EVOLUTION OF WASHINGTON, D.C. | 3D CITY TIMELAPSE (1749–NOW)

Washington, DC, 1749 to now. From two tobacco ports on the Potomac to the capital of the United States: more than 275 years rebuilt in 3D, year by year. It starts with Alexandria and Georgetown growing along the river. In 1791 a ten-mile square is chosen and Pierre L'Enfant draws the Federal City over empty farmland, then the White House and the Capitol rise. In August 1814 British troops burn the Capitol, the White House and the Navy Yard, and the city is rebuilt. The Long Bridge and the Washington City Canal open, the Smithsonian Castle goes up, and the Washington Monument starts and stops. In the Civil War a ring of 68 forts circles the capital while the new iron dome is finished, and Lincoln comes under fire at Fort Stevens. After the war the streets are paved, the Monument is completed and rowhouses fill Capitol Hill. The McMillan Plan clears the Mall for Union Station, the Lincoln Memorial and the Federal Triangle; National Airport and the Pentagon follow in wartime. The 1963 March fills the Mall, the city rebuilds after 1968, the Metro opens and the Pentagon is rebuilt after 2001. The Wharf, the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the new Douglass Bridge bring the story to today, and the video ends over the Capitol with fireworks. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:13 Two River Towns 0:29 The Federal City 1:04 The Burning of Washington 2:04 Rising Again 2:41 The Civil War 3:49 The Gilded Age 4:24 The City Beautiful 5:23 The Wartime Capital 5:55 The Modern Capital 7:10 A New Century 8:25 Washington Today 📌 ABOUT THIS RECONSTRUCTION This is an illustrative 3D reconstruction of Washington, DC and the nearby Virginia shore (Arlington and Alexandria), not archival footage. Building footprints, heights and construction years come from DC Open Data (building footprints, LiDAR heights, CAMA records, the DC Historic Preservation Office's historical building data), Arlington and Alexandria GIS, and OpenStreetMap. The early town, the shoreline, Tiber Creek, the Washington City Canal, the Long Bridge and the Civil War forts are reconstructed from historical maps (Hawkins 1791, Ellicott 1792, Keily 1851, the 1892 survey) and published histories. Dates for ordinary buildings are estimated where records are missing, and landmark models are simplified. The 1814 burning, the Civil War, 1968 and 2001 are shown with restraint. Which city should we rebuild next? Tell us in the comments. Subscribe to Cornerstone Timelapse for more cities, from first stone to skyline. #washingtondc #timelapse #3d #evolution #city #history #animation #washington