We are quite literally living in a Barbie world (and I'm not talking about Barbie Pond). Women shaped D.C., but their contributions often go unrecognized. Here are a few surprising spots where we can see their impact when the men just weren’t Kenough to get it done.
Tidal Basin Cherry Blossoms:
The reason we have cherry blossoms in D.C. is because two American women – First Lady Helen Taft and journalist Eliza Scidmore — brought them here. As a member of National Geographic, Scidmore traveled to Japan and came back with this idea to plant cherry trees along the Potomac. Her proposal to the Army fell on deaf ears, but 20 years later, she brought her proposal to First Lady Taft who helped negotiate the donation of 2,000 cherry trees in 1910.
The Mansion On O Street:
This museum houses many miraculous (and deranged) things, but one of its most famous inhabitants was Rosa Parks. The founder of the mansion, HH Leonards, welcomed Parks and helped take care of her after she’d been attacked in Chicago. Parks ended up living there for 10 years and became best friends with Leonard. You can see the room she lived in as part of the museum today.
The Old Post Office/Waldorf Astoria on Penn. Avenue. (Getty Images/
uschools)
The Old Post Office:
Technically, this building is called the Nancy Hanks Center after the first woman to lead the National Endowment of the Arts. The building was almost demolished in the ‘50’s, but Hanks and her foundation fought to preserve it and brought it back to the symbol it is today.
Take a full “walking tour” of D.C.’s women's history with our podcast.
