National Register of Historic Places

National Cathedral, The

Washington, District of Columbia County, District of Columbia
Listed
May 2, 1974
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
74002170

About this property

The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Episcopal Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral or National Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The structure is of Neo-Gothic design closely modeled on English Gothic style of the late fourteenth century. It is the second-largest church building in the United States, and the third-tallest building in Washington, D.C. The cathedral is the seat of both the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church and the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. Over 270,000 people visit the structure annually. The Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, under the first seven bishops of Washington, erected the cathedral under a charter passed by the United States Congress on January 6, 1893. The foundation stone was laid on September 29, 1907 in the presence of President Theodore Roosevelt and a crowd of more than 20,000. The cathedral was completed 83 years later, after several phases of construction and yearslong interruptions, in the presence of President George H. W. Bush on September 29, 1990. Decorative and restorative work, particularly of damage from a nearby earthquake in 2011, is ongoing as of 2024. The Foundation is the legal entity of which all institutions on the Cathedral Close are a part; its corporate staff provides services for the institutions to help enable their missions, conducts work of the Foundation itself that is not done by the other entities, and serves as staff for the board of trustees. The cathedral stands at Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues in the northwest quadrant of Washington. It is an associate member of the inter-denominational Washington Theological Consortium. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2007, it was ranked third on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects.

Location

Washington, District of Columbia County, District of Columbia
38.92962, -77.07047

Categories

ARCHITECTURERELIGION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Battles

DC Defenses — Fort DeRussy Engagement 1864
1864Civil War
2.9 mi
Fort Stevens — Early's Attack on Washington (July 11-12, 1864)
1864Civil War
3.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was National Cathedral, The listed on the National Register?

National Cathedral, The was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 2, 1974.

What type of historic resource is National Cathedral, The?

National Cathedral, The is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for National Cathedral, The?

The period of significance for National Cathedral, The is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near National Cathedral, The?

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