Robert Pohl worked for many years as a computer programmer but recovered from that and became a full time stay-at-home dad. With his son now in school, he has expanded his horizons and become a self-taught historian. He has written books about his house as well as Emancipation in the District of Columbia. You can reach Robert at Robert[at]thehillishome.com
I have been watching the design and building of the Eisenhower memorial over the past 10 years. The times I’ve been there, I have felt unmoved. Too big. Too spread out. Backdrop not inspiring. But I drove by the other day at dusk, with the lights on, and – finally – felt something. So went […]
The pages that used to help keep the House of Representatives running are no more, having been abolished about 10 years ago due to the ever-increasing use of electronic messaging. For some 180 years before that, they were ubiquitous, making sure that the vast amounts of paperwork produced by Congress were delivered to the right […]
Ten years ago, my friend Tim Krepp mentioned that a friend of his was opening a new store on Capitol Hill, one that specialized in board games and puzzles. He introduced me to Kathleen Donahue, who filled me in on the details. The store, named Labyrinth, opened shortly thereafter. I was immediately intrigued and have […]
Over the last two weeks, I have looked at how the old Hall of Representatives, which nowadays we know as Statuary Hall, was misused in the time after Congress moved out and before it became a museum. Today, a look at another room, just a few feet north of the former: The Rotunda. Conceived as […]