Medieval Architecture of DC
DC is known for its neoclassical architecture, but is also home to a large number of medieval-inspired buildings.
I live in the heart of Washington, DC, a city renowned for its neoclassical architecture, which is architecture inspired by the monumental buildings of ancient Rome and Greece. Well-known neoclassical buildings (and the closely related Greek Revival style) in DC include the White House, the United States Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Supreme Court Building, the National Portrait Gallery, Union Station, and the western building of the National Gallery of Art, among others. The neoclassical style is the default monumental building style of DC.
DC is very much a neoclassical city. This is by design, of course, as the Founding Fathers were very much inspired by, and possibly obsessed, with Classical Greco-Roman civilization and its political models, especially the Roman Republic.
While I always say that there is nothing like seeing the originals in the Old World, some neoclassical buildings in DC actually exceed their Greco-Roman counterparts in scale and grandeur, and are very much worth visiting, admiring, and contemplating. It is like experiencing a sliver of the old Roman civilization come alive thousands of miles away and centuries after a bygone era.
Neoclassical architecture is not the only style of architecture that builds on the models of old. In India, for example, there is a very interesting style patronized by the British Raj known as the Indo-Gothic or Indo-Saracenic which combines the European neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles with Persianesque Mughal and Hindu architecture. In DC, as well, the Greco-Roman heritage is not the only inspiration for amazing buildings.
Lately, I have been making a note of visiting medieval-style buildings in DC. While I am a huge fan of the architectural styles of the ancient world—whether Greco-Roman (neoclassical), neo-Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Persian, or Indian—medieval buildings have their own charm. In some ways, they are more imposing, conveying a feeling of security and fortification, and thus, cozy, whereas neoclassical buildings feature a sense of grandeur, symmetry and majesty that is more public-facing in nature. One goes to the National Archives to get a sense of the glory of the documents therein, with the neoclassical columns and rotunda magnifying the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, but it is not a place designed to make one want to live or work in.
There is a sort of thickness to medieval structures, in their masonry, that sets them apart from the colonnaded, outdoor facing, airy vibe of ancient structures. In the United States, most medieval-style buildings are by their nature, churches, which are buildings that are still being built, due to their function as places of worship for modern people. This is far less true of castles, so DC is dotted with many medieval style churches but not fortifications that one may see in a place such as London.
Many ancient temples were to be found in places such as caves and springs: shrines that melded with nature. Other ancient structures were series of buildings throughout a compound that may have included courtyards, shrines, and other buildings surrounding a main temple or shrine. Many Hindu and Buddhist temples are built like this, as are other famous religious places of the ancient world, such as the Acropolis of Athens and the Second Temple in Jerusalem. But the imposing cathedrals and mosques of medieval Europe and the Middle East are unique in the volume of enclosed space they encompass in a single enclosed structure, due to the congregational nature of the religions they represent. This has inspired recent Hindu temple building, which has incorporated domes—not a traditional feature of Indian architecture—to construct the Akshardham mega-temples in Delhi and New Jersey. Domes, are of course, not necessary for giant structures: most large ancient Hindu temples do not have domes and neither do most Gothic cathedrals in Europe.
Because the ancient-medieval-modern characterization best fits European and Middle Eastern history—although I think it works with Indian history with different chronology—I will confine my discussion of medieval architecture to those regions here: buildings inspired by the styles practiced in Europe and the Middle East between approximately 600-1500 CE (i.e. from the rise of Islam to the voyages of Columbus).
Given the Western heritage of the United States and DC, the vast majority of medieval-style buildings here are religious buildings of a Christian nature, although there is also both a neo-medieval mosque and synagogue too. (I have looked for Hindu temples, but there are none in DC proper. However, there are some traditional Hindu temples several miles out of DC in Virginia and Maryland.) There are a rather large number of neo-medieval buildings here in DC, for the same reason there are so many grand neoclassical structures. As the capital of a prominent nation, it behoves DC to have these sorts of buildings because everyone wants to construct a grand structure in the nation’s capital.
I love history and fantasy, so I am naturally drawn to these buildings. While much has been written about the neoclassical heritage of DC, I want to highlight the neo-medieval heritage of the city as well. My apartment faces a small but very beautiful medieval-inspired church, the interior of which is famed for its stained glass: All Souls Episcopal Church, right across the parking lot from my windows. The website mentions that this church is constructed in the Gothic revival style (i.e. neo-Gothic), although upon visiting the interior, both me and someone with whom I spoke there thought that it was more Romanesque in nature because the interior arches were curved rather than pointed.
I live not far from Cathedral Avenue in DC; walk down that street for a few minutes, and there is the Washington National Cathedral, a neo-Gothic masterpiece that is the second-largest church building in the United States, and sixth largest in the world. The National Cathedral is larger than the majority of famous European cathedrals such as Notre Dame de Paris. I am a proud member of the National Cathedral Association where is group for those who support the building. Despite the fact that I am not a Christian, I love to spend time at the cathedral, its gardens, cafe, crypt churches, and naves, all elements of a traditional cathedral experience (well, the cafe would have been more like a kitchen). It is a truly all encompassing and meditative intellectual, spiritual, and aesthetic experience.
In times past, of course, such buildings were also anchors of the community, around which there was trade, faires, markets, and entertainment. (Ken Follet’s novel The Pillars of the Earth captures these elements well.) In an old European town, the main cathedral would more likely than not be at the heart of the city, near a plaza, but the National Cathedral and its Catholic counterpart (yes, the National Cathedral is not Catholic, but Episcopalian), the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception are located a bit out of the way. The heart of DC is its secular, Roman Republic-inspired edifice, the National Mall. I should note here that the Washington National Cathedral is so called because it is in the national capital, and is not, a state-sanctioned place of worship or funded or affiliated in any way with the state, as that would be illegal under the First Amendment.
Below are some exemplars of DC’s neo-medieval architecture, all mostly built in the last century. I have categorized them by their original chronological styles, although some of these overlap.
Romanesque Revival: Based on the architectural style of the 11th-12th centuries in Western Europe. This arose from a combination of Roman methods and local styles adapted to the resources available and the environmental and military needs of their communities. Compared to previous Roman architecture, these buildings give off a sense of thickness because they use heavy stones, thick walls, and large pillars. It is also characterized by its semi-circular arches and barrel vaults, which are also semi-circular in nature. Prominent castles built in this style include Ludlow Castle and the Tower of London.
Neo-Byzantine: A revival movement of the so-called Byzantine style, often featuring colorful mosaics, arches, vaults, and domes covering huge spaces that are often square, almost square (i.e the Hagia Sophia is 269 feet/82 meters long and 240 feet/73 meters wide), or rectangular.
Neo-Gothic: This is what comes to people’s minds when they think about a medieval style. It represents an evolution of the Romanesque style toward pointed arches and rib vaults. It is also characterized by stained glass and high towers. Both the exteriors and interiors of Gothic cathedrals are filled with intricate carvings, tapestries, glass, and other art. I think there may be a sense among some that the Gothic style is an improvement on the Romanesque style, but I think it is less a matter of better or worse than simply a question of different aesthetics. A Gothic cathedral is a uniquely magnificent building that has few parallels in the world, whereas one can say that there is a similarity between the Romanesque and Byzantine styles, or the Byzantine and Ottoman styles, for example (although, interestingly, the Ottomans later experimented with neoclassical—Nuruosmaniye Mosque—and even Gothic-style mosques in Istanbul). On the other hand, a Romanesque-style building tends to feel gentler and softer. There are some prominent examples of Romanesque architecture in central DC, which fit in well with the surrounding neoclassical and modern buildings much better than a neo-Gothic building would.
Neo-Mamluk: The Mamluks originated as a class of enslaved soldiers (mamluk in Arabic) Circassians and Turks who eventually became the ruling elite of Egypt between the 13th and 16th centuries before the Ottoman conquest. Mamluk architecture drew on existing models in the Middle East. Many of these models use hypostyle halls, common in ancient Egypt and Persia: buildings with rows of columns, such as at the Great Mosque at Cordoba in Spain. However, in addition to these models, the Mamluks incorporated Byzantine and Crusader elements, increasingly using heavy stones and fortress-like walls. The exteriors of Mamluk buildings were also colonnaded. Mamluk architecture is more angular and rectangular than, say, the Ottoman architecture that later came to prominence. Ottoman mosques are more spacious and airy, featuring great domes, although Mamluk buildings often have domes too, especially mosques. Domes have been a prominent feature of mosques since the beginning of Islam, having been popular among both the Byzantines and Persians for centuries.
Neo-Renaissance: A revival of the architecture of the Renaissance. Although Greco-Roman Classical culture was an inspiration for the Renaissance in Europe, the neoclassical style did not develop until 18th century. The neoclassical style sought to consciously imitate Roman architecture. Renaissance architecture, on the other hand, incorporated elements of the Classical style, but was itself an outgrowth of contemporary Italian architecture. The Renaissance style is characterized by square or rectangular shapes, symmetry, and often a uniform facade with windows and balconies at repeated, regular intervals. Many such buildings can be found in places such as Rome and Florence. To be honest, there are many times where I looked at a building in DC and wondered whether it was Neo-Renaissance or Romanesque Revival, as the Romanesque style—always very popular in Italy, which did not take much to the Gothic style—developed into the Renaissance style through inspiration from classical Roman architecture. I have also noticed that a good number of buildings in DC are in these two styles, probably because they fit in smoothly with other buildings in an urban landscape. While I like the Gothic style, a city comprised mostly of Gothic architecture could be a bit jarring.
Photo credits are mine, unless otherwise specified. In some cases, I used open-source, public images.
Romanesque Revival
Smithsonian Castle
The Smithsonian Castle is a classic exemplar of a Romanesque Revival building. Constructed from local red sandstone, it was the first building of the Smithsonian to be completed, in 1855. Most of the other structures on the mall are more classical in style. The castle—which is mostly used for administrative purposes—has been closed for over a year, and will be closed for a few more years, as it undergoes renovation. The purpose of the renovation is to restore the castle to “to its original appearance with decorative finishes and terrazzo floors,” so hopefully upon completion, a visitor can experience a Romanesque-style castle in its full glory.
Old Post Office
The Old Post Office was built between 1893 and 1899 on Pennsylvania Avenue near the National Mall and the Smithsonian buildings. The building is now used as a hotel, so it doesn’t have a very medieval feel to it. However, the exterior is quite Romanesque: “the building’s massive scale, rustication, arched fenestration, and ornamentation evokes the Romanesque Revival style, while incorporating a variety of complementary features such as Byzantine sculptural capitals, French Gothic dormers and sculpture, and French Renaissance detailing.” Other sources describe the Old Post Office as evocating the feel of a medieval Italian town hall.
Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle
St. Matthew’s is located at the heart of DC, midway between Dupont Circle and Farragut Square, in dense urban space. Completed in 1913, it is popular among local professionals and politicians as the city’s most important Catholic church—it is the mother church of the archdiocese of DC.
The gilded interior of the building is actually much more impressive than its exterior. It looks mostly neo-Romanesque—with barrel vaults within—but there are also Byzantine elements, such as the done and the interior mosaics. The contrast between the busy street right outside the cathedral and the quiet, serene space within is quite pronounced. I have dipped into this cathedral many times for its meditative and calming atmosphere while walking past it on my way to Dupont Circle.
Heurich House Museum
The Heurich House Museum is a neo-Romanesque castle in Dupont Circle, northwest DC. Specifically, it belongs to a particular substyle popular in the United States in the 19th century called the Richardsonian Romanesque, named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The house was built between 1892–1894 for the German immigrant and brewer Christian Heurich, who at one point operated the largest brewery in DC.
The Cairo, an apartment building near Dupont Circle, also features an exterior that is a mix of Romanesque Revival and Moorish styles.
Neo-Byzantine
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
This basilica is the largest Roman Catholic church in the United States, and one of the largest in the world. It is not a cathedral, because a cathedral is the seat of a bishop, and Washington DC’s cathedral is the aforementioned Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in downtown DC. Construction began in 1920, with the finishing touches placed just a few years ago, in 2017, although it has been functional for decades. It is located in the Brookland neighborhood of northeast DC.
While this basilica can be characterized as neo-Byzantine—because of the domes and colorful mosaics—it also has elements of Romanesque architecture, particularly in the exterior design. The tall bell tower set to the side of the main building is evocative of the towers of Italian Romanesque churches: think the Duomo in Florence. The basilica’s website describes how both the Romanesque and Byzantine styles were synthesized to produce the church:
“Romanesque art is very enthusiastic in its use of figurative or stone sculpting. The exterior of the Basilica contains both heroic size figures of saints and finely sculpted tympana and archways. Tympana sculpted in relief ornament the interior east and west entrances and various niches in the nave and chancel areas. Stained and faceted glass windows decorate both the Upper and Lower Church areas….Byzantine art is remarkable in its use of mosaic and marble. Above the spring line, this includes the mosaic ornamentation of seven main domes along with the many side chapels and oratories. Below the spring line, the church is adorned with beautiful marble claddings. The finer marbles open out allowing the marble veining to form symmetrical patterns.
To achieve an original design that was ‘sunk in tradition yet distinctively American,’ architects chose a Romanesque-Byzantine style for a national Catholic monument to symbolize the faith and love of the United States for its patroness, the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception….Romanesque architecture is defined by its massive size, thick walls, arches, piers, groin vaults, towers and ornamented ambulatories, while Byzantine architecture is noted for its most distinctive feature, the dome. In Byzantine architecture, a circular or elliptical dome is placed over a square or rectangular room by means of pendentives, triangular constructions which strengthen and support the base that holds the dome.
The Romanesque-Byzantine style was chosen for the National Shrine to permit the building of the exterior at one time and the interior at another; to harmonize with the architecture of Washington, DC; and to be distinct from the Washington National Cathedral, the Gothic Episcopalian cathedral whose construction was underway at the time.”
Visiting this basilica is an extremely intense visual experience, topped by the angry Jesus mosaic that covers the apse wall, the far end of the church away from its entrance.
There are dozens of Marian chapels (dedicated to the Virgin Mary) and shrines to saints on the sides of the upper church, dedicated to figures from cultures around the world, including Europe, Latin America, Middle East (for example, Lebanon) , Africa, and Asia (for example, India and China). Relative to the Washington National Cathedral, the Basilica of the National Shrine always seems to have more active worshippers at any given time, being a popular pilgrimage site for Catholics from around the country and world. There are shrines for a great many peoples and nations, such as the Our Mother of Africa Chapel, which was built through the fundraising efforts of Black Americans. The ethnic makeup of the visitors is also very global, with people coming from places as far-flung as El Salvador, the Philippines, and Nigeria. Visitors can also eat and shop at the large cafeteria and bookstore in the crypt level of the basilica.
To my mind, this is what a cathedral, or any prominent place of worship would have been like in the days of yore: a lively place, filled with chanting, prayer, and incense, thronged with thronged with pilgrims and worshippers, and rounded out by access to food, books, and gifts. I do like the Washington National Cathedral very much for its architecture, gardens, and fidelity to history, but there is a great sense of vibrancy at the National Shrine.
The lower level crypt is also great. There are two subterranean churches here that I particularly like: the Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel, and the crypt church.
An Aside on Crypts, Caves, and Comparative Religion:
Because I am not from a Christian background, I never really entered a church, except as a tourist—and those felt like quick visits in Rome and Paris!—until my late teens. In my adulthood, I got more of a chance to explore churches, and I became aware that many churches also had crypts. These crypts often have a cavernous chthonic feel, as though one has entered the maw of the earth, to be swallowed up therein. There is a certain sense that the primal spirituality of humankind is deeply linked to caves, as places that sheltered our ancestors. When in a crypt or a cave, one feels walled off from the world, surrounded only by rock, alone with their god. These crypts felt very familiar to me because they convey an aesthetic also found in Hindu temples, which is my religious background. I quote below:
“The gods of Hinduism are always attracted to mountains and caves, and these geographical features have great importance for the symbolism and outer appearance of the temple…In all Hindu temples the sanctuary is strongly reminiscent of a cave; it is invariably small and dark as no natural light is permitted to enter, and the surfaces of the walls are unadorned and massive. Penetration toward the image or symbol of the deity housed in this setting is always through a progression from light into darkness, from open and large spaces to a confined and small space. This movement from complexity of visual experience to that of simplicity may be interpreted by the devotee as a progression of increasing sanctity culminating in the focal point of the temple, the cave or ‘womb’”. -The Hindu Temple: An Introduction to Its Meaning and Forms
Many famous Hindu places of worship, are of course, literally in caves, such as at Udayagiri, Ellora, Elephanta, Amarnath, Hinglaj Mata, and Batu.
Anyone familiar with Catholicism (or Eastern Orthodoxy) and Hinduism will know that their theological tenants are very different and often contradictory, although members of both faiths will mostly insist that they are following some sort of monotheism and oneness of the divine in their theology. The Christian idea of the Holy Trinity is not that different, conceptually from the Hindu idea of one reality, Brahman, manifesting in different forms, an essentially monist view (some would say pantheistic, some would say monotheistic). Just as the Holy Trinity of Christianity purports that God is composed of distinct persons sharing one essence, the Hindu gods may have distinct personalities and roles or are unique manifestations particular to a time or place, but are all equally of one God. According to a recent Pew survey, the majority of Hindus believe that there is “only one God with many manifestations,” a belief that is in line with most contemporary philosophical and theological thinking by Hindu scholars and pandits. Similar thinking came about in the Greco-Roman “polytheistic” religion of the West due to the influence of Neoplatonism, an ideology that also heavily influenced Christianity.
Hinduism and traditional Christianity (Catholicism and Orthodoxy) give off similar aesthetic vibes: incense, bells, elaborate artwork, visual imagery and iconism, carvings, statues, and stonework throughout the places of worship, multiple shrines to different holy figures throughout the sacred place, the chanting in ancient languages (Latin, Greek, Sanskrit), prayer and intercession to multiple holy beings, particular importance given to certain objects or places, and religious processions. When the Portuguese arrived in India in 1498, they initially thought that Hindus were Christians and that Hindu temples were churches. And indeed, it seems that many elements of the old Greco-Roman religion and forms of worship survived in traditional Christianity. And these are not unique to Hinduism and Christianity: many religions and cultures around the world have similar practices. In the Indian Subcontinent, many elements of popular Hindu and Muslim worship also developed in similar directions. What this speaks to, I believe, is a common human tendency toward some sorts of symbolism, ritual, worship, and spirituality, even if there are institutional and theological incompatibilities.
Below are pictures two caves that serve as holy places. One is from India, while the other is a replica of the grotto at Lourdes in France at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America, the next building described in this essay.
Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America
This Roman Catholic institution in northeast DC includes a monastery and domed church modeled after the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the Memorial Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
The interior of the Byzantine-inspired church contains a replica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem (where Jesus is said to have been buried) and catacombs modeled after those of Rome. In my own view, I prefer the interiors of larger, more cavernous buildings like St. Matthew’s and the National Cathedral—which aren’t so airy—and feel intense, deep, and even a bit dark in terms of lighting.
Saint Sophia Cathedral
Saint Sophia Cathedral is a Greek Orthodox cathedral built between 1951 and 1955 right next to the Washington National Cathedral. Being Greek Orthodox, it was very consciously built in the neo-Byzantine style. Some interior work still continues.
Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
Different sources have characterized this building as Romanesque Revival, Moorish, and Byzantine Revival, but I am going with the lattermost of those because of the prominent domes. This historic synagogue was completed in 1908 and is also often host to cultural events such as concerts.
Dumbarton Oaks Museum (Interior)
The Dumbarton Oaks Museum in Georgetown, DC, is an estate that features a park, gardens, historical house, and museum. The museum, which is dedicated to Byzantine and Pre-Columbian Native American art (mostly from Mexico and Peru), is home to a Byzantine-inspired courtyard.
Neo-Gothic
Washington National Cathedral
The National Cathedral is the epitome for what a holy building should be—not merely functional—but a mirror of something transcendent. It isn’t simply a building, but a very important national monument and a whole campus featuring schools, a cafe, and gardens. According to a recent local survey, the National Cathedral was voted DC’s best building. Interestingly, a large proportion of the other finalists in this survey were also medieval-inspired structures, or modernist buildings, with few neoclassical buildings in the group.
I’ve spoken highly of the National Cathedral throughout this essay, so if there is one medieval-inspired building a person can go to while visiting DC, this would be the one. This neo-Gothic cathedral is contains all the elements of a traditional cathedral in Europe including the bell tower, the flying buttresses, the nave, the gargoyles, and crypt churches. Visiting the cathedral is a very highly visual experience.
While it is not run by the state, it is very consciously aiming to be a national cathedral. The stained glass depicts moments from American history and contains a rock from the moon brought back by astronauts. There are also other nods to American culture, including a gargoyle on the exterior shaped like Darth Vader. Many state funerals, includings those of numerous presidents, have occured at the National Cathedral. The Episcopal Church of the United States represented the reorganization of Anglican congregations—members of the Church of England—for a newly independent country without a king. Some elements of the old Church of England apparatus, such as the monarch being the supreme governor of the church, were no longer relevant in the United States. The Church of England had previously been the state religion of many colonies, and a great many early American leaders were raised as Anglicans. Anglicanism, and later Episcopalianism, which are closer to Catholicism than other Protestant denominations, has always been well represented among the elites of the United States. This is a major reason that the cathedral performing numerous national functions in the nation’s capital is Episcopalian.
The cathedral has both a crypt level and a main level. The crypt chapels are built in a variety of styles, such as the Romanesque, to simulate what actual cathedrals in Europe look like: many are built on older churches and feature an amalgamation of different styles.
On the main level, is the nave, the long space that comprises most of the church. The nave is a hundred feet high and opens up to the west, with the altar facing the east, the direction of Jerusalem, as in ancient cathedrals. At the western end of the nave is a rose window called “creation,” containing “every color imaginable.”
Construction of the National Cathedral began in 1907 and took 83 years to complete—as is often the case with large cathedrals. It was built using traditional methods by artisans such as “stone masons, stone carvers, woodworkers, stained glass artisans, [and] ornamental blacksmiths.”
On the roof are structures called pinnacles, ornaments that look like small spires. There can be meticulously hand-crafted. Many now need to be replaced, because a 2011 earthquake damaged 75 percent of them, as well as destroying gargoyles, towers, and other parts of the cathedral worth millions of dollars. Luckily, these new pinnacles are being carved, like the old ones. The novelist, Ken Follett, once related an anecdote regarding the importance of pinnacle restoration, even if a person cannot appreciate them from the ground:
“About five years ago, as part of a fundraising drive to raise money for repairs to Peterborough Cathedral, I was invited up on to the roof. It has pinnacles, little towers about 3ft high, and some of them had been replaced in the 50s with rather crude, plain versions. When you were on the roof, they looked awful, but from the ground, you couldn’t tell. People in the 50s had thought: you can’t see it from the ground, nobody will notice, so why spend the money? But what they thought in the middle ages was: this pinnacle has got to be beautiful because God can see it.”
In short, the whole cathedral is an intricately designed work of art.
Church of the Pilgrims
This is a Presbyterian church located in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. Completed in 1929, it is an example of English-style, neo-Gothic architecture.
Healy Hall (Georgetown University)
Georgetown University’s flagship building, completed in 1879, is Healy Hall. The style is neo-Gothic, particularly a substyle known as Collegiate Gothic, which was a popular way of constructing college buildings in the late-19th century. I did my M.A. at Georgetown, but only had one class in this building, which is mostly used for administrative purposes. The interior is very classy, though it isn’t decorated in a neo-Gothic style; rather, much of it tends toward Baroque, a period of art in Europe extending from around 1600-1750.
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church was founded in 1794 for Irish immigrants working on the construction of the White House and Capitol. It is said to be the oldest surviving church in DC.
There are quite a few other neo-Gothic churches in DC of various sizes. Many are relatively small and serve as neighborhood or parish churches. These include St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and Church of St. Paul’s, K Street, both in Foggy Bottom. Also on this list are Foundry United Methodist Church and The Church of the Holy City near Dupont Circle and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in North Cleveland Park. Addition, there is Church of the Ascension and Saint Agnes near Lafayette Square and Saint Mary Mother of God Catholic Church in Chinatown. These are all neo-Gothic structures, like All Souls Episcopal Church near me. Others, like the National United Methodist Church, are quite large though.
There are several church buildings in DC that are described can be described German Gothic and are less distinctively Gothic than traditional Gothic cathedrals. My first instinct was to actually describe these buildings as a variation of the Romanesque style, but at some point, it isn’t beneficial to wade too deep in the morass of semantics. Two such German-style churches in DC are the Concordia United Church of Christ and Rectory in Foggy Bottom and the Calvary Baptist Church, located in Chinatown. This church—described by the Washington Post as Gothic revival—was completed in 1866. Adolf Cluss, the architect, also designed the Smithsonian Castle.
Neo-Mamluk
Islamic Center of Washington DC
The Islamic Center of Washington is DC’s main mosque. The initiative to build this mosque dates back to the efforts of the Egyptian ambassador to the U.S. in the 1940s, particularly since the diplomatic staffs of many Muslim countries needed a local place of worship. Located on Massachusetts Avenue in northwest DC near many embassies, it serves the local community, diplomatic staffs, and has been visited by many politicians.
The mosque was built between 1948 and 1954. It was designed by an Italian architect who had moved to Egypt and converted to Islam, Mario Rossi. The Egyptian influence was a function of both the initiative originating from the Egyptian ambassador and the architect’s background, and is evident in the rectangular shape and fortress-like look of the mosque. However, some of the interior elements were gifted by other countries: there are tiles from Turkey and rugs from Iran.
It is a bit surprising that they did not decide to go with a dome, which is generally a feature of prominent mosques in the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. Most large mosques do have domes, including from Egypt during the Mamluk era. Well, it is definitely an interesting step to have taken, as there has been some modern experimentation with mosque designs that have been forgoing or deemphasizing domes. Moreover, it is not a requirement for a mosque to have a dome, and many older mosques from places far away from the Middle East—Indonesia, China, Mali—do not have domes and other features that are commonly associated with mosques.
Almas Temple
The Almas Temple is a Masonic building located between 13th and 14th streets on K Street, NW in DC. The street-facing exterior has been done in the Moorish style, inspired by the architecture of Al-Andalus (Islamic Spain) and the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia).
Neo-Renaissance
National Building Museum
The National Building Museum was completed in 1887, originally as the Pension Building. As with many Renaissances palaces in Italy (i.e. the Medici Palace in Florence), it features symmetrical columns arranged around a large courtyard. The courtyard (pictured below) is pretty popular among families with children. While pretty, in my view, it pales in comparison to the more stunning, modernist Kogod Courtyard, located in the Greek Revival building shared by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.
The Freer Gallery of Art, which houses part of the National Museum of Asian Art, also has some Renaissance features, including a colonnaded courtyard.
Extra: The Cloisters Museum in New York City
The Cloisters Museum in Manhattan is one of the most medieval-esque buildings in any major U.S. city. It is centered around four cloisters—covered walkways usually surrounding a courtyard—acquired by George Grey Barnard, an American sculptor, in France. Later, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. acquired the cloisters and the collection (there are 5,000 objects herein) and funded the museum, which was built on a steep hill in Upper Manhattan. It has been open since 1938 and has both Gothic and Romanesque features. I really enjoyed meandering through its many halls a few weeks ago. As a New Yorker, I had visited the Cloisters for a field trip in Middle School but found that I could appreciate a lot more as an adult. A must visit!