Washington National Cathedral
The foundation stone was set on September 29, 1907, with President Theodore Roosevelt in attendance; George H.W. Bush watched the last finial placed on the same date 83 years later.
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The second-largest church in the United States and the third-tallest building in Washington, D.C., built in Neo-Gothic style closely modeled on English Gothic design of the late 14th century. Construction spanned 83 years and closed on the exact same calendar date it began. A 2011 earthquake left damage still being repaired as of 2024, so the stone itself carries recent history.
What to look for
- The "final finial" at the cathedral's peak — the last piece set on September 29, 1990, exactly 83 years after the foundation stone
- The Neo-Gothic stonework, deliberately modeled on English Gothic forms from the 1300s
- Active earthquake restoration: a 2011 tremor left visible damage that workers are still correcting
At Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues in northwest D.C.; more than 270,000 people visit annually, so weekday mornings are quieter.
Washington National Cathedral is one of 37 sights worth the detour in Washington, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Washington pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Washington
- White HouseBritish forces torched it in 1814. It has been the U.S. president's home and office ever since.
- The PentagonDesigned and built in 16 months during World War II — 17.5 miles of corridors, a five-acre central courtyard, and a 9/11 memorial at the exact point of impact.
- United States CapitolEvery street address in Washington DC radiates outward from this building — it is literally the zero point of the city.
- Washington MonumentThe faint color seam partway up the shaft marks where construction stopped for 23 years.
- Smithsonian InstitutionBritish scientist James Smithson left a bequest that became 157 million objects, 21 museums, and a zoo — almost all free to walk into.
- Arlington National CemeteryThe ground holding 400,000 graves was seized from Robert E. Lee's own family over an unpaid tax bill in 1864.