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City Hall
Photo: AgnosticPreachersKid, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · tap to enlarge
★ National Historic Landmark

City Hall

Also known as District of Columbia Courthouse

Washington’s first place on the National RegisterListed Oct 15, 1966; only 0 of District of Columbia’s 691 listings are older
Listed 1966Washington
DirectionsAdd an old photo

Many listed buildings are private homes. Please enjoy them from the street.

About

About City Hall

City Hall, at 4th and E Sts., NW, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Oct 15, 1966: the first place in Washington to be listed. It was named a National Historic Landmark on Dec 19, 1960, one of 75 in District of Columbia. Only 0 of District of Columbia’s 691 listings are older. The Register lists it for its politics, at the national level. Nine more Register listings are within a quarter mile.

What it isWashington, D.C., also known as Old City Hall. From Wikidata (CC0). Read about it on Wikipedia ↗

PDFRead the original nominationThe form that put it on the Register, with its history, photos and a map · 67 MB · National Archives↗
Through the years

1960 to today

  1. 1960Named a National Historic Landmark
  2. 1966Added to the National Register of Historic Places
  3. 2026On the Register for 60 years
Visit

Make it a walk: 5 landmarks in about 10 minutes

4th and E Sts., NW, Washington · about 0.3 miles on foot, as the crow flies

DirectionsWalk the tour in Google Maps
  1. 1City HallStart here
  2. 2U.S. Court Of Military AppealsLate Federal · next door
  3. 3US General Accounting Office BuildingModerne · next door
  4. 4Pension BuildingVictorian · Built 1887 · next door
  5. 5Moran BuildingSecond Empire · Built 1889 · next door
Around it

37 more Register listings within half a mile

★ National Historic Landmark · D district · B building · S site. Each opens its own page.

BDistrict of Columbia Municipal Center and PlazaBuilt 19410.1 miBDistrict of Columbia Recorder of DeedsBuilding0.1 miBFederal Home Loan Bank Board BuildingClassical Revival0.2 miBNational Bank of Washington, Washington BranchRichardsonian Romanesque0.2 miBAdas Israel SynagogueClassical0.2 mi★National Archives BuildingBuilt 19310.3 miOTemperance FountainVictorian · Built 18840.3 mi★General Post OfficeGreek Revival0.3 miBEight Hundred Block of F St. NW19th Century Commercial0.3 miDDowntown Historic DistrictVernacular0.3 mi★National Portrait GalleryGreek Revival0.3 miBMyrene Apartment BuildingLate Victorian0.3 miBBulletin BuildingArt Deco0.3 miBHarrison Apartment BuildingLate Victorian0.3 miBOriental Building Association No. 6 BuildingRenaissance Revival0.3 miBGermuiller RowLate Victorian0.3 miBOld Engine Company No. 6Italianate0.3 miBUS Courthouse-District of ColumbiaModernistic: Stripped Classicism · Built 19490.4 mi
Show the other 19
StL'Enfant Plan of the City of Washington, District of ColumbiaMonumental Classicism · Built 17910.4 miOFranklin Delano Roosevelt MemorialBuilt 19970.4 miBCentral National BankLate Victorian · Built 18600.4 miDPennsylvania Avenue National Historic SiteEarly Republic0.4 miBNational Union BuildingRichardsonian Romanesque · Built 18900.4 miBRiggs National Bank, Washington Loan And Trust Company BranchRichardsonian0.4 miBEquitable Co-operative Building AssociationClassical Revival · Built 19110.4 miBLansburgh, Julius, Furniture Co., Inc.French Renaissance · Built 18700.4 miBOn Leong Chinese Merchants AssociationBuilding0.4 miBWheatley, Phyllis, YWCA (Additional Documentation)Colonial Revival · Built 19200.4 miBJefferson Apartment BuildingLate Victorian0.4 miSNational MallBuilt 17910.5 miBNational Museum of Natural HistoryBuilding0.5 miBFord's Theatre National Historic SiteBuilt 19650.5 miBSun BuildingVictorian Gothic0.5 miBMcLachlen BuildingClassical Revival0.5 miBKing, Martin Luther, Memorial LibraryInternational Style · Built 19720.5 miBMary E. Surratt HouseEarly Republic · Built 18430.5 miB2nd Baptist ChurchLate Gothic Revival0.5 mi
More like it

Other National Historic Landmarks nearby

The nearest Landmarks with a photo, within 25 miles, and the year each was named.

Pension BuildingBuilt 1887 · 0.2 mi away · 1985
National Archives BuildingBuilt 1931 · 0.3 mi away · 2023
General Post Office0.3 mi away · 1971
National Portrait Gallery0.3 mi away · 1965

Memories of City Hall

The record says what it is. Neighbors know what it means.

Town Square →
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Have an old photo of it?Add it · +10

Questions about City Hall

Is City Hall on the National Register of Historic Places?

Yes. It was added on Oct 15, 1966 (Register number 66000857).

Is City Hall a National Historic Landmark?

Yes, since Dec 19, 1960. District of Columbia has 75 National Historic Landmarks, 74 of them in Washington.

Can you visit City Hall?

Our record doesn’t say whether it is open to visitors. Many listed buildings are private, so it may only be seen from the street.

Where can I read the history of City Hall?

In its National Register nomination, the form that put it on the Register: a 67 MB PDF at the National Archives, linked on this page.

Sources: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places (05/22/2026) · National Archives catalog record 117691801 · Wikidata. Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.