Preserving Washington History

de Knight Kiplinger, Chuck Wagner, Sheila Wagner

"Since its earliest days, Washington, DC, has attracted architects, designers, builders, art collectors, entrepreneurs, and politicians from all over the world. They loved the excitement of the city and the chance to design and build something special in the capital city. These figures include Major Pierre Charles L'Enfant, who developed the plan for the city in 1791 for President George Washington, Stanford White who designed The Washington Club/The Patterson Mansion in 1903, and James Hoban and Benjamin Henry Latrobe who designed the National Zoo in 1889. Not all of the buildings designed and built during the early years of Washington, DC, have been preserved, but more than 500 survive and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including seventy-four National Historic Landmarks of the United States. Fifty-seven Washington, DC, sites are featured in this book. This book showcases a unique craft, roofing and sheet metal, and its importance in preserving these treasures. Wagner Roofing has been dedicated to promoting and protecting this important craft for the past one hundred years, and the company has played a significant role in restoring and replacing the roofs and other sheet metal work of such historic landmarks as The National Cathedral, the Smithsonian Castle, Woodlawn Plantation, Lincoln's Summer Cottage, US Department of the Treasury, The Old Post Office, and more. This book documents the beauty and variety of the buildings of Washington, DC, through hundreds of beautiful color photographs, most taken by Chuck Wagner, Wagner Roofing's current CEO, and demonstrates the key role the company has played in maintaining these landmarks for new generations of residents of and visitors to our nation's capital.."--