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Looking skyward inside the Waldorf Astoria Washington D.C. reveals the architectural heart of the former Old Post Office Pavilion: a vast atrium capped by a steel-and-glass skylight. Spanning multiple stories, this breathtaking space blends industrial innovation with Romanesque design elements—characterized by rounded arches, iron ornamentation, and layered stone and plaster detailing.

Originally completed in 1899, the Old Post Office was designed by Supervising Architect Willoughby J. Edbrooke and featured cutting-edge construction for its time, including a steel internal skeleton that allowed for the open vertical space seen here. The atrium once served a practical purpose—allowing natural light into the mail sorting floors—and has since been preserved as a centerpiece of the building’s adaptive reuse as a luxury hotel.

The photo captures the latticework of the skylight, intersected by iron beams and flanked by repeating columned arcades on all sides. Suspended acoustic panels float below the glass ceiling, subtly modern additions to a historic structure. Decorative ironwork and ornamental capitals around the perimeter reflect the building's 19th-century grandeur.

Today, the atrium functions as a public and private gathering space—dramatic yet peaceful, airy yet grounded in stone and steel. This is one of Washington D.C.'s few remaining Romanesque Revival interiors on such a monumental scale.

HABS Architectural Survey Standard:
Documented according to standards of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS):

Structure Name: Old Post Office

Location: 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.

Style: Richardsonian Romanesque

Date of Construction: 1892–1899

Architect: Willoughby J. Edbrooke

HABS Reference Number: DC-275

Once the city’s central post office, this grand Romanesque Revival structure now serves as the Waldorf Astoria Washington D.C.—a luxury hotel steeped in architectural heritage. Built between 1892 and 1899 and located at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, the building was originally the Old Post Office Pavilion and is one of the few late 19th-century federal buildings to survive in the area.

This photograph captures the front portico entrance with its massive central arch, heavy rusticated stone, and richly detailed carvings—all hallmarks of the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Architect Willoughby J. Edbrooke designed the structure while serving as Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury, favoring rounded arches, fortress-like massing, and medieval references that evoke strength and permanence.

Above the main entry is a contemporary gold Waldorf Astoria sign, while the flanking arched windows now house the Peacock Alley restaurant and the Waldorf Astoria Spa. These adaptations highlight a thoughtful preservation approach: retaining the building’s historic fabric while accommodating modern luxury.

After narrowly avoiding demolition in the mid-20th century, the Old Post Office was repurposed in the 1980s and underwent another major transformation in the 2010s when it was converted into a hotel. Through each chapter, its architectural integrity has been largely maintained, making it a rare and prominent example of Romanesque civic design in Washington, D.C.

HABS Architectural Survey Standard:
Documented according to standards of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS):

Structure Name: Old Post Office

Location: 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.

Style: Richardsonian Romanesque

Date of Construction: 1892–1899

Architect: Willoughby J. Edbrooke

HABS Reference Number: DC-275

Built in 1894 and towering 164 feet above the street, The Cairo holds a special place in Washington, D.C.'s architectural history. Designed by architect Thomas Franklin Schneider, this historic building was so tall for its time that it directly led to the Height of Buildings Act of 1899, which still limits D.C. structures today. Originally opened as a luxury hotel, The Cairo attracted ambassadors, artists, and dignitaries during its heyday, offering lavish amenities and commanding views of the young capital city.

Architecturally, The Cairo is a rare and dramatic example of Moorish Revival design blended with Romanesque and Egyptian motifs. Its creamy limestone facade is richly textured with intricate carvings, ornate arches, geometric details, and an almost fortress-like massing that sets it apart from the surrounding cityscape. The entrance, photographed here bathed in the soft golden light of morning, showcases its deep, recessed archway flanked by grand globe-topped iron lamp posts — a design that feels at once exotic and stately.

Inside, the building features elaborate tiled floors, dramatic archways, and long, winding hallways reminiscent of a 19th-century European hotel. Over the decades, The Cairo has transitioned from hotel to apartments and now condominiums, maintaining much of its historic charm while adapting to modern city life. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Cairo remains one of Dupont Circle’s most beloved and recognizable landmarks. Its singular style and larger-than-life history continue to fascinate architecture lovers, historians, and residents alike.

Capturing The Cairo’s entrance in soft natural light emphasizes its fine stonework and the interplay of light and shadow across the textured surface — a fitting tribute to one of Washington, D.C.’s most distinctive and transformative buildings.

Tucked along Washington, D.C.’s Embassy Row at 1799 Massachusetts Avenue NW, this rugged Romanesque Revival gem stands as a striking relic of the city’s Gilded Age. Clad in rough-hewn red sandstone, the façade is rich with medieval flourishes: clustered columns, carved stonework, and a proud semicircular turret capped with a balustrade. Built in the late 19th century, it evokes the fortress-like grandeur favored by architects such as Henry Hobson Richardson, who helped popularize this style.

What makes this building particularly fascinating today is its context. Flanked tightly by a sleek white mid-century apartment block and a more restrained brick townhouse, the bold craftsmanship of the Romanesque structure refuses to fade into the background. The deep texture of the stone catches the morning light beautifully, emphasizing every chisel mark and giving the building a tactile, monumental quality.

Once a private residence, like many homes along this stretch, the building likely transitioned into an embassy, office, or institutional use in the 20th century. The seasonal bare trees allow the intricate stonework to shine, providing a rare, unobstructed view of one of the city’s more dramatic surviving brownstones.

This juxtaposition of past and present architecture tells the story of D.C.’s evolution—a city where legacy, diplomacy, and progress are forever intertwined.

This grand stretch of Embassy Row in Washington, D.C. showcases a dazzling display of late 19th-century Romanesque Revival architecture. Built from rugged green-hued sandstone with red clay tile roofs, these richly detailed homes blend medieval fantasy with Gilded Age opulence. Look closely, and you'll find Gothic arches, turrets, intricate stone carvings, and wrought-iron balconies—a level of craftsmanship rarely seen today.

These homes, originally built as private mansions for D.C.’s elite, now house embassies, institutions, and organizations, carrying forward a tradition of international diplomacy. The sunlight striking the textured stone brings out its golden undertones, while the bare trees frame the façade, offering a clear view of the elaborate architectural ornamentation.

Photographed in the soft morning light of winter, the scene captures the enduring charm of D.C.'s historic residential blocks—where every building tells a story of wealth, ambition, and the timeless appeal of old-world craftsmanship.

This handsome view along Massachusetts Avenue NW in Washington, D.C.’s Embassy Row perfectly captures the neighborhood’s eclectic architectural blend. On the left, a mid-century modernist building with textured concrete panels and a geometric steel canopy reflects the postwar boom in government and commercial development. To its right, a striking late 19th-century brick townhouse basks in golden light, standing proud with its clean cornice, gabled dormers, and simple bay windows—a restrained example of Washington’s Victorian-era urban housing.

Next door, a French Second Empire–style mansion shows off a classic mansard roof and wrought-iron balcony, adding European flair to the row. In the distance, the sharp vertical lines of a modernist white-and-glass building punctuate the skyline, hinting at the evolving character of this stretch of Massachusetts Avenue.

While today many of these historic homes house embassies, private clubs, and cultural organizations, the street’s architectural DNA—part stately, part experimental—remains distinctly Washingtonian. The bare winter trees lining the avenue allow full appreciation of the façade details, from decorative brickwork to elegant iron railings.

This is Embassy Row at its finest: a walking history lesson where 19th-century ambition, 20th-century pragmatism, and 21st-century innovation coexist.

This elegant brownstone mansion on Washington, D.C.’s Embassy Row is home to the Dumbarton House Foundation, a cultural institution housed within a Gilded Age architectural gem. Its most defining feature is the dramatically patinated copper-clad oriel window, which projects over the main entrance like a sculpted lantern—an exquisite combination of texture, material, and craftsmanship.

Built in the late 19th century, the structure’s Romanesque Revival influences are evident in the rounded window arches, richly hued brickwork, and fortress-like presence. The oriel window's green copper surface, oxidized with time, features embossed medallions and framed windowpanes with diamond leaded glass—a motif that recurs throughout the facade. A deeply recessed oak door beneath a low brick arch welcomes visitors with understated grandeur, flanked by wrought-iron railings and lantern sconces.

Inside, the building functions as a museum and event space, often used for diplomatic receptions, lectures, and cultural programming. But even from the sidewalk, it commands respect—especially in the golden hour, when the copper glows softly and the brick radiates warmth.

Nestled among some of D.C.’s most prestigious addresses on Massachusetts Avenue NW, this building perfectly encapsulates the quiet strength and artisanal detail that defines the capital’s finest residences.