Whether you’re entertaining the kids, looking for an Instagram-ready backdrop, or just need a change of scenery, the Corinthian columns at the National Arboretum are a fun local outing just minutes away from the Route 1 corridor.
The 22 columns have a roundabout path to the grassy knoll where they now stand, overlooking a spacious meadow.
Made from Virginia sandstone, the National Capitol Columns at the Arboretum, located at 3501 New York Avenue NE, were originally placed in the East Portico of the Capitol building in 1828. But a design oversight made the dome look unevenly supported, so in 1958 they were removed and an addition built.
In the 1980s, one of the benefactors of the National Arboretum, Ethel Garrett, began advocating for a new home to be found for the columns, then in storage, and a landscape designer friend spotted the hill overlooking a 20-acre meadow.
Today, the columns sit on a foundation made from the former Capitol steps, and a fountain feeds water into a nearby reflecting pool. There are usually a handful of people coming and going, so masks are advisable.
On the opposite side of the meadow, you can see up close the top of one of the columns, with Acanthus leaves carved into it, and two other columns that are broken can be seen at the Arboretum’s Azalea Collection.
