Washington D.C. History

When Worthy of the Nation first appeared in 1977, it won much acclaim for its comprehensive treatment of Washington's design and urban development. Now the story has been brought up to the present, tracing the first thirty years of home rule for the District through the completion of the National Museum of the American Indian and the World War II Memorial in the early twenty-first century.

Frederick Gutheim and Antoinette J. Lee begin with L'Enfant's survey of 1791, the uneven growth of Washington City as an early port, its rapid expansion during the Civil War, and the McMillan Plan of 1901–1902, inspired by the City Beautiful movement. They consider the close relationship between the growth in national ambitions and responsibilities and the density of the governmental presence—offices, facilities, military outposts, parks, and multiplying statuary and memorials. Gutheim and Lee also survey residential communities, commercial districts, and transportation infrastructure. They outline various efforts to shape and channel the phenomenal growth of the city during the twentieth century, including controversial attempts to rehabilitate some neighborhoods while largely destroying others in the name of urban renewal.

Illustrated with plans, maps, and new and historic photographs, the second edition of Worthy of the Nation provides researchers and general readers with an appealing and authoritative view of the planning and evolution of the federal district.

Washington, D.C., is home to the most influential power brokers in the world. But how did we come to call D.C.—a place one contemporary observer called a mere swamp "producing nothing except myriads of toads and frogs (of enormous size)," a district that was strategically indefensible, captive to the politics of slavery, and a target of unbridled land speculation—our nation's capital? In Washington, acclaimed and award-winning author Fergus M. Bordewich turns his eye to the backroom deal making and shifting alliances between our Founding Fathers and in doing so pulls back the curtain on the lives of slaves who actually built the city. The answers revealed in this eye-opening book are not only surprising and exciting but also illuminate a story of unexpected triumph over a multitude of political and financial obstacles, including fraudulent real estate speculation, overextended financiers, and management more apt for a "banana republic" than an emerging world power.

In this page-turning work that reveals the hidden and somewhat unsavory side of the nation's beginnings, Bordewich, once again, brings his novelist's sensibility to a little-known chapter in American history.

Washington, D.C., conjures images of marble monuments, national memorials, and world-class museums. To many, the world beyond the National Mall is invisible. Yet within an area of only 68 square miles lies a residential city of diversity, beauty, and charm. In the long-awaited update of her 1988 classic Washington at Home, Kathryn Schneider Smith and a team of historians, journalists, folklorists, museum professionals, and others who know the city intimately offer a fresh look at the social history of this intriguing city through the prism of 26 diverse neighborhoods.

Lavishly illustrated with engaging historical photographs and maps, Washington at Home introduces readers to the famous residents, colorful characters, distinct flavors, and important events that helped shape the city beyond the federal façade. This second edition adds six new neighborhoods from all parts of the city. Extensive notes make the book invaluable for those doing their own research as well as the more casual reader.

Journalists, historians, politicians, residents, real estate agents, and students regularly consult Washington at Home as the standard resource on the social history of Washington, D.C. This expanded and updated edition will appeal to residents, both new and old, as well as to visitors eager to deepen their experience in the nation’s capital.