U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC

The U.S. Capitol building houses the United States Congress at the top of Capitol Hill at the east end of the National Mall. Although the original architect of the building was William Thornton, the design was modified by a succession of architects including Stephen Hallet, Thomas U. Walter, Charles Bulfinch, Benjamin Latrobe and August Schoenborn and was completed under the watchful eye of Edward Clark.

The Capitol Building consists of a central domed area connected to two large halls, one for the Senate, and one for the House of Representatives. Above both of these chambers are galleries, where visitors can watch the Senate and House of Representatives.

Lincoln Memorial

The Lincoln Memorial, which is on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was built in honour of America's 16th President, Abraham Lincoln.

Its architecture is based upon that of a Greek temple, and is centred around a huge sculpture of the man himself above inscriptions of two of his best known speeches. Many historicallyimportant speeches have been given there, with perhaps the most recent example being Martin Luther King's ?I have a dream? speech in 1963.

The White House, Washington DC

Completed in 1800, this famous limestone clad Presidential home was designed by Irish builder James Hoban. It has been the residence of every US President since John Adams. The White House is renaissance revival in style and is said to have been built after an Irish country mansion. In 1901 came the addition of the famous Oval Office, and in the 20's the East Wing which is still used today to entertain visiting guest and dignitaries.

The Washington Monument

The Washington Monument, a presidential memorial to George Washington, is a large, white obelisk at the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Made from marble, granite and sandstone, the Washington Monument is one of the world's tallest masonry structures, standing nearly 170 metres tall. At the time, it was the world's tallest structure. However the completion of the Eiffel Tower in 1889 soon saw it lose that honour.