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Best Addresses
A century ago, the popularity of early Washington landmarks like Stoneleigh Court and the controversial Cairo (which, at a soaring twelve stories, shocked District officials into enacting the city's height limit) made it clear that apartment living was here to stay. By the 1920s, Beaux Art and Art Deco palaces offered residents all the luxuries of a first-class hotel: barbershops, ballrooms, rooftop terraces, and indoor pools. Soon other innovations in apartment living—the garden complex, the cooperative, and the mixed-use building—put Washington at the forefront of urban planning. Today the resurgence of the historic heart of the nation's capital has created an apartment boom rivaled only by that of the 1920s.
Through residents' personal recollections, original floor plans, and more than 690 photographs, Best Addresses offers an intimate tour behind the facades of 162 remarkable buildings. Some have already been destroyed or disfigured beyond repair, making their preservation here especially valuable, while others continue to set the standard for elegant living in the nation's capital.
Through residents' personal recollections, original floor plans, and more than 690 photographs, Best Addresses offers an intimate tour behind the facades of 162 remarkable buildings. Some have already been destroyed or disfigured beyond repair, making their preservation here especially valuable, while others continue to set the standard for elegant living in the nation's capital.
597 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 25, 2015
Now I have the inside scoop on my own building and all the other gorgeous ones I'm kind of obsessed with. Excellent.
May 28, 2021
Fun, gorgeously produced, incredibly detailed window into a narrow slice of urban history. Absolutely dripping with privilege, though.
August 11, 2011
I read this book 20 years ago when it first came out, and just recently reread it. Much fascinating information about some amazing buildings in and around Washington, D.C. -- especially those built between 1900 and 1915. Great photos and floor plans.
February 2, 2008
The classic text published by the Smithsonian of the "best addresses" in Washington DC and the architecture of those wonderful buildings. 1st ed / 1st print.
July 10, 2008
Beautiful book.
May 1, 2011
A marvelous history
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews