Building 2

Historical marker location:

2300 E Street Northwest, Foggy Bottom, District of Columbia

( Marker can be reached from 23rd Street Northwest south of E Street Northwest, on the right when traveling south.)

Old Naval Observatory (1844)

The city was built on a swamp: The area that is now Washington, D.C. was originally a swampy, marshy region along the Potomac River. The construction of the city involved extensive drainage and landfill projects to make the land suitable for building.