I was in DC recently for the DSL meetup, which was just as much fun as usual. There was only one problem: the government was shut down, which in turn meant that the Smithsonian was also closed. But I didn't want to go to DC without going to a museum, and eventually I decided to lead an expedition to the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum, located in Memorial Continental Hall, not far from the White House.
Now, a museum dedicated to the decorative arts is not normally my cup of tea, and it isn't the sort of thing I typically review here because 31 rooms representing the American home throughout the 18th and 19th centuries isn't what you've come to Naval Gazing for.1 The building itself is in the typical Washington Neoclassical style, and it's quite pretty, with a big library full of genealogical information at its center.
But that space hasn't always been a library, and it is the reason I'm writing here. When the building first opened 120 years ago, it was a theater, and in 1921, when the Harding Administration called for a conference on the limitation of naval armaments, the DAR offered Memorial Continental Hall as the venue.2 The government gratefully accepted,3 and the theater floor was decked over to make room for the giant table where the delegates would be seated. The balcony above provided room for the public to view proceedings, and many who had been at the Versailles conference a few years before were very complementary about the facilities provided by the DAR.
Today, it's relatively easy to get access to the library (admission to the building is free, although you do have to get a temp badge and go through minor security) and there's a plaque behind the desk commemorating the negotiations held there. The staff were kind enough to let us back to inspect it. It's not particularly inspiring, but it does confirm your status as the kind of mega-nerd who will make a pilgrimage to the home of a naval treaty. Which I absolutely am, at least if the Smithsonians are closed.
1 For the record, half a dozen or so are presently closed for renovations. The ones that were open were nice enough, but it would have been a lot better with a guide, or someone who could tie them together reasonably well. ⇑
2 These days, it's also a high-end wedding venue, and we saw a bridal party while we were visiting. If anyone ever gets married there because of the Washington Treaty, I will feature you on Naval Gazing. ⇑
3 It's not entirely clear why they didn't have suitable facilities of their own, but this was before the major expansion of government facilities in the 20s and 30s that created so much of Washington today. ⇑
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