Treasury Building (Washington, D.C.)

Last updated
U.S. Department of the Treasury
U.S. Treasury Building and Albert Gallatin Statue.jpg
The north entrance to the Treasury Building featuring the Statue of Albert Gallatin (foreground) in 2017
Location map Washington, D.C. central.png
Red pog.svg
USA District of Columbia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Coordinates 38°53′51.2″N77°2′3.4″W / 38.897556°N 77.034278°W / 38.897556; -77.034278
Built1836–1842 (East Wing and Central)
1855–1861 (South Wing)
1862–1864 (West Wing)
1867–1869 (North Wing) [1]
Architect
Architectural style Neoclassical
NRHP reference No. 71001007
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 11, 1971
Designated NHLNovember 11, 1971 [2]

The Treasury Building in Washington, D.C., is a National Historic Landmark building which is the headquarters of the United States Department of the Treasury. An image of the Treasury Building is featured on the back of the United States ten-dollar bill. [3]

Contents

Early buildings

In the spring of the year 1800, the capital of the United States was preparing to move from the well-established city of Philadelphia to a parcel of tidewater land along the Potomac River. President John Adams issued an Executive Order on May 15 instructing the federal government to move to Washington and to be open for business by June 15, 1800. Arriving in Washington, relocated government employees found only one building completed and ready to be occupied: the Treasury Department building. Of the 131 federal workers who moved to Washington, over half of them (69) were housed in the new Treasury Building, a two-story Federal/Georgian styled red brick building with a basement and attic that had 16 rooms on the first floor and 15 rooms on the second floor. The building was 147 feet (45 m) long and 57 feet (17 m) wide, flanking the south-east end of the President's House (later renamed the White House), one of four similar structures for the then four executive departments flanking the east (State and Treasury) and west sides (War and Navy) of the executive mansion facing Pennsylvania Avenue. [4] :1

Within six months of occupying the building, a fire broke out on January 20, 1801, nearly destroying the entire structure. The fire started in one of the first floor rooms and burned through to the floor above but was extinguished before any serious structural damage occurred. The building was repaired, yet by 1805 the records of the department were beginning to overwhelm the original building and a new "fireproof" brick and masonry vault extension was planned for the west side of the Treasury building facing the next-door Presidential residence. The extension of the Treasury building was designed by architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe and completed in 1806. [4] :3–4 The first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, never got to see it finished.

The fire-proof vault addition designed by Latrobe turned out to be a hearty structure – it was the only part of the building that survived the 1814 burning of Washington by British forces during the War of 1812. Treasury offices were temporarily relocated to seven buildings along Pennsylvania Avenue between 19th and 20th streets while the Treasury building, other executive departments and President's House (White House) were reconstructed. The reconstruction took until 1817 under President James Monroe to complete. [4] :4

On March 30, 1833, the Treasury Building was once again engulfed in flames. Late in the evening, Richard H. White had set fire to the building hoping to destroy incriminating pension records inside the Treasury Building. Volunteers saved records that could be retrieved (mostly from the Latrobe vault extension which once again largely survived the fire) and the Treasury offices were relocated to a row of buildings on the south side of Pennsylvania Avenue, opposite the nearby Willard Hotel. After the fire, architect Robert Mills was asked to prepare a set of drawings of the former brick Federal style Treasury Building recording the design of the building before the fire. [4] :5

Current building

East Wing

When Mills submitted drawings of the destroyed Treasury building along with a report on the need for a more fire-proof building in the future, he also included drawings of what he proposed as a potential new Treasury building. Mills eventually won a design competition and was appointed Architect of Public Buildings by President Andrew Jackson to oversee the design and construction of the Treasury and Patent Office buildings. Construction on the new Treasury building began on September 7, 1836. [4] :5

Disagreements over the Treasury building came to a head less than two years into the construction of the east wing. In January 1838 a proposal was introduced in Congress to demolish the partially constructed building. The Committee on Public Buildings directed Capitol building architect Thomas U. Walter to inspect and report on the Treasury building. A report on January 29, 1838, by Walter critical of the building design was rebutted by Mills a few weeks later in February. Despite Mills's arguments, a congressional bill was brought to the floor and voted on with the recommendation to demolish the Treasury building and use the stone for a replacement Post Office building. The bill was narrowly defeated 94-91 and work on the Treasury building was allowed to continue. [4] :6

The Mills wings of the current Treasury building (east and center sections) were finally completed in 1842. The massive, 350' long Greek inspired Ionic colonnade facing 15th street is the most striking feature of Mills design. By 1844, the tan sandstone exterior, including the colonnade, was painted white to protect the integrity of the stone (the same stone and painting thereof was used at the "White" House as well). While Mills had always envisioned additional wings added to the Treasury building beginning with a south wing extension, in 1851, he was removed from his Treasury position before any design or construction of the south wing had begun. [4] :7

South Wing Extension

Image of the construction, showing construction of the front steps Construction of the United States Treasury Building, Washington, D.C., showing construction of the front steps.tif
Image of the construction, showing construction of the front steps

By the early 1850s, there was a growing need to increase the size of the Treasury building. Mills revised his earlier design and submitted a plan to Treasury Secretary Thomas Corwin. Controversy followed Mills yet again and Thomas U. Walter was brought in to critique the Mills plan, eventually providing two design drawings of his own. Walter's drawings for the first time showed a west wing of the Treasury building on the site of former greenhouses for the White House that would eventually create a closed rectangular shaped Classical Revival styled stone building with Mills's center wing bisecting the rectangle and creating two enclosed courtyards. Ultimately Walter's design was chosen and in 1851, Robert Mills was released from his architectural position at the Treasury Department. [4] :7–8

In 1853 Ammi B. Young was named the Supervising Architect in the Office of Construction at the Treasury Department. Key among his responsibilities was to merge the design approaches previously prepared for the addition of a south wing to the Treasury building extending over the site of the old State Department offices. One of the most important revisions was the acceptance of the need to expand the Treasury building with both simultaneously a south and west wings. The inclusion of the later west wing in the design and planning created an opportunity for economies of scale by reducing costs for manpower and building materials. In 1855 ground was broken to start excavating for the South Wing foundation after the razing of the old State Department. [4] :8

Statue of Alexander Hamilton by James Earle Fraser Statue of Alexander Hamilton.jpg
Statue of Alexander Hamilton by James Earle Fraser

By 1857 construction of the south wing had progressed up to the second-floor level and excavations for the west wing foundations had begun. Progress on the Treasury building came to a halt in 1858 with the country falling into a recession after the financial Panic of 1857. Construction on all federal buildings was stopped due to a lack of funding appropriations from Congress. Before the stoppage, the construction of the south wing had completed setting in place over 45 monolithic stone columns and pilasters, some weighing as much as 33 tons each. But economic challenges were not the only events that disrupted the construction of the south and west wings of the Treasury building. By 1860 it appeared almost certain that the country was headed towards a military conflict between the states. [4] :8–9

Following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865, new President Andrew Johnson relocated the presidential offices temporarily to the Treasury building, while the Lincoln family was vacating the White House. [4] :11

Artistic elements

Sculpture

The Treasury Building has appeared on the reverse of the United States ten-dollar bill since 1928. US $10 Series 2004 reverse.jpg
The Treasury Building has appeared on the reverse of the United States ten-dollar bill since 1928.

Sculptor James Earle Fraser created the statue of Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury, which stands in front of the southern facade facing Alexander Hamilton Place and The Ellipse beyond, and the statue of Albert Gallatin, the fourth and longest serving Secretary, which stands before the northern entrance facing Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Capitol</span> Meeting place of the United States Congress

The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government. It is located on Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Although no longer at the geographic center of the national capital, the U.S. Capitol forms the origin point for the street-numbering system of the district as well as its four quadrants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White House</span> Official residence and workplace of the president of the United States

The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800 when the national capital was moved from Philadelphia. The term "White House" is often used as metonymy for the president and his advisers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Mills (architect)</span> American architect

Robert Mills was a South Carolina architect and cartographer known for designing both the first Washington Monument, located in Baltimore, Maryland, as well as the better known monument to the first president in the nation's capital, Washington, DC. He is sometimes said to be the first native-born American to be professionally trained as an architect. Charles Bulfinch of Boston perhaps has a clearer claim to this honor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smithsonian Institution Building</span> United States historic place

The Smithsonian Institution Building, more commonly known as the Smithsonian Castle or simply The Castle, is a building on the National Mall housing the Smithsonian Institution's administrative offices and information center. Built as the first Smithsonian museum building, it is constructed of Seneca red sandstone in the Norman Revival style. It was completed in 1855 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Ustick Walter</span> American architect

Thomas Ustick Walter was the dean of American architecture between the 1820 death of Benjamin Latrobe and the emergence of H. H. Richardson in the 1870s. He was the fourth Architect of the Capitol and responsible for adding the north (Senate) and south (House) wings and the central dome that is predominantly the current appearance of the U.S. Capitol building. Walter was one of the founders and second president of the American Institute of Architects. In 1839, he was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannelton Cotton Mill</span> United States historic place

Cannelton Cotton Mill, also known as Indiana Cotton Mill, is a National Historic Landmark of the United States located in Cannelton, Indiana, United States. Built in 1849 as an effort to expand textile milling out of New England, it was the largest industrial building west of the Allegheny Mountains, designed by Thomas Alexander Tefft, an early industrial architect. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1991. The building now houses residences.

The Old Patent Office Building is a historic building in Washington, D.C. that covers an entire city block between F and G Streets and 7th and 9th Streets NW in the Penn Quarter section of Chinatown. Serving as an art gallery for the Smithsonian Institution since the 1960s, it first served as one of the earliest Patent Office buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monumental Church</span> Former Episcopal church and national landmark in Richmond, Virginia, United States

Monumental Church is a former Episcopal church at 1224 E. Broad Street between N. 12th and College streets in Richmond, Virginia. Designed by architect Robert Mills, it is one of America's earliest and most distinctive Greek Revival churches. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and is located in the Court End historic district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammi B. Young</span> American architect (1791–1874)

Ammi Burnham Young was a 19th-century American architect whose commissions transitioned from the Greek Revival to the Neo-Renaissance styles. His design of the second Vermont State House brought him fame and success, which eventually led him to become the first Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury Department. As federal architect, he was responsible for creating across the United States numerous custom houses, post offices, courthouses and hospitals, many of which are today on the National Register. His traditional architectural forms lent a sense of grandeur and permanence to the new country's institutions and communities. Young pioneered the use of iron in construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burlington County Prison</span> United States historic place

The Burlington County Prison is a historic museum property, located next to the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. Operating from 1811 to 1965, it was the oldest prison in the nation at the time of its closure. Designed by Robert Mills, its design exemplified period thinking in progressive prison design, with individual cells, good ventilation, and fireproof construction. Now operated by a local nonprofit as a museum, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore City Circuit Courthouses</span> Building in Baltimore City, United States of America

The Baltimore City Circuit Courthouses are state judicial facilities located in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. They face each other in the 100 block of North Calvert Street, between East Lexington Street on the north and East Fayette Street on the south across from the Battle Monument Square (1815-1822), which held the original site of the first colonial era courthouse for Baltimore County and Town, after moving the Baltimore County seat in 1767 to the burgeoning port town on the Patapsco River established in 1729-1730.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riversdale (Riverdale Park, Maryland)</span> Historic house in Maryland, United States

Riversdale, is a five-part, large-scale late Georgian mansion with superior Federal interior, built between 1801 and 1807. Also known as Baltimore House, Calvert Mansion or Riversdale Mansion, it is located at 4811 Riverdale Road in Riverdale Park, Maryland, and is open to the public as a museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquia Creek sandstone</span> Type of sandstone used in Washington D.C. construction

Aquia Creek sandstone is a brown to light-gray freestone used extensively in building construction in Washington, D.C. in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Quarried at Aquia Creek in Stafford County, Virginia, the stone was valuable for its ease of shaping and the quarry's proximity to the tidewater portion of the Potomac River, 45 miles (72 km) south of Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandria City Hall</span> United States historic place

The Alexandria City Hall also known as the Alexandria Market House & City Hall, in Alexandria, Virginia, is a building built in 1871 and designed by Adolph Cluss. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The site was originally a market from 1749 and courthouse from 1752. A new building was constructed in 1817 but after an extensive fire in 1871 it was rebuilt as a replica of the former building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Federal Building (Anchorage)</span> United States historic place

The Old Federal Building in Anchorage, Alaska is a structure serving primarily as a courthouse of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska. Completed in stages from 1939 to 1941, the building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Custom House (New Orleans)</span> United States historic place

The U.S. Custom House, also known as the Old Post Office and Custom House, is a historic government building at 423 Canal Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was designated a National Historic Landmark, receiving this designation in 1974 and noted for its Egyptian Revival columns. Construction on the building, designed to house multiple federal offices and store goods, began in 1848 and didn't finish until 1881 due to redesigns and the American Civil War. The U.S. Customs offices have been located there since the late 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Custom House (Baltimore)</span> United States historic place

U.S. Custom House is a historic custom house building located at Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is a granite, steel-frame structure measuring 252 feet 8 inches (77.01 m) by 139 feet 6 inches (42.52 m). It is an exceptionally distinguished example of Beaux Arts architecture and was built from 1903 through late 1907 from plans by Hornblower and Marshall, a Washington, D.C. firm. The ceiling of the Call Room, located in the pavilion, was painted by Francis Davis Millet (1846–1912). It served as Baltimore's Custom House until 1953. Since that time various Federal agencies have occupied the building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Customhouse (New Bedford, Massachusetts)</span> United States historic place

The United States Customhouse is a historic and active custom house at 2nd and William Streets in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Architect Robert Mills designed the custom house in 1834 in a Greek Revival style. It has been used by the U.S. Customs Service ever since, and today serves as a port of entry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter E. Hoffman United States Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Walter E. Hoffman United States Courthouse, formerly known as the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, is a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Norfolk, Virginia. Built in 1932, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, reflecting Art Deco architecture. Historically it served as a courthouse and additionally as a post office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedman's Bank Building</span> United States historic place

The Freedman's Bank Building, previously known as the Treasury Annex, is a historic office building located on the corner of Madison Place and Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. It sits on the east side of Lafayette Square, a public park on the north side of the White House, and across from the Treasury Building. The adjoining properties include the Howard T. Markey National Courts Building to the north and the former Riggs National Bank to the east.

References

  1. 1 2 W. Brown Morton III (February 3, 1971). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: United States Department of the Treasury" (pdf). National Park Service. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2023. and Accompanying five photos, exterior, undated  (32 KB)
  2. "United States Department of the Treasury". National Historic Landmark Program. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
  3. Weil, Martin (9 January 2000). "With This $10 Bill, Plenty of Change". The Washington Post . ProQuest   408571757 . Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain . "The Treasury Building: A National Historic Landmark" (PDF). U.S. Department of the Treasury . Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  5. "The Treasury Building". U.S. Department of the Treasury. Archived from the original on 9 January 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2014.