Grandeur for the People 900 BLOCK PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE NW
the national archives, keeper of the nation’s founding documents and the most important records of the federal government, occupies this key spot halfway between the U.S. Capitol and the White House. Before the Archives building was constructed, federal records were stored haphazardly all over town. The nation’s first archivist began bringing them under one roof here in 1935. In 1900, with the approach of the centennial of the federal government’s arrival in Washington in 1800, national leaders and eminent architects promoted a new vision for the city’s monumental core. Under the leadership of Senator James McMillan, the Senate Park Commission developed a comprehensive plan that revived elements of Pierre L’Enfant’s original vision but in the context of the early 20th century’s City Beautiful movement. The McMillan Plan, as it became known, redesigned the National Mall and designated this 70-acre triangular area for new government offices. Planners drew on the City Beautiful movement’s Beaux-Arts building style, which promoted classically inspired groupings of public buildings. Before World War I intervened, however, only the John A. Wilson Building (originally the District Building) was completed to serve as the DC city hall at 13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. In 1926 President Calvin Coolidge signed the Public Buildings Act and revived the McMillan Plan. Coolidge assigned Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon to work with leading American architects to create the Federal Triangle. It stands today as one of the largest public building projects combining neoclassical architecture and sculpture in the nation. The U.S. Navy Memorial, across the avenue from the National Archives, was dedicated in 1987, the Navy’s 212th anniversary.
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker