List of tallest buildings in Washington, D.C.

The cathedral is built on high ground known as Mount St. Alban, 400 feet (120 m) above sea level, which makes the central tower the "highest" point in the District.

[3] Washington, D.C. went through an early high-rise construction boom from the late 1890s to the mid-1930s, during which time the Old Post Office Building and the Federal Triangle were built.

The original Act was passed by Congress in 1899 in response to the 1894 construction of the Cairo Hotel, which is much taller than the majority of buildings in the city.

Architectural embellishments, mechanical rooms, and common rooftop structures may be exempted from the overall height limit, provided they are set back from the roof line.

[5] Washington's height restriction, however, has been assailed as one of the primary reasons why the city has inflated rents, limited affordable housing, and traffic problems as a result of urban sprawl.

Much like La Défense near Paris, many of the region's tallest buildings near the central business district are located in Rosslyn, Virginia, directly across the Potomac River from Georgetown.

The majority of the tallest structures in the city are tall broadcasting towers located in the northern and western sections of the district.

Aerial image of the Washington Monument , the tallest building structure in Washington, D.C. , with the White House visible in the center background
Diagram of the Principal High Buildings of the Old World, 1884; the Washington Monument is the tallest structure represented.
Arlington's Rosslyn and Crystal City skylines as seen from Georgetown University
The Washington Monument is the tallest structure in the District of Columbia.
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is the tallest building in Washington.
The Old Post Office Building , the second-tallest building in Washington
The Washington National Cathedral , the third-tallest building in Washington
The United States Capitol , the fourth-tallest building in Washington
Georgetown University 's Healy Hall, the sixth-tallest building in Washington
Thomas Jefferson Building aerial photo
The Thomas Jefferson Building , the ninth-tallest building in Washington
The National Archives Building , the sixteenth-tallest building in Washington