Art Walk - Historic Buildings on Pennsylvania Ave

At our next Art Walk event, we will explore the street that is the heart of the nation's capital, and was Washington's first downtown street with shops, markets, and a financial district growing along it during the 19th century.

Art Walk event

Art Walk is our regular event series, where we walk through the different parts of DC, Maryland and Virginia, taking photos, as we explore art, architecture, culture and history while having a fun time outdoors.

Historic Buildings on Pennsylvania Ave

We will do a leisurely paced walk along Pennsylvania Avenue exploring some of its culturally, aesthetically, and historically significant buildings, plazas and monuments.

Old Post Office Pavilion in 1911 by Harris & Ewing

Some of the historic places during our Art Walk will include the Freedom Plaza, Old Post Office Pavilion, Old Post Office Museum and Clock Tower, John A. Wilson District Building, Ford's Theater, National Archives Building and the former Central National Bank.

As we walk around and explore Pennsylvania Ave we will also compete for the best photo.

A Brief History of Pennsylvania Ave

The L'Enfant Plan placed the the US Capitol Building on Jenkins Hill and the White House on a low ridge north of the mouth of Tiber Creek and connected them with a broad, diagonal avenue, which was first referred to as Pennsylvania Avenue, in a 1791 letter by Thomas Jefferson.

Pennsylvania Avenue from U.S. Treasury

A common theory suggests that the avenue got its name Pennsylvania Avenue, to appease Pennsylvania, which would see the federal capital move from Philadelphia to Washington in 1800 after, the Residence Act of July 16, 1790 put the nation's capital in current-day Washington.

Over its long history, many Presidential inauguration parades and political protest marches have taken place along Pennsylvania Avenue.

On September 30, 1965, the Secretary of the Interior, with the concurrence of President Lyndon B. Johnson, designated it the Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site, encompassing the Avenue between the Capitol and the White House, and a number of blocks around it.

Light Snacks and Drinks

You can bring some light snacks and drinks for yourself to have during the walk.

After the event, we can break into smaller groups and get drinks or food depending on individual preferences.

Competition Rules

Take as many pictures as you would like but only upload two of your best photos for the Art Walk contest. Both the photos must be uploaded after completion of the Art Walk.

• Our judges, some who will be nominated from among our members will then judge the best photos and the overall winner. We will feature the best photos on our website and the winner will receive our award.
• The criteria for judging will be based on the artistic creativity, uniqueness of the photo composition and picture framing besides having a stimulating effect. The photo must also capture the theme specified in the contest.
• A winner for the best photo will be announced three days after the Art Walk by our judges. The winner can pick the prize at any of our future Art Walk events.
• The winner will be invited as our guest, for our next Art Walk event.

During the event we will allocate a time frame for stopping at different locations before we continue with our walk.

Photography is more importantly an art of composing the story of an interesting moment and sharing your artistic creation with others.

The most important thing is to have fun enjoying the outdoors and the interesting company of our diverse group of participants.

Getting There

We will meet outside at the White House Visitor Center on Pennsylvania Ave which is less than a 5 minute walk from the Federal Triangle Metro Station.

Event Details

Event: Art Walk - Historic Buildings on Pennsylvania Ave

Description: Explore the historic buildings on Pennsylvania Ave as we compete for the best photo for our Art walk contest.

Date/Time: Saturday March 10th, 2018 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Admission: $2 for covering the cost

Meeting Place

White House Visitor Center

1450 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20230

White House Visitor Center

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There is no contest fee for veterans, firefighters and teachers who are an important part of our community. Grapes & Grains will cover the cost of their participation.

Article Category: Events