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Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries. The group is the largest development bank in the world. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. The bank's stated mission is to achieve the twin goals of ending extreme poverty and building shared prosperity. Historically, within the group, the IBRD and IDA were collectively known as the World Bank due to their emphasis on global lending.
The Blair House was built in 1824 for Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Lowell, and sold in 1837 to real estate mogul, Francis Preston Blair and inherited by Montgomery Blair. The adjacent house was owned by the Robert E. Lee family. The U.S. government bought the Blair House in 1942, and has since used it as the official guest house for state visitors, at the insistence of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt who was tired of running into Winston Churchill and other visitors roaming around the White House in the middle of the night. Today, the Blair house not only consists of the original townhouse, but includes the Lee House and two other adjacent townhouses. The total space of 70,000 sq ft exceeds that of the White House. Blair House is not open to the public.
Benjamin Henry Latrobe designed the house, completed in 1818, for naval hero Stephen Decatur and his wife. Its distinguished neo-classical architecture and prominent location across from the White House made Decatur House one of the capital's most desirable addresses and home of many of the nation's most prominent figures. Later residents included Henry Clay, Martin Van Buren, and Judah P. Benjamin. The Decatur House is now used as a museum, and is open to the public.
The Eisenhower Executive Office Building was built in 1871 to house the War and Navy Departments, replacing the obsolete War Office building on the same site. By World War II, the War and Navy Departments outgrew the building, and were spread out in numerous additional temporary structures on the National Mall. After the military relocated to the Pentagon in 1943, the building fell into disrepair and was regarded by President Harry Truman as "the greatest monstrosity in America". The Eisenhower Executive Office Building has since been used for Presidential executive offices. The first televised Presidential news conference took place in the Indian Treaty Room in 1955, and the building now houses the Vice President's office, along with the National Security Council and other executive offices.
The building that now houses the Renwick Gallery was originally the home of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. It was designed by James Renwick, Jr., and construction began before the Civil War. Near completion, it was used during the Civil War as a government warehouse, and construction was finally completed in 1874. By 1897, the Corcoran Gallery collection outgrew the space and relocated to a new building on 17th St. The building was transferred in 1965 to the Smithsonian Institution for use as an art gallery. The Renwick focuses on contemporary craft and decorative art.
Every President since James Madison has gone to a mass at St John's. The church building was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, and completed in June 1816. The church also occupies the adjacent Ashburton House, on H St NW, built for Lord Alexander Ashburton, the British minister to the U.S., and was used for a period of time as the British Embassy.