Constructed between 1936 and 1937, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cotton Annex provided the necessary space for federal employees to create and refine cotton classification and standardization. Built with "Stripped Classicism" elements, the…

The Bureau of Engraving & Printing found its first home working in the attic and basement of the Treasury Building at 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. In 1878, safety concerns and the growth of the Bureau forced Congress to provide a new space. The…

Designed in 1939 in the “Stripped” Classical style, this limestone-clad office building is twelve stories tall, and centrally located near the White House, between McPherson and Lafayette squares. The exterior of the structure is plain and lacks…

In 1935, the Federal Reserve Board held a national competition to select an architect who would design their new Washington, DC headquarters. The ultimate winner was the prominent Paul Philippe Cret, who was known for his design of the Pan American…

In March of 1974, wreckers were sent to the site of the future Federal Home Loan Bank Board Building to clear space for a new government structure. Despite hopes to add multiple buildings in the historic streetscape to the National Register,…

Discussion of a location for the nation’s capital began as early as 1779; however, this decision was not given active attention until 1783. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton worked between northern and southern representatives to get support for…

Established in 1883, Bunker Hill’s first building, a one-room brick structure, was used to educate white students before being reassigned to the city’s “colored” school division. A slightly larger structure erected in 1911 quickly proved inadequate…

When the seat of the federal government moved to DC in 1800, no provision was made for housing for the Supreme Court—a problem that wouldn’t be permanently resolved for 135 years.Less than two weeks before the Court was to convene for the first time…

Located on a quiet residential street, this 1914 Colonial Revival townhouse is typical of the finely detailed urban residential building constructed in the Sheridan-Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, D.C. in the early twentieth century. Frances…

The first building constructed by the federal government for Washington, DC, the Old City Hall began construction in 1820, after designs by architect George Hadfield. Construction proceeded fitfully due to the chronic underfunding of the local…