I'm in DC for work on my fellowship. The more I delve into the resources of the project the more I realize that it's not going to be an easy topic to navigate. I'm also beginning to consider trips to archives in Cincinnati and St. Louis as a way to supplement what I've found published at the Library of Congress. My topic of antebellum prefabrication in the Mississippi river valley is a particular niche of interdisciplinary discourse that seems to be left untouched from what I can find. It will allow me to contribute, while giving my colleagues something new to consider. (All of this by the way will serve my professional resume well.)
     Aside from trying to focus my trip on work, I'm also trying to take in something new while I'm here. living here last summer gave me plenty of time to understand the city as a local and tourist, but I also retrospectively have a few places I missed last night.(the Ford Theater being one-in my plans for tomorrow)

     This is a postcard I found online of the Library of Congress Building, which has now evolved to a complex of several. This is known as the Jefferson Building today designed John L. Smithmeyer and Paul J. Pelz submitted the plans chosen by Congress for the design. Both architects were dismissed and the building's completion came under Gen. Edward Pearce Casey and civil engineer Bernard R. Green. The building stands today as a unique blend of art and architecture and is recognized as a national treasure.