Your Daily Guide

Great American State Fair Comes To The National Mall

A two-week state fair-style celebration is coming to the National Mall June 25 as part of the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations. The free event will stretch from the Capitol to the Washington Monument and feature live music, regional food, livestock competitions, a 110-foot Ferris wheel, and a refurbished Smithsonian carousel. [WTOP]

Pinkies Up, Here Comes the King

King Charles III and Queen Camilla of Britain will stop by D.C. during a four-day visit to the United States to celebrate its 250th anniversary. They will dine at the White House on April 27, followed by time speaking with Congress and a trip to a national park in Virginia. [New York Times 🔒]

NPS Removes Context From Fountain’s Racist Namesake

The National Park Service removed signage from a historic fountain in Chevy Chase that explained the racist past of the lawmaker it’s dedicated to. Now, a neighborhood resident is suing to get an explanation as to why, claiming its namesake was a white supremacist and that removing the sign is misleading. “It feels like book burning. History is being disappeared,” he said. [NBC4]

Every Failure Leading Up to the Potomac Sewage Nightmare

January’s massive Potomac sewage spill has led to it becoming the most endangered river in the nation. But that failure didn’t come out of nowhere. Washington Post investigative journalist Aaron Davis uncovered the red tape that stopped needed repairs for years. Davis chatted with us about what he found and who’s to blame. [WTOP/City Cast DC 🎧]

Maryland ICE Facility Construction On Pause

A federal judge temporarily stopped an ICE detention center from being built in a retrofitted warehouse in Washington County, Maryland, citing the scope and impact of the project. He said that a building with four toilets cannot support over 500 detainees and that the number of people would harm the surrounding ecosystem. The facility has sparked outrage from residents and local leaders, including a lawsuit from the state’s Attorney General. [CBS News]

Between the push to convert federal office buildings to housing and President Trump’s campaign to rebuild the East Wing and to paint everything white, D.C.’s architectural “look” has been in the headlines a lot lately. But in reality, D.C.’s neighborhoods are a patchwork of distinct architectural styles, each tied to a specific historical moment.

We chatted with architecture expert Joe Himali about why our houses look the way they do and how you can differentiate a “Wardman” from a “Lindy” once and for all.

Georgian and the Early Styles

The oldest style you'll encounter in D.C. is Georgian. Dating back to the 1700s, its red brick, perfect symmetry, and minimal ornamentation made it all the rage in colonial times. After the Revolution, it evolved into Federal style, which was similar but more refined with a fan-shaped window above the door.

• Where To Find: Georgetown is the motherload for both Georgian and Federal styles. Look for the telltale austere red brick symmetry and federal fanlights. Capitol Hill also has a decent mix of both styles. The White House and Tudor Place are famous examples of Federal style.

V is For Victorian

"Victorian" is technically a time period that ended with the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, but it’s often used to describe the more ornamental style of home that dominated the mid-to-late 19th century. This looked like tall, narrow row houses with bay windows and lots of ornate details — aka my dream house. The Romanesque Revival sub-style was particularly popular in D.C., with lots of heavy masonry, rounded half-circle arches, and a more monumental feeling.

• Where To Find: Logan Circle and Adams Morgan have the highest concentration but Dupont Circle is known specifically for Romanesque Revivals, Heurich House being a prime example.

The Beaux Arts Or Faux Arts

Suddenly, at the turn of the 20th century, the complex and moody Victorian look was out and Beaux Arts was all the rage. Bright symmetrical limestone facades, classical columns, and exuberant, almost gaudy, decorative details. Turns out, a lot of D.C.'s “Beaux Arts” buildings are actually just fashionable details grafted onto existing styles, but I think it makes it all the more charming.

• Where To Find: Embassy Row! Many of the Embassy Row’s grand limestone mansions were originally built for Gilded Age tycoons. Some other classic examples are the old Carnegie Library (now the Apple Store/DC History Center) and The National Museum of Natural History.

The Wardman and the Lindy

Finally, we get two distinctly D.C. housing styles, both tied to specific developers. Harry Wardman popularized the porch front row house (all hail the Porchfest godfather). The simple style was created cheaply to accommodate D.C.’s rapidly growing population of middle-income government employees. Wardman was said to have housed 10% of D.C.’s population by 1925.

Then there's the Lindy, a sneaky Federal-style townhouse made popular by developer Barry Lindy that actually has two separate apartments, helping solve a big affordability problem in D.C. at the time.

• Where To Find: Petworth is the mecca of Wardman homes but they are generally scattered throughout Northwest D.C. Lindy houses can be found in Capitol Hill and throughout Adams Morgan.

Pro tip: Plug any D.C. address into HistoryQuest DC to pull up the original building permits, architect, and developer for almost any property in the city.