Washington DC Tenant-Landlord Law

Capital of the District of Columbia (with which, de facto, administratively, it coincides) and capital of the United States, 125 m sm, 646.449 residents (2013), 5,949,859 residents (2013) the urban area.

State Overview

Located on the east coast of the United States, 50 km from the Atlantic Ocean, it is located between Maryland and Virginia, from which it is separated by the Potomac River (at the confluence of the Rock Creek and Anacostia rivers). The metropolitan area of ​​the city has been expanding with time, so much so that today it leaves the boundaries of the district also extending to seven counties of Maryland, five counties of Virginia and five autonomous cities of the same state. Washington is home to all of the country’s major government institutions: White House (residence of the President of the United States), Capitol (seat of Congress), Supreme Court and Pentagon. To these are added numerous ministerial bodies and some international organizations, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Organization of American States. Washington is also home to NASA, the US aerospace agency. Washington is home to Georgetown University (1789), George Washington University, (1821), Howard University (1867) and Catholic University of America (1887).

  • AbbreviationFinder.org: Offers list of phrases and slangs abbreviated as DC including Washington, DC, and other most commonly used acronyms besides Washington, DC.
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Urban

Washington’s planning was entrusted to the French Pierre L’Enfant, who designed it (1790) according to a V-scheme (the two branches correspond to the Potomac and Anacostia rivers), whose focal points were to be the Capitol (started in 1793 by W Thornton) and the White House (work by J. Hoben and BH Latrobe, begun in 1792), both located on hills with large parks (Mall and Executive Grounds) and joined directly by an axis made up of Pennsylvania Avenue and the Washington Mall. The plan was configured as a complex frame of orthogonal arteries which in their intersections gave rise to minor fires: the fifteen squares symbol of the States of the Union; to the grid system (already adopted for other American cities such as Annapolis and Philadelphia) then overlapped another network of diagonal streets, a kind of star system of evident Baroque inspiration. L’Enfant’s plan was implemented, albeit slowly and only partially, during the century. XIX, when the city took on that grandiose and classical aspect that it still preserves. After the civil war, Washington’s pace of expansion required new planning measures (AP Shepherd plan, 1871). With the creation of the Senate Park Commission (which included D. Burnham and FL Olmsted jr.) The scheme of L’Enfant was adequately taken up to complete it. The new plan of 1901 (better known as McMillan Plan, named after Senator James McMillan, president of the commission) aimed to build congress buildings on Piazza del Campidoglio, free the Mall from any intrusion and create a cultural center on its sides, extend the Mall park to W, build an administrative center between it, the Capitol and the White House. The plan was implemented in the early decades of the twentieth century. It was designed by D. Clarke in 1941 for a large business center east of the Campidoglio up to Anacostia. Of particular interest is the urban renewal of the south-eastern area (1960). Subsequently, the Federal Government showed greater attention to the architectural quality of government buildings (plans for Pennsylvania Avenue of the American Institute of Architects). The architectural interventions of the eighties of the twentieth century aimed at reproducing historically consolidated images against the abstract figuration of previous years. The attitude that guided the reorganization of the suburbs was similar, in which a formal continuity with the pre-existences was created (Madison National Building, the student pension in Georgetown, the Penn Theater and the tertiary building on Massachusetts Avenue in Capital Hill). The architectural interventions of the eighties of the twentieth century aimed at reproducing historically consolidated images against the abstract figuration of previous years. The attitude that guided the reorganization of the suburbs was similar, in which a formal continuity with the pre-existences was created (Madison National Building, the student pension in Georgetown, the Penn Theater and the tertiary building on Massachusetts Avenue in Capital Hill). The architectural interventions of the eighties of the twentieth century aimed at reproducing historically consolidated images against the abstract figuration of previous years. The attitude that guided the reorganization of the suburbs was similar, in which a formal continuity with the pre-existences was created (Madison National Building, the student pension in Georgetown, the Penn Theater and the tertiary building on Massachusetts Avenue in Capital Hill).

History

It was specifically founded as the capital of the United States with Congressional laws (1790-91), in order to host the federal government after gaining independence. The decision not to install the seat of executive power of the Union in an already existing city responded to the need to avoid rivalry between states and to remove government from possible pressure. The territory on which it was built (100 square miles then reduced to 70), located along the Potomac, was ceded by Virginia and Maryland and constituted in the autonomous territory called District of Columbia. Opened in 1800, Washington was invaded by the British in 1814 and severely damaged by flames. The city was seriously threatened even during the civil war, during which it became the center of the Union’s political and military activity.

Architecture art

Numerous neoclassical and neo-Renaissance buildings and monuments of the second half of the 19th century (Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, monuments in Jackson, Adams and Grant), although the most noteworthy work is perhaps the Cabin John bridge, by MC Miegs (1857-59). The Capitol (Capitol) is perhaps the best-known building in the city, a symbol of American democracy: it was G. Washington himself to lay the first stone in 1793. During the invasion of the British in 1814, the building was destroyed; it was later rebuilt by designing the large iron dome (1855) and the wings of the Chamber and the Senate (1857). The presidential palace, better known as the White House, was the official home of the President in office, was also built at the end of the eighteenth century and was destroyed in 1812; it was then rebuilt and repainted, precisely white. It was President T. Roosevelt to give permission to formalize the name ‘White House’. The neo-Gothic Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (episcopal) dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century.It started in 1908, designed by GF Bodley and H. Vaughan, like other classical buildings (Supreme Court, National Gallery) and famous monuments, like the Lincoln Memorial (1914-22).. More recent are the National Gallery East Wing of Ieoh Ming Pei (1978); the extension of the Folger Shakespeare Library by Hartman-Cox (1981); Keyes Condon Florance’s Washington Design Center (1983) and Arthur Erikson’s Canadian Embassy (1988) and the Washington Monument, a marble obelisk erected to commemorate the founding father of the United States. Just outside the town is the Arlington National Cemetery, where President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy rest, in addition to the American soldiers who fell during the various wars. The victims of the Vietnam War are remembered with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (1982), a dark granite structure designed by the architect Maya Lin.

Museums

In addition to the National Gallery of Art, among the most important museums in the world, which houses masterpieces of European painting (English, Dutch, Flemish, French, Italian and Spanish) from different eras, the Freer Gallery of Art (with collections of art) Oriental, 19th century American paintings and a collection of Egyptian and Roman glass) and the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, where there are collections of Byzantine and Oriental art and above all archaeological material of great interest (Barberini sarcophagus, 4th century AD). C.; mosaics from Antioch; numismatic collection; reliefs from Persepolis). Particularly interesting for the wide panorama on the sculpture of the century. XX is the Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, which collects a rich collection of works of Rodin, Calder, Moore, Warhol), donated by the patron Joseph H. Hirshhorn in 1966. The Phillips Collection preserves ancient paintings (El Greco, JB Chardin, F. Goya) and a remarkable collection of French impressionists (E. Degas, C. Monet, E. Manet, A. Renoir) and post-impressionists (P. Cézanne, V. Van Gogh). To remember also: the National Museum of Natural History (among the most visited museums in the world, with over 9 million visitors every year), the National Air and Space Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.

Libraries

Two of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the city are the National Academy of Sciences and the Smithsonian Institution, an education and research center, founded in 1846, which includes various sectors, among which those dedicated to technology and natural history are particularly important. The three national libraries of the USA are also located in Washington: the Library of Congress (Library of Congress, with over thirty-two million volumes and millions of other media, including multimedia), the National Library of Medicine and the National Agricultural Library. Among the other libraries in Washington, the Folger Shakespeare Library is also worth mentioning: founded in 1932, it houses the largest and most precious collection of materials on W. Shakespeare, in addition to Renaissance volumes, manuscripts and valuable works and theatrical texts.

Economy

Born to be the capital city, most of Washington’s active population finds employment in the administrative, commercial and financial sectors, while industry and commerce play a minor role. Tourism and telecommunications have a certain importance. There are numerous law firms. The river port has local importance. The city is served by an international airport (in Dulles) and Washington National Airport.

Curiosity

Every year, between March and April, the National Cherry Blossom Festival takes place, an event that celebrates the flowering of cherry trees and the friendship between the American and Japanese peoples, recalling the donation, in 1912, of three thousand cherry trees from Japan to United States. The Smithsonian Folklife Festival takes place in June, which hosts artists from the country and from other countries around the world. Independence Day is celebrated on 4 July in the capital with great solemnity: the declaration of independence is read and military troops parade on the occasion of a large parade, followed by fireworks. On the occasion of Martin Luther King Jr Day, on the third Monday of January, the speakers at the Lincoln Memorial recite King ‘s famous speech ‘I have a dream’.

D.C. – District of Columbia Rental Housing Information

Spotlight on real property leasing law in the nation’s capitol, summarizes laws, displays org. info and supplies avenues to relevant codes.

Website: http://cses.com/RENTAL/DC.htm

D.C. – Nat’l Community Reinvestment Coalition

D.C.-based organization expounds on its goals regarding fair housing and adds a directory of regional and national resources, guides and links.

Website: http://www.ncrc.org/FHousing/fhindex.html

D.C. – Resources for Renters

Locate regional agencies and groups geared toward ameliorating landlord-tenant conflicts, and use links and contact info to secure services.

Website: http://directory.tenantsunion.org/washington_dc.html

Washington DC Tenant-Landlord Law

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