National Cathedral, Washington, DC
Posted by: 
hykesj
N 38° 55.786 W 077° 04.245
18S E 320504 N 4311022
This second-largest church building in the United States sits at the intersection of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues in Washington DC.
Waymark Code: WMZVFV
Location: District of Columbia, United States
Date Posted: 01/08/2019
Views: 8
A “great church for national purposes” was first envisaged by Pierre L’Enfant, the French army engineer who planned the layout of the District of Columbia. His plan called for this church to be north of the National Mall, even with the White House (where the National Portrait Gallery is located today). Over 100 years later, in 1893, Congress finally granted a charter to the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, which allowed for the creation of just such a church. The charter was signed by President Benjamin Harrison.
The site chosen for the new cathedral was the Mount Saint Alban area of Washington DC, about three miles northwest of the site proposed by L’Enfant. It took almost fifteen years after the charter was signed before construction began. The laying of the foundation stone was accompanied by a ceremony attended by President Theodore Roosevelt.
The National Cathedral is a magnificent structure, but it took a long time to build. In fact, it was the longest running construction project in Washington. The west towers, the last part of the cathedral to be completed, were finished in 1990. To mark the occasion, a speech was given by President George H. W. Bush.
The postal card was issued in 1993, marking the 100th anniversary of the signing of the original charter for the cathedral. In addition to the postal card, the National Cathedral has several other philatelic connections. In 1980, a detail from a stained-glass window in the Bethlehem Chapel was used on a Christmas stamp. There are also several notable folks, whose images have appeared on US postage stamps, who are interred in the National Cathedral. These include Helen Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan; Admiral George Dewey; former Secretary of State, Cordell Hull; former Secretary of the Treasury, John Wesley Snyder (Truman announces Japan’s surrender commemorative); and last but not least, President Woodrow Wilson.
Stamp Issuing Country: United States
Date of Issue: 6-Jan-1993
Denomination: 19c
Color: multicolored
Stamp Type: Single Stamp
Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]
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