The dishwasher

Josephine Garis Cochran often said her servants chipped her heirloom dishes while washing them, but she also did not want to wash the fine china herself.

“If nobody else is going to invent the dishwashing machine, I’ll do it myself,” she said, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Born in Ohio, Cochran came from a family of inventors and was drawn to engineering. When her husband died in 1883, she felt an urgency to turn her idea into reality.

Her design was the first to use water pressure instead of scrubbers, with custom-built racks to hold dishes securely in place.

With the help of a mechanic, she built a prototype and received a patent for her “Dish Washing Machine” in 1886. She later founded the Garis-Cochran Dish-Washing Co., which eventually became part of what is now KitchenAid.

Her practical, convenient design became the foundation for the dishwashers we rely on today.

The air conditioner

One of the world’s first modern electrical air conditioning systems was installed at the Sackett & Wilhelms printing plant in Brooklyn in 1902.

New York engineer Willis Carrier was tasked with solving a summer humidity problem affecting the printing press and causing quality issues.

Carrier’s invention used coils that could humidify or dehumidify the air, allowing the plant to maintain consistent conditions and operate reliably year‑round. This is the fundamental science behind the more advanced air conditioning systems we use today.

Carrier received a patent for his “Apparatus for Treating Air” in 1906, and his spray-type air-conditioning technology quickly spread to factories, offices and laboratories, eventually moving into homes by 1914.

Carrier’s work reshaped the world, and he was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century in 1998.

The home security system

The next time you check your doorbell camera or set the alarm for your house, think about Marie Van Brittan Brown. She invented one of the first home security systems with her husband, Albert Brown, an electronics technician.

They lived in Queens, New York, with their two children. Brown worked long shifts and odd hours as a nurse, and the family was concerned about the high crime rate in their neighborhood. So she designed a security system that included several elements.

Peepholes were put in the front door at different heights, and a camera could slide up and down on the opposite side. Monitors placed anywhere in the house showed the camera images.

There was two‑way communication to speak to the person outside, and pushing an alarm button would alert the police immediately. Many of these features can be found in security systems used today.

A patent for their “Home Security System Utilizing Television Surveillance” was obtained in 1969.

Brown is also credited as a pioneer of closed‑circuit television technology for home security. Her idea kept her own family safe, and transformed how millions of people protect their homes.

The vacuum cleaner

An Ohio janitor named James Murray Spangler invented the first portable electric vacuum cleaner. He worked as a sweeper at a department store but also suffered from asthma, and the dust would irritate his lungs.

Spangler added an electric motor and fan blades to a wooden soap box attached to a broom handle, and came up with the idea to use a pillowcase to collect dust, the first cloth filter bag.

He received a patent for his “Carpet Sweeper and Cleaner” in 1908, and his creative solution revolutionized how people clean their homes.

Spangler founded the Electric Suction Sweeping Company and got the attention of his cousin’s husband, William Hoover, who was a leather merchant at the time. Hoover bought Spangler’s patent and took over the company, renaming it the Hoover Company.

He utilized door‑to‑door salespersons to increase the vacuum cleaner’s popularity and turned Hoover into a common household name. Spangler stayed with the company, working as superintendent.

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Christine Hong, chair of the council’s Homeless Services Committee and chief of services to End and Prevent Homelessness with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, presented the findings at the council’s Wednesday meeting.

The report centers on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s mandated point-in-time count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January.

“This year, the count was conducted on Feb. 4. We had to postpone it one week due to the extreme cold and winter weather event that we experienced the week prior,” Hong said. “Although it’s an imperfect measure, it provides an important regional snapshot of homelessness on a single night.”

The D.C. region reported 9,790 total people experiencing homelessness, an increase of 131 people or about 1% from 2025. The year-over-year regional change was modest. This count is closer in line to the 2019 number, before the pandemic.

“The regional story is that homelessness fell during the pandemic era, a period when expanded federal resources and emergency protections were in place, and then increased after those temporary supports ended,” Hong said. “The main takeaway is that regional homelessness is no longer increasing at the pace seen in 2023 and 2024, and is in line with the years immediately preceding the pandemic.”

Results varied by jurisdiction.

D.C. had the largest numerical increase, with 225 additional people counted. Prince George’s County, Maryland, had 175 additional people counted, a 29% increase. Montgomery County saw the largest decrease, down by 390 people or 26%. Hong pointed to the county’s investment in short-term housing.

“Montgomery County also spent a great deal to expand emergency shelter for families, because we are committed to ensuring no family with children would sleep outside even one night,” she said.

The count also included detailed information on race, veterans and household types.

“The broader evidence is clear, and is referenced in the report, that housing costs and the cost of living are major drivers of homelessness risk, especially for families with low income,” Hong said. “In practical terms, this means family homelessness is closely tied to whether low-income families can find and maintain housing.”

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It’s mosquito season in the D.C. area. But this year, some residents are biting back.

“Mosquitoes are terrible here,” Capitol Hill resident Michelle Mingrone said. “For the past few years, in particular, I haven’t been able to be outside for more than three minutes without being bit by probably five to 10 mosquitoes.”

Mingrone is the founder of the Itty Bitty Mosquito Population Committee. It’s inspired by a community-based mosquito control she found in University Park, Maryland, that was effective in areas with a high participation rate.

“Mosquitoes don’t respect property lines,” she said. “A well-placed trap between two houses is actually going to impact the mosquito population from both houses, versus trying to do it individually.”

The idea is to raise awareness and encourage people to be vigilant. They educate neighbors on how to toss standing water, treat water they can’t toss and trap mosquitoes. The company Biogents is offering them a community discount on traps. The BG-Mosquitaire is the most expensive model and targets host-seeking females, which are the ones actively trying to bite you.

“This trap attracts mosquitoes who are seeking a blood meal,” Mingrone said. “It has a little scent pack in there that smells kind of like BO. It’s pretty gross, but the mosquitoes love it. They fly towards it, and there’s a fan that sucks them into this net.”

She said the traps have made a big difference in her yard, showing Âé¶ččÙÍű about 100 mosquitoes caught in the net.

“Mosquitoes picked the wrong hill to die on,” she said.

So far, she said the response in her neighborhood has been incredible. More than 1,000 households have joined the mission, and she has more than 100 block captains helping to coordinate.

“It’s growing really fast. People are really excited,” she said. “If we get enough coverage and enough participation, we should see a real, meaningful impact on our mosquito situation.”

Mingrone said she hopes to expand the Itty Bitty Mosquito Population Committee beyond Capitol Hill. For more information, .

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A unique financial instrument remains the cornerstone of the U.S. housing market, chosen by about 90% of homebuyers — the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage.

“It’s really born out of [a] crisis,” said Justin Kraeger, a D.C.-based mortgage adviser with Neo Home Loans. “We’re a very unique country in the sense that we have this great financial tool for consumers.”

Before the Great Depression, less than half of American households owned their homes. Mortgages were expensive and difficult to obtain. Down payments were high, sometimes up to 50% of the cost of the home. Balloon mortgages were common, meaning borrowers had to repay the full balance within a decade through a large lump‑sum payment. These challenging terms, including short maturities of just 5 to 10 years, kept homeownership out of reach for many Americans.

Everything changed in the 1930s, when the federal government stepped into mortgage lending in response to the economic crisis. New legislation aimed to stabilize collapsing housing finance institutions, create jobs through homebuilding and help homeowners avoid foreclosure.

The National Housing Act of 1934 dramatically expanded homeownership by creating the Federal Housing Administration. The FHA, now the largest mortgage insurer in the world, encouraged lending and popularized the fixed-rate long-term mortgages. The U.S. also launched Fannie Mae to foster a secondary market for FHA-insured loans. Down payments as low as 10%, as well as longer mortgage terms, made it possible for first-time buyers and families with limited incomes to own a home. During this time, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage emerged, gained popularity, and became the national standard.

“It landed on the 30-year as the standard because it is this lovely balance between a repayment period where you can pay back that mortgage in your lifetime,” Kraeger said. “The shorter the duration, the higher risk you’re taking. The longer the duration, the lower risk you’re taking.”

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is widely supported by the U.S. government and provides liquidity to the financial markets. It is considered one of the safest, most predictable mortgage products because its lower monthly payments offer protection against rising interest rates and support long‑term budgeting stability.

“It is probably the best hedge against inflation,” Kraeger said.

Throughout history, mortgage rates have shifted dramatically during major financial crises. In the early 1980s, mortgage rates rose to historic highs, peaking at 18% as inflation surged into double digits and an oil crisis created turmoil. Rates fell sharply in response to the 2008 financial crisis, dropping into the 4-5% range as the housing bubble burst. And during the COVID‑19 pandemic, they plunged to historic lows, below 3%, as the Federal Reserve slashed rates and intervened heavily in financial markets.

For potential homebuyers, Kraeger recommends not waiting around for lower mortgage rates, noting that rates move every day and are just one piece of the puzzle.

“Just get into the house,” he said. “Don’t try to time the market. Spend time in the market.”

Kraeger advises homebuyers to speak with a professional who can help build a plan aligned with their financial goals. Renting might be a better option for someone who doesn’t want the responsibilities of home maintenance or anticipates moving every few years. For those with a higher risk tolerance, an adjustable-rate mortgage could be a better fit.

“Find the financial instrument that’s going to work for you,” he said. “It just happens that most people buy a home and they stay in it long term [so] the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage becomes a really valuable tool to use.”

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“It wasn’t just a damaged sign,” Holmes said. “It was a level of violence and vandalism that I hadn’t seen in the county.”

Holmes is running for Prince George’s County Executive. He was notified by Bowie City Police that the large sign located at Maryland Route 450 near Superior Lane was vandalized the morning of May 1.

“I don’t want anybody to have to feel the way my family and I have felt over the last couple days, because you feel like something’s being taken away from you, and that’s your freedom,” he said.

Investigators said the vandal used blue painter’s tape to place a swastika over Holmes’ face and wrote the words “FREEMAN” and “TND,” which are coded white supremacist terms.

Holmes said he believes the vandalism took time, suggesting whoever did it was deliberate.

“No other signs were damaged with that on it,” he said. “Did I just get singled out? Am I being targeted?”

In a , Bowie Mayor Michael EstĂšve said the city will not tolerate prejudice directed toward anyone.

“Someone tried to deface this sign. They put some painters tape on it with a message that was racist and antisemitic,” he said. “You commit vandalism, we’re going to make sure we do everything we can to find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”

Holmes said one positive outcome has been how many people have reached out, offering to replace the sign or asking to put a sign up in their yard.

“People have been incredible,” Holmes said. “It’s not so much support for me; it’s really talking about (how) we don’t want this in our county, and we don’t want people to feel like it’s OK to do this in our county.”

“The message is not to be desensitized by what goes on. Be really outraged. Be pissed off,” he added. “It’s unacceptable. Somebody saw something, someone should say something.”

No arrests have been made.

The Prince George’s County Homeland Security Department is leading the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS.

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According to the , there was a 71% year‑over‑year drop in truancy among participating students.

“We are encouraged about the results because it tells us that we are onto something that works. And that’s going to impact the young people and the families that we do serve,” said Rachel Pierre, director of the D.C. Department of Human Services.

A key part of the program’s success is case management. They work with families to understand specific needs and coordinate services. Forty-seven percent of parents accepted case management services, which is up from 42% in the first year of the program in 2024. Nearly half of students in case management improved their attendance and behavior within 90 days.

“We are able to really meet the family exactly at the point that this could escalate to something bigger,” Pierre said. “If there are barriers to school attendance on a regular basis, we are here to help.”

Pierre said some examples of those barriers are a lack of childcare, not having the right uniform, bullying or simply parent awareness. She emphasized it’s critical to intervene early.

“D.C. parents, it’s important that your kids are in school,” Pierre said. “The more school days young people miss, the more they fall behind, the harder it is for them to catch up.”

There are plans to expand the Truancy Reduction Program for a third year. Ten schools currently participate, and they want to add eight more. Focusing on ninth and 10th graders would help kids stay on the right track throughout high school, Pierre said.

“The transition from middle school to high school is often when kids have a hard time adjusting. And for whatever reasons, they may be more truant,” she said. “We are excited about the possibility of scaling into additional schools next fiscal year.”

For more information about the program or to seek assistance from DHS, .

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It’s easy to take electricity for granted, but imagine your home without it. Instead of flipping on a switch, you’d rely on candles or gas lamps to light the way.

There’d be no air conditioner to provide relief on a hot summer day. Food would spoil quickly without a refrigerator, and we’d quite literally become disconnected without Wi-Fi.

“[We] just wouldn’t have the quality of life that we have today,” said William Rampe, a policy analyst at the Institute for Energy Research in D.C.

In 1880, Thomas Edison — one of the best-known American inventors — patented the incandescent light bulb. But at that time, homes were not wired for electricity. Two years later, the famous banker J.P. Morgan, who was one of Edison’s early financial backers, became one of the first people to have electric lighting installed in their house.

“[Electricity] really wasn’t something that was very common,” Rampe said, noting that it was only accessible to the wealthy. “At that time, it was just for lighting. We didn’t have all the appliances we have today.”

With funding from Morgan, Edison opened the Pearl Street Station in lower Manhattan in 1882. This was the country’s first central power plant and later became part of General Electric. It grew from 59 customers in the first year to 513 customers by 1883.

“[The station] distributed electricity from a centralized station to a lot of different people,” Rampe said.

But the person who brought reliable, affordable electricity to millions of Americans was actually Edison’s private secretary-turned-business manager Samuel Insull. He helped build the modern power grid and created an electricity empire.

“The Henry Ford of [the] modern electricity industry was Samuel Insull,” Rampe said. “And that’s because he was able to achieve economies of scale.”

Insull realized that by building large power plants and getting lots of people to use electricity, the cost would drop for everyone. He consolidated small mom-and-pop electric companies into one huge, organized system.

As a result, electricity became more reliable, reaching more homes and businesses, and families could finally afford it. Insull understood electricity “could be marketable, not just something that’s a toy for the wealthiest people in the country,” Rampe said.

Insull left General Electric to run the Chicago Edison Company and transformed Chicago into one of the most electrified cities in the world. He also pioneered the two-part pricing system for usage and demand that is still the foundation of how electricity is billed today.

By the 1920s, Insull controlled a massive network of utilities across many states. His electricity empire collapsed during the Great Depression and Insull lost his wealth, but the utility model he created continues shaping the industry today.

“He was really important for getting the industry off the ground,” Rampe said. “We have a system where we don’t really have outages, except for certain times and extreme weather.”

States regulated utilities until the Federal Power Act of 1935 gave the federal government authority over electricity that crosses state lines. The law also aimed to stabilize the electric industry, regulate utility companies, and protect consumers from abusive pricing.

But rural America had been left behind, as private utility companies focused more on cities and urban homes. The Rural Electrification Act of 1936 brought electricity to farms and transformed agriculture in the U.S.

“As we got into the 20th century, [electricity use] really skyrocketed,” Rampe said. Before 1910, under 10 percent of homes had electricity. By 1955, nearly 100% of homes did. “That leads to the state we are in now, especially [in the] United States, where nearly everyone has electricity.” The ways we use electricity at home continue to evolve with new technologies, from rooftop solar panels to electric cars to smart devices, reshaping daily life.

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After World War II, millions of soldiers returning to the United States needed housing for their families. Levitt took the mass-production techniques Henry Ford pioneered for cars and applied those cost-cutting tactics to homebuilding. His company, Levitt & Sons, was able to build tens of thousands of homes quickly and at affordable prices.

“No one was able to build at the scale that Levitt did,” said Edward Berenson, a professor of history at New York University and the author of “Perfect Communities: Levitt, Levittown, and the Dream of White Suburbia.”

Before World War II, about 40% of American families owned homes. By the 1960s, that number was about 65%. “That’s a huge increase, and it was all in the suburbs,” Berenson said. “[Levitt] really played a major role in a gigantic social, cultural and economic change in the 20th century, and that is suburbanization.”

Levitt built several Levittowns in the United States, Puerto Rico and Europe. In the original Levittown, New York, he built 17,447 houses in four years.

“That’s a lot of houses. They were small and rudimentary,” Berenson said. “But they’ve lasted.”

One Levitt community was built in Prince George’s County called Belair at Bowie.

In 1947, a family could buy one of Levitt’s homes for around $7,000, which works out to just over $100,000 today. If you go onto Zillow and look up the prices of homes in Levittown, New York, the median price is about $700,000.

Levitt sold the idea of the American dream a house with a yard in a safe neighborhood with community resources. He set aside land for schools, churches, synagogues and ball fields to “create a community spirit and allow people to get together.” Berenson said he can speak from personal experience because he grew up in Levittown, Pennsylvania. He has positive memories of playing, swimming and biking with other children.

“It was a safe community, and people felt confident giving their kids a lot of freedom,” Berenson said. “I interviewed lots of people who grew up in the different Levittowns, and they all say the same thing. They have an experience that is a lot like the one I had.”

However, Levitt faced criticism for conformity and exclusion. Levittowns had a negative reputation because “the houses were all the same, and they supposedly made everyone the same.”

Levitt also refused to sell his homes to African Americans. When an African American family moved into Levittown, Pennsylvania, in 1957, there were race riots that lasted for more than a week.

“The really worst thing about Levitt was his policies on race,” Berenson said.

His personal story follows a rags-to-riches-to-rags narrative. He was one of the richest people in the world when he sold his company in the late 1960s for almost $100 million, but he made bad investments and spent lavishly.

“When he finally got back into homebuilding in the 1980s, he committed a lot of fraud,” Berenson said. “He took deposits from people and used those deposits to support his really extravagant lifestyle.”

That included a yacht, a penthouse on Fifth Avenue and a mini castle on Long Island.

“He died in the ’90s as a charity patient in one of the hospitals he helped to build,” Berenson said. “I think that’s why people have forgotten about him.” Levitt’s star rose quickly but then burned out.

In his book, Berenson said he tried to present a full, nuanced and complex picture of a man who changed the way Americans live and whose influence is still prominent today.

“History is complicated, and so you have to take the good with the bad,” he said. “[People] should know about one of the most important figures in the 20th century, William J. Levitt.”

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Interior design is about more than just style. The way a home looks often reflects cultural shifts, technological advances and evolving ideas about beauty.

Throughout U.S. history, design trends have offered clues about how Americans lived and what they valued.

Early Colonial homes in America were practical and orderly. Furniture was handcrafted, built to last and often simple or sparse. Wood was abundant, and pigments for muted earth tones such as soft browns were readily available. Wealthier families could purchase imported woven materials for curtains, bed hangings and tablecloths.

Early settlers were also influenced by European traditions. The Queen Anne style, popular in early 18th-century Britain, crossed the Atlantic and shaped the look of American homes.

As industrialization accelerated in the late 19th century, the shift from handcrafted to manufactured goods transformed interior design. Furniture and decorative items became more affordable through mass production, and a growing middle class embraced home design as a sign of prosperity.

The luxurious Art Deco movement captured the spirit of the “Roaring 20s” with geometric patterns, jewel tones and metallic accents.

Amanda Ivy Pearson, founder of Washington-based Ink and Ivy Design, said the 1920s remain one of her favorite eras for inspiration.

“The richness of the colors and all of the different textures and the opulence of it,” Pearson said. “It’s just so over the top, but in such a beautiful way.”

During the Great Depression, design trends shifted again as families focused on necessity rather than luxury. Homes became simpler and more practical, with people repairing or repurposing furniture and household items. Leftover fabric was often patched together to create curtains or quilts, and many decorative items were homemade.

After World War II, the mid-century modern movement gained momentum and lasted well into the 1960s. The style was defined by clean lines, minimal ornamentation and innovative materials.

Postwar optimism and advances in manufacturing allowed designers to experiment with materials such as fiberglass and molded plywood. Furniture featured sleek shapes and new wood finishes, while large windows, open layouts and natural materials helped connect indoor spaces with nature.

Pearson said incorporating nature into home design is now known as biophilic design and remains popular today.

“There’s some research that really shows it improves people’s lives,” she said. “It makes people feel happier and calmer in their spaces.”

Design took a bold turn in the 1970s as cultural experimentation and environmental awareness reshaped American homes. Avocado green, mustard yellow and burnt orange became common color choices. Wood paneling, modular sofas, shag carpeting and velvet upholstery created relaxed, textured spaces.

The 1980s continued the spirit of experimentation but introduced brighter, saturated colors such as hot pink and electric blue. The Memphis design movement known for clashing colors, geometric shapes and playful lines influenced pop culture and furniture design. Mirrored walls and lacquered surfaces also contributed to the decade’s glamorous aesthetic.

By the 1990s, design trends shifted again toward neutral palettes and traditional furniture shapes, reflecting a cultural emphasis on family-centered living. Living rooms often revolved around entertainment centers, with sofas and recliners positioned around the television.

Homeowners also experimented with DIY-friendly techniques such as sponge painting to add personality to walls. The “shabby chic” style gained popularity, though Pearson cautions against buying pre-distressed furniture.

“You lose the personality that can make a space unique,” she said.

In the 2000s, open-concept layouts became common as walls were removed to create large, shared living spaces. Minimalism emphasized uncluttered rooms and soft color palettes of beige, white, gray and light blue.

Technology also began influencing home design, increasing the demand for organization and multifunctional spaces. At the same time, the modern farmhouse style emerged, blending rustic elements such as reclaimed wood with contemporary finishes.

Pearson said today’s homeowners can benefit from looking to the past for inspiration. She recommends browsing antique or vintage stores to find quality pieces that can serve as a foundation for a room.

“You can find quality that you really can’t get anymore, or you can’t get without spending an exorbitant amount of money,” she said.

Repurposing or refinishing those pieces can give them new life and create a strong base for future design changes.

“When you’ve got these pieces that really can stand the test of time, then you can build around that,” Pearson said.

She also encourages mixing materials and styles that might not traditionally go together, such as tile and wood, to create a distinctive look.

“Design is supposed to be fun,” Pearson said. “It’s supposed to be an opportunity for you to be creative and tell your story and surround yourself with things that make you feel happy [and] healthy.”

Her advice is to be intentional. Before redecorating, she suggests taking inventory of what you already own and considering how you actually live day to day.

Chasing trends can quickly lead to clutter, Pearson said, but embracing personal style can create a home that lasts beyond changing fads.

“Trends fade,” she said. “You are unique and you will always be unique, and that is a trend that doesn’t ever go out of style.”

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Tudor Place was the ancestral home of Martha Peter, the granddaughter of America’s inaugural first lady Martha Washington. Martha Peter was married to Thomas Peter and their descendants lived in Tudor Place until 1983. They were stewards of a remarkable collection of Washington family artifacts and heirlooms. The historic estate, a model of federal-period architecture set on five-and-a-half acres, became a museum in 1988. The stories preserved here span six generations of one family.

Now for the first time, visitors can see rare treasures tied to the Washington legacy, including art, fine china, furniture, soap, a piece of Martha’s wedding dress and locks of George’s hair. Many of these items have been too fragile or too small to display to the public, but were brought out of the vault to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.

“You start to understand how objects have a value that goes beyond monetary value,” said curator Rob DeHart. “For these objects, there was a societal and a cultural value.”

The special exhibit, called “Founding Fortunes,” is about the 1802 estate sale of Martha Washington. In her will, she designated that anything not bequeathed to family members be sold to fund the education of her nephews. The estate sale was held at Mount Vernon a few months after she died.

“As you can imagine, it was one of the estate sales of the century,” said DeHart. “There’s always been so much interest in the worldly belongings of America’s most famous first family, George and Martha Washington.”

Martha and Thomas Peter were big spenders at the estate sale and brought the items they purchased from Mount Vernon to Tudor Place, where the collection was preserved and continued to grow.

“George Washington embodied the virtues of the early United States more than probably anybody,” DeHart said. “Seeing these objects that were treasured by family members, that were touched by the Washingtons, used by them at Mount Vernon and at the presidential houses in Philadelphia [and] in New York City, it is very special. It feels [like you’re] very close to history.”

A very rare artifact now on display is one of the camp stools that George used during the Revolutionary War.

“Thomas Peter bought six of these at the estate sale for $1.50,” DeHart said. “There’s only two known left to exist — one here and there’s one at the Smithsonian.”

Very little correspondence between George and Martha Washington exists. DeHart said she burned all their letters so no one else could read them. However, Martha did not realize that two letters had fallen under a drawer in her desk. The museum displays a facsimile of one of those letters and will bring out the original for special events this year.

“The letter was very significant because it was written on June 18, 1775. And in that letter, George is telling Martha that he’s just been asked to command the Continental Army, and he’s accepted that command,” DeHart said.

A theme throughout the exhibit is how deeply the early United States was tied to the institution of slavery and how generational wealth was created. Mount Vernon’s enslaved community was divided among Washington’s four grandchildren and about 48 people came to Tudor Place. The museum has worked to trace and preserve their stories through oral history and DNA evidence. One woman, Hannah Cole Pope, continued working at Tudor Place after gaining her freedom.

“She and her husband, Alfred Pope, were very prominent members of the Georgetown Black community and their children were teachers,” DeHart said. “They were civil rights activists, and we work with their descendants today to even create this exhibit.”

“Founding Fortunes” is open through the end of the year. You can reserve a spot on .

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The National Housing Act of 1934 was a critical part of efforts to recover from the Great Depression. It created the Federal Housing Administration, which insured mortgages to stabilize the housing market.

By getting federal insurance, lenders knew that if buyers defaulted on the loan, the government would cover the loss. “And it made it a lot easier [and] financially feasible for far more lenders to make far more home loans,” Squires said.

This program expanded mortgage lending, but FHA underwriting guidelines discouraged lending in racially mixed or Black neighborhoods, making it nearly impossible for many people of color to qualify for a federally insured loan. This helped institutionalize redlining, the practice of denying credit or insurance to people because they live in areas labeled as a poor financial risk.

FHA policies shaped private lending norms for decades and reinforced segregation.

“The federal government itself was one of the key, if not the key, redliner in the United States,” Squires said. “(The FHA) did open up homeownership opportunities for a lot of people, but it clearly set the tone for what followed, which was decades of racially discriminatory mortgage lending practices.”

In 1968, the Fair Housing Act was a landmark civil rights law that changed the dynamics of the housing market, making it illegal for lenders to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, and national origin — later expanded to include sex, familial status, and disability. “This has been the key statute aimed at housing discrimination,” Squires said.

The act also gave the Department of Housing and Urban Development major enforcement responsibilities. HUD was created in 1965 to administer housing and community development programs, working to ensure fair and equal housing opportunities.

The Equal Credit Opportunity Act was passed in 1974, prohibiting discrimination in all credit markets, not just housing. It has been widely used in mortgage discrimination cases.

The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act was passed the following year, requiring most mortgage lenders to disclose detailed information about where they make loans, who applies, and who gets approved or denied.

HMDA has been modified and expanded several times over the years. “Now we know we can report what’s happened to loan applications submitted by people of different colors and races, genders and income levels,” Squires said.

The Community Reinvestment Act, enacted in 1977, requires federal banking regulators, including the Federal Reserve, to ensure banks are serving the credit needs of the neighborhoods they’re part of, particularly low and moderate‑income communities.

”[It’s] a federal statute that basically prohibits redlining,” Squires said. “The statute actually says that lenders are required to ascertain and be responsive to the credit needs of their entire service areas, including low and moderate income areas.”

CRA has been used in conjunction with HMDA to challenge discriminatory mortgage lending practices and to support community reinvestment programs in neighborhoods that have historically been underserved by lenders.

Squires said there is still significant work to be done, and he believes there needs to be a shift in how society views housing at a foundational level.

“We need to begin to think about housing as a human right, rather than as a commodity that consumers win by being successful in the marketplace,” he said, noting how some communities have done a better job maintaining public housing or creating land trusts that take some of the profit pressure out of housing.

Many advocacy groups are also negotiating community benefits agreements, often using the CRA as leverage to push mortgage lenders to serve communities that have historically been underserved. “Remove the market and make housing a right, so that all families have access to affordable and decent housing in decent neighborhoods.”

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Jon Grishpul is the co-owner of — a free resource and helpful guide for anyone looking to build their own ADU, or accessory dwelling unit.

An ADU is sometimes referred to as a tiny home and the term refers to a smaller, secondary home located on the same lot as a primary residence.

“It’s a fully independent living space, so it has a kitchen, a full bathroom and a bedroom,” Grishpul said.

The idea of a granny flat, carriage home, or backyard cottage has existed for decades in many parts of the country. But over time they’ve developed and gotten more progressive. Over the last decade, especially on the West Coast — in Washington state, Oregon, and California — the concept of an ADU has evolved rapidly and is now gaining more momentum.

“This concept has been spreading like wildfire throughout the rest of the country,” Grishpul said. “We’re seeing more than half the states throughout the country, I believe, are now allowing some form of this.”

According to Grishpul, the main benefit of an ADU is flexibility. Adding square footage to an existing home can make it larger, but building a separate unit opens the door to more possibilities.

In California, the most common type of ADU is a garage conversion because it’s typically faster and more cost‑effective than building from scratch.

“I’ve helped homeowners build ADUs for a workout gym space or a yoga studio. They’ve done it for work from home offices,” he said.

Grishpul added that many people build an ADU for extra space for family members, whether it’s elderly parents or adult children coming back from college. Another popular use is rental income. He said many homeowners rent out their ADU as a side hustle, but he stressed the importance of understanding local rules and regulations before moving forward.

“There are restrictions on where you can build, how big you can build, what kind (of ADU) you can build, so make sure you do your homework, (and) verify the details,” he said.

Maxable Space recently hosted its “Best ADU of the Year Competition” to highlight standout projects across the country. One of the finalists was a tiny home in D.C. created by transforming an abandoned garage and storage space into a one‑bedroom ADU.

According to Maxable Space, “The ADU meets Washington D.C.’s strict environmental standards while maintaining year-round comfort. Restoring the building’s existing openings allowed natural light to flood the interior, creating a warm and inviting space that feels much larger than its footprint. The result is a thoughtful blend of preservation, sustainability, and smart design, breathing new life into what was once an overlooked structure.”

Grishpul said he is seeing a growing emphasis on design and innovation.

“Making them (ADUs) feel so much larger with the use of windows and reducing walls and different design elements; that is honestly one of the most exciting things for me to see,” he said.

Grishpul said tiny homes are continuing to gain popularity, and he believes the trend will accelerate as technology improves, and costs come down. Prefabricated ADUs, for example, are built entirely in a factory and then assembled on-site, reducing construction time and complexity.

“It’s a versatile space. It’s a dynamic space. It can be a rental in the short term, but in the future, it can be a man cave,” he said. “You’re also adding value to your property as well.”

For anyone interested in building an ADU, Grishpul’s advice is simple: Start with research. Understand the regulations for your property before speaking with contractors or architects so you can make informed decisions from the beginning.

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A permanent exhibit at the in D.C. called “House & Home” invites visitors to explore how American domestic life has evolved over the centuries and to reconsider what the idea of “home” really means.

Cathy Frankel, Deputy Director for Interpretive Content at the National Building Museum explained how the exhibit captures both the physical and emotional dimensions of home.

“Everybody understands home and understands house,” Frankel said. “This is what’s most familiar. This is what children understand from the moment they’re born. They’re in their little room, they’re in their home, they’re in their neighborhood.”

That sense of familiarity is immediately apparent in the first gallery, where the walls are covered in photographs. Some images show the exteriors of homes — everything from apartment buildings to a lighthouse — while others offer intimate glimpses of daily life inside them: Families gathering around dinner tables, children watching television and people moving through their everyday routines. The photos span decades, mixing black‑and‑white images with vivid color.

“Home isn’t just about the structure, it’s about the people that are inside it and what they create in the community,” Frankel said. “It’s the people and it’s the things and it’s the activities that make it home.”

Moving into the main gallery, visitors encounter more than a dozen scale models of iconic American houses. These include detailed recreations of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and George Washington’s Mount Vernon, offering a look at how architectural styles have evolved across centuries.

The exhibit also highlights different construction styles — featuring materials like brick, wood, and glass — with walls that visitors are allowed to touch.

Frankel said one of the most popular parts is the display of hundreds of household objects, some dating back nearly 200 years. The collection ranges from nostalgic to quirky: an American flag, a piñata, a pink George Foreman grill, antique furniture, and Farrah Fawcett’s famous red swimsuit poster are just some examples.

“(This) is really how you make a home. It’s with the objects. It’s with the traditions. It’s with the family,” she said.

Frankel said curators had fun assembling the collection, which includes items lent from museums and staff members.

“(We) came up with this wonderful display, which I think really delights everybody and makes them think about what they’ve done in their own homes to make it their own,” Frankel said. “It’s great fun to watch our visitors come in here, especially the intergenerational groups, and be like, ‘Oh, my grandma had one of these. I remember this.’”

A timeline traces the development of the modern mortgage system and highlights key moments in the history of homeownership. The final section of the exhibit shifts from individual houses to the broader idea of community.

Displays explore different types of neighborhoods — from public housing to master‑planned developments — and emphasize how where we live shapes our daily experiences. The goal is to help visitors see their homes as parts of larger neighborhoods and networks.

“It’s a multi-generational audience,” Frankel said. “Everybody understands it and understands the importance of home.”

The National Building Museum is open Thursday through Monday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and is located at 401 F Street NW.

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3D-printing technology continues reshaping how homes are built, making the process more efficient and less expensive. These 3D‑printed houses are more durable and can be easily customized.

Virginia Tech is becoming a national leader in 3D‑printed housing research. The university has helped build four homes in Virginia and is currently producing five more.

“We can basically deploy a robotic arm now to build structures, and we can make it mobile and bring the technology out to the site,” said Andrew McCoy, the Interim Managing Director of the Coalition for Smart Construction at Virginia Tech, as well as the Director of the Virginia Center for Housing Research.

He said the robot works like an inkjet printer, but with concrete instead of ink, layering material to build up the walls. The 3D‑printed homes are around 1,400 square feet, and the team has been working closely with Habitat for Humanity.

“We’ve been printing three-bedroom, two bath homes with a nice, big kitchen,” he said. “Dining room, living room kind of combo. And they’ve been very well received.”

The robotic arm is a major advancement from the previous method, called the gantry system, which required four posts for the printer to move along the X and Y axis. That system couldn’t easily go from one location to another. The robotic arm they use now sits on a base with crawler treads, making it more mobile and flexible.

“It can go on a construction site and move all around the site,” he said. “It’s very independent and very customizable. And we could print much larger homes.”

McCoy said the traditional way of framing a house can take a couple of weeks, with multiple trades working together. In comparison, they can 3D‑print a wall in about half an hour and potentially build five walls in a single day.

One of the biggest advantages of 3D-printing is how easily a home can be customized. Unusual shapes and design features that are typically expensive or labor‑intensive become far easier to achieve, without added cost or the need for a specialized crew. McCoy said one home they’re printing now had a specific request for the façade.

“They wanted a brick facade,” he said. “This thing basically preprints all the facades, and then we ship them out and we attach them, and they’re done.”

He also described 3D‑printed homes built with reinforced corners for durability because of their location in a flood‑prone area.

“They have these thicker areas that make them stronger to basically divert water,” McCoy said.

The technology is a way to combat the labor shortage and rising cost of materials. The state of Virginia is investing in innovation to bring more housing into the market, creating a series of grants through Virginia Housing, the state’s housing finance agency.

“The whole purpose of these grants is to basically introduce technology into the market, bring builders in and show them how to use it, and take the financial risk off the builder so that they’re willing to try it,” McCoy said. “[With] these grants, that’s how we’re able to create this system. They helped us fund the process of figuring it all out.”

Their goal is to continue improving 3D‑printing research — investigating what works and what doesn’t, lowering costs, and speeding up the process.

“I feel like if other states would try to do some of this, that’s how we’re going to make some good inroads into the housing crisis.”

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Karishma Sharma, 16, used to struggle with confidence. She was scared to speak up in class and worried about what other people might think.

But Sharma was able to build her confidence through acting and modeling classes, and now she’s passionate about helping young girls learn the same skills.

“By the age of 8, girls’ confidence drops 30% in comparison to boys,” Sharma said. “And this only gets worse as they continue throughout their adolescence and teen years.”

The River Hill High School sophomore founded her own nonprofit organization called “,” aimed at eliminating the gender confidence gap between girls and boys through free leadership workshops.

“I want girls to not fear who they are, be their authentic selves and be empowered to be future leaders,” Sharma said.

Her next event Saturday in Rockville is focused on women leading the way in different fields.

Girls get to participate in a fireside chat and panel discussion with Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, the President of National Geographic Content Courteney Monroe and the Chief Research Officer of Children’s National Hospital Dr. Catherine Bollard.

The event is free, but participants need to.

“Let girls see that they can be trailblazers,” Sharma said. “They have the power to dream big.”

A previous workshop focused on speaking with confidence, and girls got to learn from Miss Maryland and Miss Maryland Teen.

“It was really inspiring,” Sharma said. “We ended the event with each girl confidently going up to the front of the room and introducing themselves, sharing a little bit about themselves and what they’re most proud of.”

Sharma plans to launch the BoldHER Future mentorship program, and she dreams about expanding her nonprofit nationwide.

“This is something that I truly am devoted to and passionate about,” Sharma said. “I want to be a social entrepreneur to make meaningful impact around the world.”

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