Washington DC History and Planning

As a DC native (I was born but did not grow up here), I've always been interested in the history of this city's physical development--especially as it was one of the world's first pre-planned urban areas. My interest (and, again, book collecting) centers as well on the city's architecture, especially of its major public buildings and landscape.

The photo shows the layout of buildings on Capitol Hill. Their locations have been central to decades of developmental debate as both the House and Senate expanded into multiple new office buildings and the Library of Congress got its own building (now spread to three) as did the Supreme Court, and even Union Station. All are visible here, looking toward the North (top of picture)

Websites

H-DC Washington History and Culture This growing website includes all kinds of information as well as an active listserv on things historical about the DC area. I contribute book reviews here.

Commission of Fine Arts This federal agency has an important say on any building constructed in the core of the city-and have played a planning role since their formation in 1910. Its published reports (18 volumes covering events to 1963) offer a wealth of information on the physical development of the city.

National Capitol Planning Commission Formed in 1926, this is the official planning agency, and here's their brief summary of planning for the city. The site includes the current comprehensive plan for the city, combining federal and local city elements.

History of Metro A useful and quite detailed on-line guide to the development of the Washington DC subway system over the years.

Architect of the Capitol Here's an official government site with a good deal of historical text and illustrations on the famous building--and some details on the huge new underground visitor center being built.

Washington DC AM Station History This neatly combines two of my interests--in the city, and in broadcasting's development. Tom White has pulled together a feast of information on stations past and present.

Selected Books

Benedetto, Robert, et al., eds. Historical Dictionary of Washington DC. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2003. Useful for short and pithy entries and historical reference material including a 50 page bibliography and several appendices.

Green, Constance McLaughlin. Washington: Village and Capital, 1800-1878. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1962. See next entry.

(Ibid). Washington: Capital City, 1879-1950. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1963, These two volumes (reprinted as one volume in paperback) are still considered the standard history of the city, even though they stop more than a half century ago (1950). Combines the physical, cultural and political aspects of the city's development. An update is badly needed.

Gutheim, Frederick and Antoinette J. Lee. Worthy of the Nation: Washington D.C. From L'Enfant to the National Capital Planning Commission. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006 (2nd ed.). By far the best history of the city's planning and physical development, including extensive comments on sources. Well-illustrated.

Kohler, Sue A. The Commission of Fine Arts: A Brief History 1910-1995. Washington: GPO, 1997. Regularly revised historical survey of one of the key planning entities in the city.

(Ibid) and Pamela Scott, eds. Designing the Nation's Capital: The 1901 Plan for Washington, D.C. Washington: U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, 2006. Reviews the development and impact of the 1901 McMillan Commission plan for the city over the 20th century--the document that largely shaped the public federal city we all know.

Longstreth, Richard, ed. The Mall in Washington: 1791-1991. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 1991 (reprinted by Yale University Press, 2003). Wonderful collection of 14 well-researched papers on all aspects of the Mall and its design and development.

Miller, Iris. Washington in Maps, 1606-2000. New York: Rizzoli, 2002. Thematic review of how the city has been graphically presented over the centuries.

Moeller, G. Martin Jr. AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington DC. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006 (4th ed.). Easily portable handbook--greatly expanded from earlier versions--covering buildings of all periods, whether government, commercial, and residential.

Passonneau, Joseph H. Washington Through Two Centuries: A History in Maps and Images. New York: Monacelli Press, 2004. Includes fascinating and detailed maps showing the city's development in 1800, 1860, 1900, 1940, 1970, and 2000 allowing one to trace the dramatic changes that have taken place---some planned, but many not.

Reps, John W. Monumental Washington. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1967. Still among the best studies of the planning and building of the "federal core" of the city that visitors know best.

(Ibid). Washington on View Since 1790. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1991. Wonderful collection of contemporary maps and drawings of the city over 200 years, well described and annotated.

Scott, Pamela, and Antoinette J. Lee. Buildings of the District of Columbia. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. Excellent and informed survey---probably the best of several available surveys.