Walking tours of Washington
675 places in Washington, District of Columbia are on the National Register of Historic Places. The 1930s account for more of that work than any other decade.
6 themed routes run through those listings. Of the routes below, five follow a single style and one follows one kind of building. A subject becomes a route only where the register holds enough of it close enough together to walk.
Every listing in Washington → · 675 in all
The routes
- StyleBeaux-Arts architecture in Washington15 stops · 1.7 miles · stops last changed Oct 16, 2026Beaux-Arts is the grand classical manner taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, with paired columns, sculpted swags and monumental stairs. The Washington examples on this route went up between 1901 and 1926.
- StyleNeoclassical architecture in Washington11 stops · 1.7 miles · stops last changed Sep 18, 2026Neoclassical buildings borrow the columns, pediments and symmetry of Greek and Roman temples. The Washington examples on this route went up between 1902 and 1928.
- StyleFederal architecture in Washington11 stops · 2.0 miles · stops last changed Sep 18, 2026Federal architecture is a restrained classical manner with flat wall surfaces, fanlights over the door and delicate ornament around openings and mantels. The Washington examples on this route went up between 1794 and 1831.
- StyleRenaissance Revival architecture in Washington11 stops · 2.0 miles · stops last changed Sep 18, 2026Renaissance Revival draws on the Italian palazzo, with a rusticated ground floor, round arched windows and a strong horizontal cornice. The Washington examples on this route went up between 1836 and 1927.
- StyleArt Deco architecture in Washington10 stops · 2.1 miles · stops last changed Sep 18, 2026Art Deco uses stepped massing, vertical piers and flat geometric ornament in stone, metal and terra cotta. The Washington examples on this route went up between 1927 and 1941.
- Building typeHouses and mansions in Washington15 stops · 1.8 miles · stops last changed Sep 18, 2026The route links houses built between 1765 and 1925. Many are private homes and the stops are meant to be seen from the sidewalk.
Every route holds at least ten stops and stays under two and a half miles. Routes are computed from the coordinates in the National Park Service National Register spatial data or, where it has no point, Wikidata, and the distances are straight lines between stops. Listings with a restricted address in the Register are never mapped and never become stops. Data refreshed November 02, 2026.
Local history books for Washington
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Guidebooks to historic places in Washington, D.C.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.