The United States Institute of Peace is one of the many organizations in the city I had heard of but never knew much about. I had certainly seen their headquarters that opened in 2011 since the building is strikingly different from the many imposing, pseudo Greek and Roman-style government structures that dominate the federal section of DC.

Anyway, recently I had the opportunity to take a photowalk through and around the building. On this page are a few of the images I made and more are in this gallery.

Institute Building 2

The front of the building, although this is not the entrance. The actual entrance is a more mundane door on 23rd Street (to the right). Unfortunately, they don’t allow walk-in visitors.

Lincoln Memorial

A great view of the Lincoln Memorial through the windows that enclose an impressive five-story atrium. The unique and imposing canopy juts out to the right. More angles on the canopy are in the gallery.

Another Canope

Another side of the building, again with a block of windows enclosing another impressive atrium. This particular space serves as the agency’s cafeteria and employee lounge.

Signs of Spring

We haven’t really had a winter around here and these are just the first signs of an early spring. Along with the fact that the temperature tomorrow is supposed to be around 70°.


The Institute is a US government organization that was established in 1984 under Ronald Reagan, three facts that I found very surprising. If you’d like to learn more, start with the Wikipedia article and then visit their website.