A spiral staircase in the Hotel Monaco in Washington, D.C., leads to a bright skylight on the top floor. The building
was built in 1839 as the first significant federal building constructed in Washington after the U.S. Capitol and the
White House. It served as the General Post Office until 1899, then was used for a variety of government purposes
until it was decommissioned in 1987. A restoration effort began in 1999 and the building was reopened as a hotel
in 2002. Additional images from Washington are in my Cities gallery.