The Washington critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1885-1888, 1886-08-31
THE VISITORS GUIDE.
Objects of Interest in and About the
National Capital.
THE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS.
Parks, Squares, statues, Gardens ana
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
brief directory of its prominent points
will be of service to the vast number of
persons who annually resort to the pc.
litical metropolis. For 1t Is estimated
that over three hundred thousand
strangers pay n 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, is used-one hun
dred numbers being allotted to each square
or ELECTROMAGNETIC at First street west,
running west, First street east, running
east, 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 lefthand 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 line due north and south from the Cap
itol and East Capitol street, and a continue
ton ON the same west of the Capitol run
ming due east and west.
The Capitol.
This great building Is the central point Of tho
original District, and Is the largest ediiCe
In the country. Its centre marks the Me-
rdian OF Washington, The middleportion,
Immediately under the. dome, Is the part
first built. II was partially destroyed by the
British In 1914, but was completely restored
by 1s97. 1t ncloses the "cryptn-where the
remains of Washington were intended TO be
Representatives Hall, now the Gallery of
Statuary, and the old Senate Chamber, now
the supreme Courtroom. The old Supreme
Court room in the first story, Is now ocCu-
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 the
Library. The south wing contains the
House of Representatives. and the north
wngthe Senate Chamber. The rotunda Is dis
tinguished for its historic paintings for tho
famous bronze doors, with their alto
reliefs, and for Brumdi's frescongs. In the
Hall OF Statuary are the natural pictures In
Potomac marble, representing faces of GER
tain American statesmen-a picturesque
| freak of nature. From the little rotunda,
Immediately north of the great rotunda, the
| staircase 10 lllc Top OF inc uOlne DekllS llS
| 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
been transformed into n beautiful
park and are now most exquisitely beauti-
| tul. The east base of the Capitol Is s9l1
| feet above ordinary low tide in the Potomac
| 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, 1915
the. statue SO516 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
west. The building Is 75i feet long by 32i
wide, and covers 3& acres. IL Is the finest
| and largest public building In the world,
| and in many respects the costliest and
handsomest. II Is moreover the growth of
| less than a century-a fact which adds to
its beauty and interest. The original Capt.
tol, or centre building, Is an imitation,
though not a slayish one, of tho Maison
CarIee 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 the most
beautiful and picturesque in the world ana
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 springlng
up amid its EMBEDDING green blades. Were
II not for the partly Intervening Treasury
building the view Of the White House from
the Capitol would be full and complete. The
White House Is the center of Uptown aa
the Capitol Is the center of Down town.
1t is beautifully located the view from the
south windows covering the whole southern
front the 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 LcInstor at Dublin, with the
addition of a large porch ON the north front
which was added during Andrew JacksOn's
administration. The reservation IN which
| II stands embraces nearly ~ 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
| frcostone, 10 feet long by 50 wide. 10 con
tains on the first floor the famous Green
Red, Blue and East rooms, the state Dining
| Room and the great conseryatortos, The
Blue Room is the Presidents official rocep
tionroom and the wingroom o. the ladies
| of his family. The East Room, originally
designed for banquet hall and so used a.
late as 1887, and in the latter part Of the
century used as Il drying-roOm for clOthe'
| by Mrs. President Adams, Is the largest anC
most noted room In the building, Ii Is .
feet high, so feet long and 40 wide. 10 Is
open to visitors every day except sundays
| Upstairs are the Cabinet room, the privat,
Offices the Presidents office, the library
and the family apartments. All thes,
| IObUlS tAttll llt ldlltI dlt bltll W NlNiAbAS
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. IL contains TN
equestrian statue Of Andrew Jackson, b,
Clark Mills. Many of its trees are old foros
monarchs, hundreds of years old. II Is II
part specimen of the old formal Landscape
gardening so fashionable in England two
hundred years ago, n style that was I'm
tod int, fa nfpt al AT "a
was. one hundred years ago, part + a grave
yard that enclosed the square north, on
which st. Johns Church Is built, and tn
square east, on which are situated the At
torney. Generals Office formerly the Freed
mans Bank, the Surgeon Generals Oltic
and Riggs Bank tboth IN the building for
merly used as the United States Bank
Commodore Decatur's house, corner FIJI
teeuth and a-half and Il streets, and TN
old club House, near which Philip Bartol
Key was Killed by Daniel Z. sicklGS Mem
| bodies from this graveyard were not rG
moved until 1919,
1T. Johns Il, 4. Church.
St Johns p. r. C1urcn, which mas been ofte
called the State Church because moro Prcs
dents have worshipped there than AT an
other, stands at tie corner of II and Six
teenth streets. II was built In 1916 aud on
larged in 1870. In it have worshipped Pre-
| idents Madison, Monroe John tluino
Adams Though the latter was Congrcgl
tiouaisl Martin Van Buron, though he b,
longed to the Dutch Reformed Church. lla1
rson, Tyler, Polk, Taylor Fillmore (thoug
the latter was a Unitarian, Pierce, Bucl
anaH and Arthur. Presidents Lincoln
johnson and Grant have also attended d
vine services here although not steadily. II
interior reminds one very torcibly OF IN
old, dim English country Episcopal churchc
The Treasury Department.
| The Treasury Department * east Of the Whit
House and cNtcpds the whole length of N
front between Pennsylvania and New Nur
l. fac RtnI a
The central east portion is built of Preston,
rebuilt in 1875 II, while the other parts WEI
commenced In 1859 and built of granite
The CASH Room In this building il a bcal
Iiful nnnrtmnEt I'm tho north wing. the ID