The nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. is a beautiful compact federal district that measures 68.34 sq. mi (177.0 km2). It is home to an estimated population of 681,170, which reaches about one million during the workweek and it’s home to the most embassies in the country at Embassy Row.
Originally comprising lands donated by the states of Virginia and Maryland, today’s Washington, D.C. only covers the land from Maryland, while the area originally donated by Virginia was returned to the state.
Washington, D.C., which was named after Pres. George Washington and explorer Christopher Columbus, is also referred to as D.C., the District or Washington. Its formal name is District of Columbia.
The capital district’s creation was due to the signing of the Residence Act on July 16, 1790. Because it is under the exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress, the area stands independent. It was founded in 1791.
Washington, D.C. is the location of the U.S. federal government’s three branches – the Supreme Court, the President and Congress. Likewise, it is a wonderful place to visit, with its collection of several national parks, famous and popular museums, Embassy Row, and several monuments, most of which are located around or within the National Mall.
The National Mall is a national park that occupies the area planned to be the site of the grand avenue that American military engineer, Pierre Charles L’Enfant, designed. It was unfortunate that it remained just a plan.
Scenic Washington, D.C. is home to the headquarters of various international organizations, professional associations, lobbying groups, non-profit organizations and trade unions. It is also home to 176 foreign embassies in Embassy Row.
With the sheer number of foreign embassies in one location, it is a veritable mine for all forms of language services, especially certified translations.
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Embassy Row
One of the biggest attractions in Washington, D.C. is Embassy Row, which is part of Massachusetts Avenue to Dupont Circle. It goes down toward the National Cathedral that took 83 years to be completed. The construction for the National Cathedral began on September 29, 1907. It was fully completed in 1990.
Along this stretch of prime land, many of the District’s diplomatic representations, diplomatic missions and embassies are located. But these are not the only things that make up Embassy Row.
Aside from other diplomatic buildings, Embassy Row boasts a number of beautiful mansions that are considered architectural gems. Many of them have been converted into diplomatic buildings.
The original name of the area was Millionaires Row, and it truly was a neighborhood of the nouveau riche during the late 19th century until the 20th century. Many of the mansions have 60 rooms, making them ideal accommodation for diplomatic missions when the millionaires left.
Embassies and diplomatic buildings, chanceries, embassy annexes and residences of diplomats along Embassy Row are the following:
North Side
- Embassy of Tunisia
- Embassy of Hungary
- Embassy of Australia
- Embassy of the Philippines (annex)
- Embassy of the German Democratic Republic
- Embassy of Papua New Guinea
- Embassy of India
- Embassy of Estonia
- Embassy of Turkmenistan
- Embassy of Paraguay
- Embassy of Greece
- Embassy of Kenya
- Residence of the Ambassador of Vietnam
- Residence of the Ambassador of the Philippines
- Residence of the Ambassador of Egypt
- Residence of the Ambassador of Chile
- Embassy of Haiti
- Embassy of Croatia
- Embassy of Cameroon
- Residence of the Ambassador of the Netherlands
- Embassy of Chad
- Embassy of Zambia
- Embassy of the Marshall Islands
- Residence of the Ambassador of Venezuela
- Embassy of Lesotho
- Embassy of Turkey
- Embassy of Belize
- Embassy of South Africa
- Embassy of Finland
- Embassy of the Holy See
- Residence of the Ambassador of Norway
- Embassy of Iraq
South Side
- Embassy of the Philippines
- Embassy of Peru
- Embassy of Trinidad and Tobago
- Embassy of Colombia
- Embassy of Chile
- Embassy of Uzbekistan
- Embassy of Portugal
- Embassy of Indonesia
- Embassy of Luxembourg
- Defense Attaché of the Embassy of Turkey
- Embassy of Togo
- Embassy of Sudan
- Embassy of the Bahamas
- Embassy of Egypt
- Embassy of Ireland
- Embassy of Romania
- Residence of the Ambassador of Turkey
- Embassy of Latvia
- Consular Section of the Embassy of South Korea
- Annex of the Embassy of Greece
- Embassy of Burkina Faso
- Embassy of Kyrgyzstan
- Embassy of Madagascar
- Embassy of Paraguay
- Cultural Office of the Embassy of the UAE
- Embassy of Malawi
- Embassy of Cote d’Ivoire and chancery building
- Embassy of South Korea
- Chancery of the Embassy of Japan
- Chancery Annex of the Embassy of India
- Embassy of Italy
- Residence of the Ambassador of Brazil
- Embassy of Brazil
- Embassy of Bolivia
- Embassy of the United Kingdom
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Monuments and art installations form part of the attractions along Embassy Row. Many walking tours are conducted in the area by tour operators. It’s a wonderful experience, being able to see beautiful statuary in one long stretch, aside from the beautiful mansions and the diplomatic buildings.
Because of the setting of Embassy Row, many statues and memorials are erected in front of several embassies and consulates. It has become a delightful destination, as it resembles an open-air sculpture museum. Visitors are able to see some of the well-known national figures from different countries.
Very prominent and especially symbolic is the statue of Sir Winston Churchill in Embassy Row. One of his feet stands on federal land while the other is on the grounds occupied by the British Embassy. It’s positioned to symbolize the alliance between the United Kingdom and the United States.
A walking tour allows you to view the Samuel Hahnemann Monument, Winfield Scott on his horse, the Dupont Circle Fountain and the Daniel Webster Memorial. In front of the Embassy of Peru is a bust of Miguel Grau while a bust of Bernardo O’Higgins greets visitors to the Embassy of Chile.
On the grounds of the Embassy of Indonesia, you’ll find a statue of a young Barack Obama, a grouping of three children and a beautiful and impressive statue of Saraswati, a Hindu goddess.
The Embassy of India has a Mahatma Gandhi Memorial, while the Greek Embassy has a copy of the statue of Eleftherios Venizelos in bronze. Greeting visitors to the residence of the Turkish Ambassador is a statue of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
In front of the Consular Section of South Korea is a statue of Philip Jaisohn, while two Dol hareubang (Old Grandfathers) rock statues that are only found in Jeju Island grace the front of the cultural center of South Korea. In front of the South Korean Embassy is an abstract sculpture by Korean artist, Dong-koo Yun.
The Croatian Embassy has a statue of St. Jerome. In front of a house located on 2346 Massachusetts Ave NW is a cast of Allow Me by Seward Johnson.
A statue of Crown Princess Martha Louise of Norway stands in front of the Norwegian Embassy while the Embassy of South Africa erected a statue of Nelson Mandela. Statues of other famous people such as Tomas Masaryk, General Philip Sheridan and Robert Emmet are also on view. There is also a monument to Khalil Gibran.
Millionaires’ Row
The neighborhood of Massachusetts Avenue, which is now called Embassy Row, is a premier address of many prominent families in the 19th and 20th centuries. Huge mansions with many rooms were built by Washington’s political and social elites.
The Great Depression caused many homeowners in the area to sell their homes. Because they are huge residences with multiple rooms, they became ideal to be used as lodges for various social clubs and embassies. But not all embassies in Embassy Row used the previous mansions.
The United Kingdom built their own British Embassy in 1925, followed by the construction in 1930 of the Japanese Embassy. In the 1940s and early 1950s several chanceries and embassies moved to the area.
Some of the mansions that previously stood in other areas between Dupont Circle and Scott Circle were replaced with apartment and large office buildings. The neighborhood is now often referred to as Think Tank Row because of the number of think tanks that relocated there.
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Businesses Around Embassy Row
With the impressive identity of Embassy Row, it is not surprising to that many businesses located around the area cater to food, tourism, travel, diplomacy-related endeavors and language services. Various hotels, travel and tour organizers and quite a number of restaurants generate a good and steady income from the area.
Because it is a center of diplomacy, language services companies also thrive. Embassies, consulates and many other companies and organizations are always in need of translation and interpreting services. Immigration, tourism, business exchanges are fine examples of industries that need certified translations.
Serving the D.C. Community
Day Translations is along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D. C. We offer various language services for your document translation needs. We have a number of certified translators to handle your document translation requirements in Embassy Row and beyond. From business to medical, legal, educational, artistic to scientific, visa and immigration to business and website localization.
If you’re in need of certified translations, trust us to deliver accurate, fast and professionally done translations by our experienced translators. Our translation team in D. C. understands the nuanced diplomatic languages, so you know you’ll have the best translation possible.