An old train trestle re-imagined as an Egyptian obelisk.

The world's largest fire hydrant is supposedly tornado-proof.

This titanic steel chain linking two buildings was installed without permission but instantly beloved.

This psychedelic tromp l'oeil seems to be beckoning drivers to crash into a wall.

This 5-by-6-foot wooden hut is the smallest historic post office in the U.S.

This chicken coop pays homage to a classic architectural style made famous throughout the southern United States.

Corn-inthian columns with a uniquely American take on neoclassical architecture.

This statue of the "father of television" stands prominently in the United States Capitol.

The beloved statue at the National Academy of Sciences is oh so inviting to sit on.

Those with a sharp eye can find the hidden image of a German Shepherd on the memorial's Mural Wall.

Fittingly, America's museum of architecture is itself a magnificently designed old building.

A museum cafe showcases Native American dishes and indigenous ingredients from across the Western Hemisphere.

This mysterious structure by the Washington Monument is a flood barrier designed to protect the White House against rising waters.

A tiny monument to the unsuccessful attempt by Thomas Jefferson to place the prime meridian in Washington.

There's a 12-foot-tall replica of the Washington Monument hidden under a manhole nearby.

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

The unique traffic pattern named for an influential urban planner is also known as the Pedestrian Scramble.

The preamble to the U.S. Constitution written entirely from vanity license plates hangs in the Smithsonian museum.

A three-story tower of books about Abraham Lincoln is one of the more unusual monuments to the president.

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

The innocent intentions of this monument are somewhat lost in the sculpture's muscled imagery.

A replica of the famous memorial statue at the Normandy American Cemetery hides in an office building in downtown D.C.

This nine-story building is the oldest standing skyscraper in D.C.

A monument in Washington D.C. marks the spot from which all other roads were supposed to stem.