This stunning blue and gold room changed cities twice before becoming part of the Smithsonian.

The oldest building in the District of Columbia was preserved because of a mistaken connection to George Washington.

Architecture lovers won’t stop touching the National Gallery's 19.5 degree marble prow.

An old wool-washing house filled with Fluxus contemporary art.

Perhaps the most scandalous statue of America's first president.

A faded sign from the 1920s remembers Baltimore's resistance toward banning alcohol.

An overlooked memorial honoring the local Washington residents who died in World War I.

A 1,100-ton train fell through the floor in 1953. Workers got it patched up in just 72 hours.

A muscular Art Deco monument represents the struggle between regulators and unbridled markets.

The winding route passes through an enclosed alleyway, two tunnels, and leads to the White House basement.

This unacceptably tall building was the real reason for Washington, D.C.'s skyscraper ban.

A derelict bit of infrastructure from the canal that once ran through D.C. is landlocked in the heart of the city.

The national park was once a plantation estate.

Illegal drag racing two stories beneath Chicago’s streets.

The 5.5-mile ring of steel posts around the Capitol Building is one of the largest (and most uniform) of its kind in the world.

This church built atop a gas station promises to "equip you for the next stage in your life’s journey."

The Byzantine, pre-Columbian, and medieval art at this stately mansion are some of the most under-appreciated collections in D.C.

The little-known, 300-year history of the area includes former lives as a bustling tobacco port, parking lot, and industrial dump.

100 years later, they're still down there.

A lovely aquatic park built by a one-armed Civil War veteran who made a fortune from lotuses.

The first presidential bomb shelter was located in an old vault under the Treasury, connected to the White House via tunnel.

A line of blue paint marks the route of the inaugural parade.

Legend has it that President Grant’s frequent drinking in the lobby gave rise to the term “lobbyist.”

Members of Congress have traveled between the buildings on Capitol Hill for a century hidden from tourists, press, and storm clouds.