Architectures of Dupont Circle

The Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington DC, slightly over a mile northwest of the White House and bordering the central business district, was populated in the decades following the Civil War. Queen Anne rowhouses originally predominated, interspersed with mansions and larger buildings in Romanesque revival and a variety of other eclectic styles. This exhibit illustrates the broad diversity of architectures of Dupont Circle, designated a Historic District since 1978.

		Townhouse in Queen Anne style, 21st Street. Constructed in 1887. Click here to view close-up of turret.
		Dutch Colonial, 20th Street.
		Rooftop, Public Citizen Building, Q Street.
		Belgrano Building, Connecticut Avenue.
		Eclectic house front, R Street.
		Apex, Dupont Circle Building.
		Contemporary condominium homes, R Street. A rare example of modern design in the Historic District.
		Dupont Circle
		Office building, Connecticut Avenue. Erected in 1917, this handsome structure stands at the lower edge of the neighborhood.
		Quintessential Dupont Circle architecture. Townhouses dating from the 1880s, now quartering shops and restaurants, line the 1600 block of 20th Street NW. Photographed on New Year’s morning of 2015 at a rare moment absent parked cars and traffic.
		View of Connecticut Avenue, “Main Street” of Dupont Circle, emerging from the tunnel under the circle, looking to the northwest.
		Along Connecticut Avenue
		Clocktower along Connecticut Avenue
		Landmark office building, Connecticut Avenue. A dynamic view of forceful architecture demarcating the southerly entry point to Dupont Circle from the downtown business district.
		Detail on retail buildings, Connecticut Avenue.
		Detail on townhouse, 20th Street.
		Buffalo Bridge, Q Street.
		Connecticut Avenue aside traffic underpass
		Decorative detail below roof of building at center of above image. Extreme telephoto view.
		Dupont Circle Hotel
		Kramerbooks & Afterwords café. Brick and metal construct overlooking café.
		Embassy of Portugal, Massachusetts Avenue. Shown is the back of the building along P Street.
		Andrei Sakharov memorialized at Russia House restaurant
		Corner of Connecticut and Florida Avenues in early morning sun
		Early office building, Q Street. Built in the mid-1920s, the structure appeals with a basic geometry, and complements a similar building (“The Anchorage”) across the street.
		Phillips Gallery Addition
		Blaine Mansion, Massachusetts Avenue. Originally an early estate home, the structure serves as a commercial office building (note modern extension at left) with retail on the ground floor. Shown is the back of the building along P Street.
		Nightclub, 22nd Street.
		Teaism teahouse, R Street.
		Original Teaism teahouse stove
		Rainy Sunday morning. A couple strolls by the Café Citron, the sidewalk flush with Saturday-night detritus.
		“Toronto” office building, P Street. Constructed in 1909, the elegant edifice was originally a luxury apartment building. The structure was converted to an office building in 1955.
		Inn at Dupont Circle
		Lion in snow fronting Taft Bridge
		Taft Bridge. View from Rock Creek Park below.
		Taft Bridge (Connecticut Avenue), major route to Dupont Circle from the north.
		Townhouse in brutalist architectural style, 21st Street.
		Woman’s National Democratic Club annex. Low-rise, concrete brutalist architecture, a rarity in Washington DC.
		Brookings Institution, Massachusetts Avenue. A seldom seen example of early International style institutional architecture, constructed in 1951.
		Washington Hilton Hotel. Photographed in 2013. Construction of a major addition to the right of the building began in early 2015.
		Derelict apartment house, R Street.
		Bleak courtyard, Decatur Place.

Townhouses and 1962 Cadillac Coupe, R Street, Dupont Circle. Photographed in 2011.