core of the area lies roughly between Constitution Avenue to the south, M Street to the north, 17th Street to the west, and 12th Street to the east. North of Pennsylvania Avenue NW, and extending five additional blocks west of 17th Street to 22nd Street, is also considered "downtown". On the east, south of Pennsylvania, another section of the business district stretches seven blocks to the intersection of Pennsylvania and Constitution, forming a triangular group of government buildings known as the "Federal Triangle". [ [http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc42.htm The Federal Triangle ] ]

Some define the area around the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and K Street NW as a separate neighborhood called "Connecticut Avenue/K Street". However, this intersection is very much the heart of Washington's business center; since "downtown" is defined as a city's central business district, the K Street/Connecticut Avenue area is, by definition, part of downtown Washington.

Character

The core of the downtown district east of Foggy Bottom, west of Penn Quarter, and south of Massachusetts Avenue is almost exclusively commercial. The Penn Quarter has recently become an entertainment district, with numerous retail, restaurant, and theater options. Foggy Bottom is dominated by midrise apartment buildings and George Washington University.

Cityscape

The majority of downtown Washington is composed of office buildings of varying architectural styles. The oldest of tend to be of the Federal school, as are the White House, the U.S. Treasury, Blair House, and the rowhouses that line Lafayette Square. Others run the gamut from Neoclassical (such as the buildings at Federal Triangle) to Second Empire Style (the Eisenhower Executive Office Building) to postmodern (One Franklin Square).

Height restriction

Unlike other large cities in the U.S., Washington's downtown has a low skyline. With the advent of the skyscraper and the construction of the Cairo Hotel, residents were concerned that the city's European feel might be dwarfed by high-rise buildings. Congress therefore passed the Heights of Buildings Act in 1899, restricting any new building in Washington from exceeding the height of the U.S. Capitol. The act was amended in 1910 to allow buildings to be 20 feet (6 m) higher than the width of the adjacent street. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/30/AR2006063001316.html?nav=rss_print/outlook D.C.'s Fear of Heights ] ]

As of 2006, the tallest building in downtown Washington – excluding the Washington Monument, U.S. Capitol, Washington National Cathedral, and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, all of which are outside of the downtown district – is the Old Post Office, whose 315-foot-tall (96 m) clock tower looms far above the other nearby structures. Built in 1899, it was grandfathered past the Heights of Buildings Act. The tallest commercial building is One Franklin Square at 210 feet (64 m). [ [http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/bu/?id=101047 Buildings of Washington / Emporis.com ] ]

Parks and public squares

A number of public urban parks punctuate the downtown area. Four are particularly prominent: The Ellipse, Farragut Square Park, Franklin Square Park, and McPherson Square.

President's Park is the grounds of the White House, which includes Lafayette Square between H Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. It is a private park, except for Lafayette Square, which is open to the public.

A small paved square, Freedom Plaza, sits on Pennsylvania Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets. It is a frequent site of outdoor concerts, protests, and political rallies.

References

External links

* [http://www.downtowndc.org/ Downtown DC Business Improvement District]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Downtown (Washington, D.C.) — Map of Washington, D.C., with downtown Washington highlighted in red Downtown is a neighborhood of Washington, D.C., as well as a colloquial name for the central business district in the northwest quadrant of the city. Geographically, the area… …   Wikipedia

  • Downtown Washington Hostel — (Вашингтон,США) Категория отеля: Адрес: 506 H Street NE, Вашингтон, DC 2 …   Каталог отелей

  • Downtown (disambiguation) — Downtown is the central business district of a city. It may also refer to: Contents 1 Places 2 Music 3 Other media 4 Other Places …   Wikipedia

  • Washington Dulles International Airport — IATA: IAD – ICAO …   Wikipedia

  • Washington, D.C. — This article is about the place. For the novel, see Washington, D.C. (novel). Washington, D.C.   Federal district   …   Wikipedia

  • Washington Metro — Not to be confused with Washington Metropolitan Area. Washington Metro Overview Type …   Wikipedia

  • Washington, Pennsylvania — Geobox|City name = Washington official name = City of Washington category = City image size = image caption = The county courthouse in downtown Washington on a snowy, winter day. flag size = symbol = symbol type = etymology type = Named for… …   Wikipedia

  • Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway — Infobox rail railroad name=Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway logo filename=WBAlogo.gif logo size=104 system map size=300 map caption=WB A System map old gauge= marks= locale=Maryland and Washington, D.C. start year=1908 end… …   Wikipedia

  • Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority — The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is a tri jurisdictional government agency authorized by Congress, that operates transit service in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including the Metrorail and Metrobus. WMATA is… …   Wikipedia

  • Washington meridian — The Washington meridian was one of four prime meridians of the United States which passed through Washington, D.C.. The four which have been specified are: # through the Capitol # through the White House # through the old Naval Observatory #… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”