Having grown up in the Washington, D.C., area, I can personally attest to Martin Moeller’s statement that the city has “changed tremendously in the last few years.” In his latest version of the AIA D.C. guidebook, Moeller describes neighborhoods such as Logan Circle/Shaw and Capitol South, which have taken on whole new identities, Phillip Kennicott says in his write-up on the book in The Washington Post.
This fifth edition of the guide to the city’s architectural history was published just six years after the previous version—a record for Moeller. Kennicott writes:
Unlike some other AIA guides, Moeller’s book brings a critic’s perspective to the built environment, and while one might disagree here and there with his observations, he is a very judicious and reliable observer.
Moeller, the senior vice president and curator of the National Building Museum, presents “essential carry-along reading” in the guidebook, including 45 new entries. Flip through the book to find his takes on some of D.C.’s most stunning buildings, such as the Newseum and the U.S. Institute of Peace.