The permanent collection of the Gallery consists of well over 14,000 items, most of which are American. Its collections of European holdings are based primarily on the Clark collection mentioned above, and the Walker collection, from collectors Mary and Edward Walker. The Gallery houses the Corcoran School of Art, the only professional art school in the District of Columbia, as well as varied educational programs open to the public. Not only is the Corcoran an architectural achievement in the Beaux Arts tradition, but its continual dedication to art is a contribution to the cultural heritage of the nation's capital.

Constitution Hall was designed by prominent architect, John Russell Pope, and is a monumental Neoclassical design constructed of Alabama limestone. The building houses the largest auditorium in the District and was finished in 1929. It was built by the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), to accommodate their annual Continental Congress and other activities but also served as an unofficial cultural center for more than forty years. The building was center of a Civil Rights crisis when use of the hall was denied to African American singer Marion Anderson in 1939.

The Folger Shakespeare Library is a major center for scholarly research. It houses the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works. In addition, it contains other rare Renaissance books and manuscripts on all disciplines. Perhaps the most famous work in the Folger Shakespeare collection is the first collected edition of Shakespeare's works, printed in 1623 and known as the First Folio.

The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, known as the Washington National Cathedral, is an Episcopal cathedral in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It is a listed monument on the National Register of Historic Places and the designated "National House of Prayer" of the United States.