The Washington critic., 1886-10-15
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.
iitical 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 "Tcn Miles Square"
The system OF Numbering Houses.
Numbers are displayed over the entrances to
all houses, and the decimal system, as
adopted In Philadelphia, Is used-ono hun
drcd numbers being allotted TO each square
or block-commencing ut First street west,
running west, First street east, running
east, a street north, running north, and a
street south, running south. The odd mum
bers are always on the righthand side GO
ing from the Capitol, and the even numbers
on the lcfthand 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 aud west by the letters
of the alphabet, the dividing lines being
North and South Capitol streets, running
on u line due north aud south from the Cap
itol and East Capitol street, and a continual
tion on the same west of the Capitol, run
ming due east and west.
The Capitol.
This great building Is the central point of the
original District and Is the largest ediiice
In tlp ggtutrV. Ifs centre marks the Me-
ridan ot Washington The middle portion,
Immediately under the dome, Is the part
British in 1874, but was completely restored
by 1s27 1t incoses tho crypt where the
remains of Washington were intended to be
placed, the Library, the Rotunda, the old
Statuary, and the old Senate Chamber, now
the Supreme Courtroom. The old supreme
Courtroom, in the first story, Is now occu-
pied 10y the Law Branch of the Library.
The cornerstone of the Capitol extension
the north and south wings-was laid July 4,
ls5l Daniel Webster delivering the Grafton
Of the occasion from the balcony of the
Library, The south wing contains the
House of Representatives. and the north
wingthe Senate Chamber. Therotunda Is dis
tinguished for its historic paintings, for the
reliCfs, and for Brumdi's frescoings, In the
Hall of Statuary are the natural pictures in
Potomac marble, representing faces of Ger.
tain American statesmcn-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 dome, 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, haze
| park and are now most exquisitely beaut
| full. The east base of the Capitol Is SOl1
| feet above ordinary low tide In tho Potomac.
| The total height from east base TO the top
4 of donna
the statue of the Goddess Of Liberty 1873
| feet, making the total height to the crest of
| the statue 3Oi11 feet. This crest Is 800 feet
| higher than the west gate of the grounds,
and 800 feet above low tide In the Potomac,
or 2iS feet lower than the apex of the Wash
| ington Monument, which Is Immediately
| west. The building is 1j1 feet long by 32i
| and largest public building In the world,
| and in many respects the costliest and
handsomest. 1t is moreover the growth of
less than ccntury-a fact which adds to
its beauty and interest. The original Capt.
iol, or centre building, is an imitation,
though not slayish one of the Mason
CarIee at Nismcs. 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 the most
| beautiful and picturesque In the 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 its snowy-hued walls
| above the dense mass OF foliage that en-
bowers II, like gigantic Gala lily springing
up amid its cnfolding green blades. Were
building the view of the White House from
the Capitol would be full and complete. The
White House Is the center of Uptown" as
the Capitol Is the center of Down town
1t Is beautifully located, the view from the
| south windows covering the whole southern
front Of the city, as the view from the nortl
| up sixteenth street west EXHIBITS the best
| part of the Northwest section to the gaze
Tue White House Is a copy of the palace OF
the Duke of Leinster at Dublin, with the
addition of a large porch on the north front
| which was added during Andrew JuCksOn's
administration. The reservation in which
| II stands embraces nearly 81 acres. The
main entrance Is on the north, reached by
the Pennsylvania avenue cars. 1t Is tWc
stories high on the north, is built Of white
| free.stone, 40 feet long by So wide. IL con
tains on the first floor the famous Green
Red Blue and East rooms, the state Dining
Room and the great conservatories The
| Blue Room Is the Presidents official recep
tion room and the drawing.room of the ladies
| of his family. The East Room, orgnall!
| designed for banquet hall and so used a.
late as 1887, and IN the latter part Of the
| century used as q dryng-rOOm for clothes
by Mrs, President Adams, is he largest, ,ant
most noted room, in the building, II Is 9
open TO visitors every day except sundays
Upstairs are the Cabinet room the private
| offices. the Presidents office, the liDrar,
and the family apartments. All thes
rooms except the latter are open to visitors
by special permission, at suitable hours.
Lafayette Square.
Due north from the White House is I.afayett
Square, the first public reservation IN Wash
ington that was improved. 1t contains Ct
equestrian statue Of Andrew jackson, b.
Clark Mills. Many of its trees are old fores
nonarchs, hundreds OF years old IL Is Il
pant Il specimen of the old formal lands soap
gardening so fashionable In Engla tw
hundred years ago, a style that was i'm
ported into this country Lafayette Squar
was. one hundred years ago, part # grave
yard that enclosed the square north, o.
square east, on which are situated the Al
torney Generals Office (lormerly tho Freed
mans Bank) the Surgeon Generals oitic
and Riggs Bank (both In the building for
merly used as the United States Bank
Commodore DeCaturs house, corner FL
teenth ard a-half and Il streets, and Oh
old Club House, near which Philip Barto
Der OF Congress from New York The las
bodies from this graveyard were not II
moved until 1873.
St. Johns T.. Il. Church.
ST, Johns p +, Church, which mas been ofte
called the state Church because more Pres
dents have worshipped there than AZ an
other, stands at the corner of II and SiN
, tcenth streets. 1t was built In 1916 and 81
larged In 1880 In It have worshipped Pre-
Adams Uhough the latter was Cunpeg
t,onnlistj Martin Van Buren,, though he b
louged to the Dutch Reformed Church, lia
rison, TYLER, Polk, Taylor, Fillmore (thoue
the lattor was a unitaran), Pierce, BuGl
nnan and Arthur. Presidents LincOh
johnson and Grant have also attended j
vine services here although not steadily, 1
, interior reminds one very forcbly of n
old dim English country Episcopal chuIche
The Treasury Department..
. The Treasury pcpnrmCntl ~ east OF the Viii
House aud extends the whole length of u
front between Pennsylvania AMI New Gol
avenues. II Is is2 feet long by 800 feet wild
The central east portion y bulit OF lreeSton