G-Men and G-Women 10TH STREET AND PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE NW
thanks to popular media, the Federal Bureau of Investigation may be one of the better-known government agencies. Since the 1930s Hollywood has found great stories among the “G-men” (government agents). The FBI often cooperates in these productions. The FBI was established in 1908 as the Justice Department’s detective unit. Its agents investigated allegations of investment fraud, opium smuggling, munitions trafficking, and other federal crimes. The agency’s power increased during national security crises and as it brought mob figures and other violent criminals to justice. Under the half- century directorship of native Washingtonian J. Edgar Hoover, the bureau grew in responsibility and helped professionalize modern law enforcement, emphasizing scientific analysis. Drawing on a century of experience, the modern FBI protects the nation against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats, enforces U.S. criminal laws, and provides leadership for the nation’s law enforcement organizations. Formerly housed in the Department of Justice building, the FBI relocated across Pennsylvania Avenue in 1975. Architect Charles F. Murphy’s modern Brutalist style (from the French “béton brut,” or raw concrete) contrasts with the earlier buildings of the Federal Triangle. The Justice Department’s classically inspired Art Deco style night doors, torchières (light fixtures), and other decorative aluminum features are visible from the corner of 10th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. High over the doors is a colorful mosaic ceiling by local artist/craftsman John Joseph Earley. Along 10th Street looking south, the city’s street grid continues as Federal Triangle buildings frame the view to the National Museum of Natural History.
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