Designed by the federal Office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury -- led at the time by Willoughby J. Edbrooke -- the Old Post Office is one of Washington’s significant Romanesque Revival buildings on a monumental scale. It was the first Federal building erected on Pennsylvania Avenue in the area now known as the Federal Triangle. In 1891, the Office of the Supervising Architect, planned to erect the Old Post Office. At the time of its completion in 1899, the building’s 315-foot-high clock tower was the third highest in Washington, exceeded only by the Capitol and the Washington Monument. The building served as the District of Columbia’s general post office until 1914, when operations moved to a new building next to Union Station. For decades later, the building served a variety of government-related functions. Throughout its history, the building has been threatened with demolition many times. When plans to demolish the building crystallized again in the early 1970s, many protested and lobbied against the demolition, including Don't Tear It Down or what is known today as the DC Preservation League. A nomination to the National Register of Historic Places succeeded in 1973, and plans to demolish the building were replaced with plans to preserve it. Renovation took place between 1979 and 1983. The building expanded between 1988 and 1992, before being redeveloped as a hotel in 2014. DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)National Register: April 11, 1973
]]>Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, US government agencies and branches were responsible for maintaining their own documents, often resulting in the loss and destruction of records. In 1934, Congress created the National Archives to centralize federal record keeping, and appointed Robert D. W. Connor (1878-1950) as the first Archivist of the United States. While independent from the US government, the National Archives preserves historical documents and government records. The National Archives also maintains and publishes legally authentic and authoritative copies of acts of Congress, presidential directives, and federal regulations, as well as Electoral College votes. Additionally, the National Archives maintains public access to those records including the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. Researchers can also view documents in the Research Room that are not on display. The seventh building to be constructed in the Federal Triangle from 1931 to 1937, the National Archives Building is a monumental structure designed in the twentieth century neoclassical manner by John Russell Pope (1874-1937). The Archives Building occupies a dominant position in the Federal Triangle. DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)National Register: May 27, 1971National Historic Landmark: December 11, 2023
]]>American spy Captain Nathan Hale became the first famous martyr of the American Revolution when he was captured and later executed by the British in 1776. At the gallows, Hale gained renown through his final words which appear around the circular base of the statue: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."
This life-sized standing bronze figure of Hale was bequeathed to the United States by George Dudley Seymour of New Haven, Connecticut. The sculpture shows Hale at the moment of his famous speech prior to his execution. He stands erect and proud with his feet and hands bound and a blindfold draped over his shoulders. The statue rests on a pedestal of granite about three feet high.
The statue was authorized by public law No. 683 by the 79th Congress on August 8, 1946. Prior to being moved to DC, the statue was formerly situated at Hale's birthplace in South Coventry, Connecticut. A replica of the figure is at Yale University. Designed by Bela Lyon Pratt around 1915, the statue is believed to have been cast in 1930. The statue is currently owned by the National Park Service.
Part of American Revolution Statuary
DC Inventory: March 3, 1979
National Register: July 14, 1978
Within Federal Triangle Historic District and Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site
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