The district's only illusionarium supports free writing programs for local students with every purchase.

One critic described it as "middle Mussolini, early Ramses, and late Neiman-Marcus." Another called it an architectural "natural disaster."

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

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

The actual model from the original "Star Trek" series is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum.

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

It was once the base for a series of domestic terror attacks.

Washington's iconic carousel has a nice piece of Civil Rights history.

Look closely and you’ll notice that the color changes a third of the way up the tower.

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

This unique museum cafeteria showcases the history and regional diversity of African American cuisine.

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

During the Industrial Revolution this “Temple of Invention” was full of intricate miniature machines and gadgets.

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

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

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

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

This seemingly out-of-place gas station by the Watergate hotel was once described as the most expensive gas station in the world.

D.C.'s first central library was born out of a chance encounter with the philanthropist whose name it bears.

The bank that helped fund the Mexican-American War and the purchase of Alaska met its downfall after helping Augusto Pinochet launder money.

A gorgeous mural outside a beloved D.C. restaurant pays homage to famous Black Americans.

The first purpose-built art gallery in the United States is once again open as a center of craft arts.

This grand gothic brewery has been pumping out suds for over a hundred years.

A rotating cast of guys and dolls in front of a Washington, D.C. building.