WASHINGTON — Despite the National Park Service’s decision to reject a group’s plans to install a 45-foot-tall sculpture of a nude woman on National Mall, there’s still plenty of artistic nudity downtown — if you know where to look.

“Many of these are open to the public, you just walk by and there it is,” said Steve Schlich, who compiled information about local sculptures, fountains, and other artwork for the book “Naked Washington.”

Asked why so many statues in Washington, D.C. feature nude figures, Schlich says it goes with the design of the nation’s capital.

“The thing that strikes someone about Washington is how much classical art is there, from the Renaissance or Greek-based art, and the human body has always been an important subject, and these sculptures were trained to do what they do best,” said Schlich.

With the disappointment many are feeling that R-Evolution won’t be coming to the mall, we decided to revisit WTOP’s 2005 series, “Naked Washington.”

Look below for a tour of “Naked Washington.”

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