Washington DC National Cathedral

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Location: Massachusetts and Wisconsin Aves., N.W., Washington, DC

Washington DC National Cathedral's idea is as old as Washington itself. In 1791, when Congress selected the site to be the capital of the United States, President George Washington commissioned Major Pierre l’Enfant to design an overall plan for the future seat of government. Included in l’Enfant’s plan was a church, “intended for national purposes, such as public prayer, thanksgiving, funeral orations, etc., and assigned to the special use of no particular Sect or denomination, but equally open to all.”

Largely through the efforts of Washington community leaders such as Riggs Bank President Charles C. Glover, plans for building Washington National Cathedral gained momentum. On January 6, 1893, Congress granted a charter to the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation of the District of Columbia, allowing it to establish a cathedral and institutions of higher learning. Signed by President Benjamin Harrison, this charter was the birth certificate of Washington National Cathedral. On September 29, 1907, the foundation stone was laid. President Theodore Roosevelt and the Bishop of London spoke to the crowd of ten thousand.

The stone itself came from a field near Bethlehem and was inset into a larger piece of American granite. On it was the inscription: “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). With the laying of the cathedral foundation stone, the grassy, tree — shaded Close became home to the longest — running construction site in the nation’s capital. In 1912, Bethlehem Chapel opened for services which have continued daily ever since. Tours are available year round and they meet at the West End. Donations are expected and the proceeds support Cathedral's programs and ministries.