The Washington critic., 1886-10-27
THE VISITORS GUIDE.
Objects of Interest in and About the
National Capital.
THE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS.
Parks, Squares, Statues, Gardens and
Other Points of Attraction.
THE WAY TO REACH THEM.

THE WAY TO REACH THEM.
Washington Is fast becoming the
most attractive city of the country. AS
the Capital of the Nation 1t presents
more objects of interest to the visitor
than any other on the continent, and q
brief directory of its prominent points
will be of service to the vast number Of
persons who annually resort to the po-
litical metropolis. For 1t Is estimated
that over three hundred thousand
strangers pay visit every year TO this
city to behold the varied objects of In.
terest which so thickly stud the his.
toric "Ten Miles Square"
The system OF Numbering Houses.
Numbers are displayed over the entrances TO
all houses, and the decimal system, as
adopted in Philadelphia, IL used-one hun
dred numbers being allotted TO each square
or block-commenclng ut First street west,
running west, First street east, running
east, a street north, running north, and A
street south, running south. The odd num-
bers are always on the right-hand side GO
Ing from the Capitol and the even numbers
on the ieft-hand side. The city Is divided
into four quarters or sections, northeast and
northwest, southeast and southwest, the
streets being designated accordingly; those
running north and south numerically. and
those running east and west by the letters
of the alphabet, the dividing lines being
North and south Capitol streets, running
on a line due north and south from the CAP.
itol and East Capitol street, and continua.
tiOn on the same west of tho Capitol, run
ming due east and west.
The Capitol.
This great building is the central point OF the
original District, and Is the largest editce
In the country Its centre marks the Nc.
ridian OF Washington. The middle portion,
Immediately under the dome, is the part
first built. IL was partially destroyed by the
British In lSlf, but was completely restored
by 1877. IL incloses the "crypt"-whcre the
remains of Washington were intended to be
placed, the Library, the Rotunda, the old
Representatives. Hall, now the Gallery of
Statuary, and the old Senate Chamber, now
the Supreme Courtroom. The old Supreme
Courtroom, in the first story, Is now ocou-
pied by the Law Branch of the Library.
The cornerstone Of the Capitol extension
the north and south wings--was laid July 4,
1851, Daniel Webster delivering the Grafton
of the occasion from the balcony of tho
Library. The south wing contains the
House of Representatives. and the north
wing the Senate Chamber. Therotunda isdis
tinguished for It's historic paintings, for the
famous bronze doors. with their alto
reliefs. and for Brumidis frcscoings. In the
Hall of Statuary are the natural pictures in
Potomac marble, representing faces of cer-
tain American statesmen-a picturesque
freak of nature. From the little rotunda,
Immediately north of the great rotunda. the
staircase TO the top of the dome begins its
winding way. From the top of the tome, or
as far as the visitor can ascend, the view
OF the surrounding, country is magnificent,
The Capitol grounds, which formerly were
homely and formal in appearance, have
been transformed into q beautiful
park and are now most exquisitely beautl-
full. The east base of the Capitol il S9l6
fa.aN al. t...Uvt 10. In.st
The total height from east base to the top
of the temple covering the dome Is 2SS feet:
the statue of the Goddess Of Liberty, 1919
feet, making the total height to the crest of
higher than the west gate of the grounds,
and 3o1 feet above low tide in the Potomac,
or 24S feet lower than the apex of the Wash.
stDn Mss fSo badas TsSa Is 81 se ons by s
wide, and covers 3H acres. II Is the finest
and largest public building In the world,
and In many respects the oostliest and
handsomest. 1t is moreover the growth of
its beauty and interest. Tho original Capt.
lol, or centre building, is an imitation,
though not slavish one of the ,Maison
Carree at Nismes. The view from the west
portico at night, when the lamps are lit in
the public grounds and the lights of the city
illuminate the darkness Is one of tire most
beautiful and picturesque in tho world and
Is well worth journey OF thousand miles
The White House.
From the west balcony OF the capitol, looking
down Pennsylvania avenue, the White
House Is seen rearing It's snowy-hued walls
bowers IT, Ikea gigantic Gala lily sprnging
up amid its enfoldins green blades. Were
il not for the partly Intervening Treasury
building tine view of the White House from
the Capitol would be full and complete. The
White House is the center OF Uptown" as
the Capitol H. the center of Down town"
1t Is beautifully located, the view from the
south windows covering the whole southern
front ofthe city, as the view from the north
up Sixteenth street west exhibits the best
part of the Northwest section to the gaze.
The White House Is a copy Of the palace of
the Duke of Lelnstor at Dublin, with the
addition Of a large porch on the north front,
which was added during Andrew jackson ;
administration. The reservation In which
1t stands embraces nearly 81 acres. The
main entrance Is on the north reached by
the Pennsylvania avenue cars. 1t Is two
stories high on the north, Is built OF white
tree'stone, 10 feet long by 50 wide. II con-
tains on the first floor the famous Green,
Red, Blue and East rooms, the State Dining
Room and the great conseryatories. The
Blue Room is the Presidents official recep-
tionroom and the drawing-room of the ladies'
of his family. The East Room, originally
designed for banquet hall and so used as
late as 1887, and in the latter part of the
century used as u drying-room for clothes
by Mrs. President Adams, is the largest and
most noted room in the building. II Is .!
feet high, so feet long and 40 wide. 1t is
open to visitors every day except Sundays
Upstairs are the Cabinet room, the private
offices the Presidents office, the library
and the family apartments. All these
rooms except the latter are open to visitors
by special permission, at suitable hours.
Lafayette square.
Due north from the White House is Lafayette
| Square, the first public reservation In Wash
ington that was improved. 10 contains The
equestrian statue of Andrew jackson, 10y
Clark Mills. Many of its trees are old forest
| nonarchs, hundreds of years old II Is IN
part specimen of the old formal Landscape
gardening so fashionable in England two
hundred years ago, a style that was I'M
ported into this country. Lafayette Square
was, one hundred years ago, part # grave
yard that enclosed the square north, on
which st. Johns Church Is built, and thC
square east, on which are situated tho At
torney Generals Office (formerly the Freed
mans Bank, the Surgeon Generals Office
and Riggs Bank (both In the building for
merly used as the United States Bankl
Commodore Decatur's house, corner Fiji
teenth ard a-half and II streets, and the
old Clnb House, near which Philip Barton
Key was killed By Daniel Il, Siekles, Mem
Der of Congress from New York. The last
bodies from this graveyard were not re
moved until 1919.
ut. Johns T.. n. Church.
| st. Johns p. L, Church, which has been Otter
called the State Church because more presi
dents have worshipped there than at any
other, stands at tho corner of IL and Six
teenth streets. 10 was built In 1916 and en-
larged In 1880. In II have worshippcd Pres
idents Madison, Monroe, John Quinc,
tionalisD Martin Van Buren,, though ho be
longed to the Dutch Reformed Church, Uar
rlson, Tyler, Polk, Taylor, Fillmore (thoucl
the latter, was a Unltarlan), Pierce, Buch