If you’ve ever visited our nation’s capital, you’ve certainly noticed that aside from the Washington Monument (555 feet tallest in the city) and a few other landmarks, including the US Capitol (289 feet, the fifth tallest), there are no really tall skyscrapers or skyscraper buildings. Look across the Potomac River towards Crystal City and Rosslyn and you will see them. Travel to the more distant suburbs of Maryland and Virginia and you will see them. So why are there no skyscrapers in Washington DC? It is simply because there is a law that restricts the height of buildings.
In 1894, the 12-story, 160-foot Cairo Hotel Cairo opened at 1615 “Q” Street NW near Dupont Circle. An uproar from the citizens of the area followed, as many feared that the large monolithic buildings would dwarf the monuments and other buildings. The uproar prompts DC commissioners to issue regulations limiting the height to 90 feet for homes and 110 feet for businesses, or the width of the street in front, whichever is smaller. Additional lobbying prompted the United States Congress to pass the Building Heights Act in 1899. This removed the restriction on Main Street, but reaffirmed the height limits at 90 feet on residential streets and 110 feet on commercial streets. He made an exception for buildings on 160-foot-wide shopping streets along which buildings were allowed to be up to 130 feet high.
In 1910 the law was amended restricting the height of any building to the width of the adjacent street plus 20 feet. Therefore, a building facing a street that is 130 feet wide could now be 150 feet tall. Other stipulations allowed under certain conditions, towers, domes, towers, minarets, pinnacles, vents, chimneys, chimneys, attics over elevator shafts and unoccupied fire sprinkler tanks will be erected at a higher height if approved by the Mayor and fireproof construction.
While the Washington skyline rarely exceeds the 12th floor, there are a few tall exceptions listed in order of height. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (329 feet) is located behind the Washington Monument. The old post office building (315 feet) with the clock tower is next to the Washington National Cathedral (301 feet). The tallest commercial building is One Franklin Square (210 feet) ranked the sixth tallest after the United States Capitol. While some argue that this lack of vertical growth has contributed to further expansion, Washington DC’s many monuments are sure not to be dwarfed.
