Misplaced Pages

#692307

123-695: The Old Post Office , listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Old Post Office and Clock Tower , is located at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. in Washington, D.C. It is a contributing property to the Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site . The building's 315-foot (96-meter) high clock tower houses the "Bells of Congress," and its observation level offers panoramic views of

246-503: A grain elevator , a gazebo and a bridge. Objects are usually artistic in nature, or small in scale compared to structures and buildings. Although objects may be movable, they are generally associated with a specific setting or environment. Examples of objects include monuments, sculptures and fountains. Sites are the locations of significant events, which can be prehistoric or historic in nature and represent activities or buildings (standing, ruined, or vanished). When sites are listed, it

369-486: A " Kansas City emporium so utterly out of keeping with the general atmosphere of official Washington that it sets the teeth of architects on edge". Later that year, Senator Weldon B. Heyburn introduced legislation to authorize the federal government to purchase all the land between Pennsylvania Avenue (northeast side), the National Mall (south side), 15th Street N.W. (west side), and the U.S. Capitol grounds (to

492-472: A National Register nomination, although historians and historic preservation consultants often are employed for this work. The nomination consists of a standard registration form (NPS 10-900) and contains basic information about a property's physical appearance and the type of significance embodied in the building, structure, object, site, or district. The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) receives National Register nominations and provides feedback to

615-420: A building with a 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m) footprint, but only 10,000 square feet (930 m) were purchased. The post office used the main floor and mezzanine , but these were already too crowded by January 1900. Treasury Department offices were to have taken over the eighth floor, but the structure was so overcrowded that this move was suspended. A year after the building opened, an accident there took

738-401: A designated building. NRHP listing imposes no such restrictions, but rather is "primarily an honor", although tax subsidies may be available for renovations. France had about 43,600 monuments in 2015. Turret (architecture) The word turret originated in around the year 1300 from touret which meant “small tower rising from a city wall, castle, or other larger building.” Touret came from

861-469: A drum, and a large weight attached to the end of the cable. As the cable unwound due to the force of gravity, the clock hands turned. The cable was rewound once or twice a day. In 1914, the District of Columbia's General Post Office moved to a larger Beaux Arts / Classical Revival building constructed next to recently completed Union Station of similar impressive style, taking advantage of heavy use of

984-410: A glass covered atrium and mezzanine level, and floors, moldings , railings , and wainscoting made of marble. The atrium was 196 feet (60 m) high, and 10 floors of balconies looked out onto the space (which provided interior light in an era when indoor lighting was not common). It boasted more than 39,000 interior electric lights, and its own electrical generator. Girders and catwalks spanned

1107-563: A historic district are united historically or aesthetically, either by choice or by the nature of their development. There are several other different types of historic preservation associated with the properties of the National Register of Historic Places that cannot be classified as either simple buildings or historic districts. Through the National Park Service, the National Register of Historic Places publishes

1230-642: A holding company that Donald Trump owns through a revocable trust. Trump developed the property into a luxury hotel, the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C. , which opened on September 12, 2016 and closed on May 11, 2022, after its sale to CGI Merchant Group. It reopened as the Waldorf Astoria Washington DC on June 1, 2022. The United States Congress approved construction of a new post office for Washington, D.C. , on June 25, 1890. The site, at

1353-421: A hotel. A joint venture by four firms— McGaughy, Marshall & McMillan ; Arthur Cotton Moore Associates ; Associated Space Design, Inc.; and Stewart Daniel Hoban & Associates—won the competition. GSA and the bidding team reached an agreement for a 55-year lease. GSA collected $ 166,000 a year in rent, which increased just 5 percent during the life of the lease. GSA also received a percentage of all profits from

SECTION 10

#1732776461693

1476-708: A hotel. The hotel option was proving far more appealing than in the early 1980s because of the agency's overwhelmingly positive experience in allowing Kimpton Hotels to transform the 170,000-square-foot (16,000 m) vacant Tariff Commission Building into a 172-room luxury Hotel Monaco . On December 28, 2000, GSA submitted the plan for the Old Post Office, as required by the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act of 1999. On June 15, 2001, Senators Robert Smith , Harry Reid , Ben Nighthorse Campbell , and Byron Dorgan sent

1599-583: A letter to GSA giving consent for GSA to expend such funds as necessary to acquire by purchase the leasehold rights of the lease at the Old Post Office, if certain conditions were followed. National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places ( NRHP ) is the United States federal government 's official list of sites, buildings, structures, districts , and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic value". The enactment of

1722-517: A long-term lease without advertising it to other bidders. By August 2000, business conditions at the Old Post Office had sunk even lower. Operations there had never turned a profit in 17 years, the vacancy rate in the Pavilion was 80 percent, the East Atrium was closed, and GSA had stopped charging Wells Fargo rent because no income was being generated. Realizing that a retail/office combination

1845-764: A performance space known as the Nancy Hanks Center. Hanks died on January 7, 1983, just weeks before the building's re-opening. The clock tower and observation deck reopened to the public on May 1, 1984. The 1983 renovation won strong praise from architectural critic Benjamin Forgey. The commercial space was designed by the Boston firm of Benjamin Thompson & Associates, and it was leased by Evans Development Co. of Baltimore . More than 50 restaurants and boutique retail stores were anticipated to sublet portions of

1968-500: A piece of the 1982 master plan for Federal Triangle. But Forgey called the design by the local architectural firm of Karn Charuhas Chapman & Twohey awkward, with "clunky" proportions and over-heavy elements. The interior, however, won praise for its lightness. A small fire broke out on the west side of the Old Post Office Building between the ninth floor ceiling and the roof on August 26, 1992. Workers repairing

2091-646: A policy developed early in its history. The United States Supreme Court ruled in the 1971 case Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe that parklands could have the same protected status as " historic sites ". Listed properties are generally in one of five broad categories, although there are special considerations for other types of properties that in anyone, or into more specialized subcategories. The five general categories for National Register properties are: building, structure, site, district and object. In addition, historic districts consist of contributing and non-contributing properties. Buildings, as defined by

2214-421: A real estate management firm from Charlotte, North Carolina , to revitalize the retail aspects of the development. Hill Partners said that improving access to and shoppers' awareness of the retail area, it could double the number of visitors to the Old Post Office to more than 7 million. Hill Partners began reevaluating its tenant mix with a view to adding retailers which D.C. residents needed. It also revealed that

2337-607: A series of bulletins designed to aid in evaluating and applying the criteria for evaluation of different types of properties. Although the criteria are always the same, the manner they are applied may differ slightly, depending upon the type of property involved. The National Register bulletins describe the application of the criteria for aids to navigation, historic battlefields, archaeological sites, aviation properties, cemeteries and burial places, historic designed landscapes , mining sites, post offices, properties associated with significant persons, properties achieving significance within

2460-536: Is only an exception to the criteria that shape listings within the National Register of Historic Places. Of the eight "exceptions" [or criteria considerations], Consideration G, for properties that have achieved significance within the past fifty years, is probably the best-known, yet also misunderstood preservation principle in America. The National Register evaluation procedures do not use the term "exclusions". The stricter National Historic Landmarks Criteria, upon which

2583-528: Is required to "take into account the effect of the undertaking" on the National Register property, as well as to afford the ACHP a reasonable opportunity to comment. While Section 106 does not mandate explicitly that any federal agency director accept the advice of the ACHP, their advice has a practical influence, especially given the statutory obligations of the NHPA that require federal agencies to "take into account

SECTION 20

#1732776461693

2706-605: Is that the federal government, fighting the Great Depression, simply did not have the money. Press reports at the time, however, noted that voters would have punished congressmen who tore down a perfectly good building. Architectural historians have also argued that President Franklin D. Roosevelt (who took office in March 1933, five years into the Federal Triangle's construction) was not interested in completing

2829-462: Is the locations themselves that are of historical interest. They possess cultural or archaeological value regardless of the value of any structures that currently exist at the locations. Examples of types of sites include shipwrecks , battlefields , campsites , natural features and rock shelters . Historic districts possess a concentration, association, or continuity of the other four types of properties. Objects, structures, buildings and sites in

2952-596: The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) has the most significant role by Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The section requires that the director of any federal agency with direct or indirect jurisdiction of a project that may affect a property listed or determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places must first report to the Advisory Council . The director of said agency

3075-579: The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), to confront adverse effects of federal activities on historic preservation. To administer the newly created National Register of Historic Places, the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior, with director George B. Hartzog Jr. , established an administrative division named the Federal Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (OAHP). Hartzog charged OAHP with creating

3198-480: The American Institute of Architects , the structure was criticized as supremely ugly during a plenary address by New York City architect George B. Post . That same year, Senator Joseph Roswell Hawley called it "a cross between a cathedral and a cotton mill". By the time it opened, the building was also too small to accommodate the government agencies which occupied it. The city postmaster had advocated

3321-727: The National Historic Landmarks designated before the Register's creation, as well as any other historic sites in the National Park System. Approval of the act, which was amended in 1980 and 1992, represented the first time the United States had a broad-based historic preservation policy. The 1966 act required those agencies to work in conjunction with the SHPO and an independent federal agency ,

3444-603: The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) in 1966 established the National Register and the process for adding properties to it. Of the more than one and a half million properties on the National Register, 95,000 are listed individually. The remainder are contributing resources within historic districts . For most of its history, the National Register has been administered by the National Park Service (NPS), an agency within

3567-653: The Public Buildings Act , which authorized the construction not only of the Federal Triangle complex of buildings but also a new U.S. Supreme Court building opposite the east front of the United States Capitol on the site of the Civil War -era Old Capitol Prison, and north of the Library of Congress 's Thomas Jefferson Building , completed in 1897. Government officials, other experts, and

3690-812: The United States Bicentennial in 1976. But by this time, Senator Mike Gravel , chair of the Subcommittee on Public Buildings and Grounds of the Committee on Public Works was strongly opposed to the effort. Gravel sought allies in the United States House of Representatives , and in June 1972, the House Committee on Appropriations voted down Nixon's request for money to demolish the Old Post Office. The Old Post Office

3813-569: The United States Department of the Interior . In February 1983, the two assistant directorates were merged to promote efficiency and recognize the interdependency of their programs. Jerry L. Rogers was selected to direct this newly merged associate directorate. He was described as a skilled administrator, who was sensitive to the need for the NPS to work with SHPOs, academia and local governments. Although not described in detail in

Old Post Office (Washington, D.C.) - Misplaced Pages Continue

3936-467: The United States Department of the Interior . Its goals are to help property owners and interest groups, such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation , and coordinate, identify and protect historic sites in the United States. While National Register listings are mostly symbolic, their recognition of significance provides some financial incentive to owners of listed properties. Protection of

4059-624: The 1966 act, SHPOs eventually became integral to the process of listing properties on the National Register. The 1980 amendments of the 1966 law further defined the responsibilities of SHPOs concerning the National Register. Several 1992 amendments of the NHPA added a category to the National Register, known as Traditional Cultural Properties: those properties associated with Native American or Hawaiian groups. The National Register of Historic Places has grown considerably from its legislative origins in 1966. In 1986, citizens and groups nominated 3,623 separate properties, sites and districts for inclusion on

4182-651: The Arts , the National Endowment for the Humanities , and the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities . (Modular office furniture was used to allow more people to work in the offices, which proved controversial among federal employees used to traditional desks and chairs.) The retail levels, which occupied the first three floors of the building, opened on September 13, 1983. The retail section included

4305-512: The East Atrium was a money-loser, never filling more than half its space. Whether the East Atrium would remain open was not clear. The company agreed, however, to keep the Pavilion area a " festival marketplace " (one which offers a combination of entertainment, food, and retail shops). In March 1995, the Cineplex Odeon Corporation said it would open a seven-screen movie theater in East Atrium (which now had no tenants). But

4428-477: The East Atrium. But nothing came of these discussions. In 1997, a hotel development firm, Denhill D.C. LLC, approached GSA and offered to take over Collins Equities/Wells Fargo lease. The company said it would spend more than $ 100 million to turn the office space on the upper floors into hotel rooms and open the Pennsylvania Avenue walls to create more access and street-front retail space. In return,

4551-585: The NPS history programs affiliated with both the U.S. National Park system and the National Register were categorized formally into two "Assistant Directorates". Established were the Assistant Directorate for Archeology and Historic Preservation and the Assistant Directorate for Park Historic Preservation. From 1978 until 1981, the main agency for the National Register was the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service (HCRS) of

4674-643: The National Park Service, including National Historic Sites (NHS), National Historical Parks , National Military Parks /Battlefields, National Memorials and some National Monuments . There are also 35 listed sites in the three island countries with a Compact of Free Association with the United States, as well as one site in Morocco, the American Legation in Tangier . Listing in the National Register does not restrict private property owners from

4797-448: The National Register criteria are based, do specify exclusions, along with corresponding "exceptions to the exclusions", which are supposed to apply more narrowly. A multiple property submission (MPS) is a thematic group listing of the National Register of Historic Places that consists of related properties that share a common theme and can be submitted as a group. Multiple property submissions must satisfy certain basic criteria for

4920-686: The National Register program mandated by the 1966 law. Ernest Connally was the Office's first director. Within OAHP new divisions were created to deal with the National Register. The division administered several existing programs, including the Historic Sites Survey and the Historic American Buildings Survey , as well as the new National Register and Historic Preservation Fund . The first official Keeper of

5043-569: The National Register when they become administered by the National Park Service. These include National Historic Landmarks (NHL), National Historic Sites (NHS), National Historical Parks , National Military Parks , National Memorials , and some National Monuments . On October 15, 1966, the Historic Preservation Act created the National Register of Historic Places and the corresponding State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPO). The National Register initially consisted of

Old Post Office (Washington, D.C.) - Misplaced Pages Continue

5166-601: The National Register, a total of 75,000 separate properties. Of the more than one and a half million properties on the National Register, 95,000 are listed individually. Others are listed as contributing members within historic districts . It is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States Government that special effort should be made to preserve the natural beauty of the countryside and public park and recreation lands, wildlife and waterfowl refuges, and historic sites. Any individual can prepare

5289-530: The National Register, are distinguished in the traditional sense. Examples include a house, barn, hotel, church, or similar construction. They are created primarily to shelter human activity. The term building, as in outbuilding, can be used to refer to historically and functionally related units, such as a courthouse and a jail or a barn and a house. Structures differ from buildings in that they are functional constructions meant to be used for purposes other than sheltering human activity. Examples include an aircraft,

5412-460: The National Register. After the nomination is recommended for listing in the National Register by the SHPO, the nomination is sent to the National Park Service, which approves or denies the nomination. If approved, the property is entered officially by the Keeper of the National Register into the National Register of Historic Places. Property owners are notified of the nomination during the review by

5535-526: The National Register: religious properties (e.g., churches); buildings that have been moved; birthplaces or graves of important persons; cemeteries; reconstructed properties; commemorative properties (e.g., statues); and "properties that have achieved significance within the last fifty years". However, if they meet particular "Criteria Considerations" for their category in addition to the overall criteria, they are, in fact, eligible. Hence, despite

5658-516: The Old French term torete which is the diminutive form of tour meaning “tower.” Tour dates back to the Latin word turris which also means “tower.” There is a record from 1862 of turret being used to mean “low, flat gun tower on a warship .” This is about when the word split into two separate definitions, with this definition being the one that goes on to describe gun turrets , a separate idea from

5781-532: The Old Post Office Building began in February 1970. The National Capital Planning Commission , a federal agency with legal jurisdiction over major building projects in the Washington metropolitan area, agreed (although it said the tower might be preserved). Within days, Wolf Von Eckardt, the influential architectural critic of The Washington Post , began campaigning for the structure's preservation. No action

5904-480: The Old Post Office Pavilion, it was not doing well. GSA imposed conditions on the 1983 renovation that left the retail pavilion looking like an office building rather than a shopping mall. There was also too little retail space, the retail space was poorly configured due to the architectural design of the building, and GSA refused to allow any storefronts on the exterior that would signal that there

6027-471: The Old Post Office be torn down in favor of completing the plan for the Federal Triangle. The temporary commission managed to prevent development of the avenue which was contrary to the draft plan, but it never was able to win congressional approval for its plan. It ceased to function on November 15, 1969, due to lack of funds. A permanent Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation (PADC) was finally created by Congress on October 30, 1972. An attempt to demolish

6150-731: The PADC, the GSA (which owned the building for the federal government), White House, Congress, and D.C. city government to stop the demolition. Opposition to the demolition began to grow in the U.S. Senate, which held hearings on the buildings in April 1971. Preservation forces received a major boost in May 1971 when the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation recommended retaining it. The Nixon administration , however, continued to seek its demolition so that Federal Triangle could be completed in time for

6273-548: The Register was William J. Murtagh , an architectural historian . During the Register's earliest years in the late 1960s and early 1970s, organization was lax and SHPOs were small, understaffed and underfunded. However, funds were still being supplied for the Historic Preservation Fund to provide matching grants-in-aid to listed property owners, first for house museums and institutional buildings, but later for commercial structures as well. In 1979,

SECTION 50

#1732776461693

6396-426: The Register, as well as those located in and contributing to the period of significance of National Register Historic Districts, became eligible for the federal tax benefits. Owners of income-producing properties listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places or of properties that are contributing resources within a National Register Historic District may be eligible for a 20% investment tax credit for

6519-527: The SHPO and state's historic review commission. If an owner objects to a nomination of private property, or in the case of a historic district, a majority of owners, then the property cannot be listed in the National Register of Historic Places. For a property to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, it must meet at least one of its four main criteria. Information about architectural styles , association with various aspects of social history and commerce and ownership are all integral parts of

6642-432: The appearance of small towers , either built into walls or atop larger towers. They projected outward from the structure they were incorporated into, greatly contributing to the characteristics discussed in the "Uses" section. Turrets do not extend down to the ground like full-sized towers. When built into walls, turrets are generally found at the corner of structures where two walls meet. Sometimes, however, they are found in

6765-449: The architectural element. Turrets initially arose on castles out of a defensive need for greater visibility. Since they project outwards from the main structure, turrets gave garrisons a better line of sight to spot possible attackers. Thus, they also provided a better defensive position for defensive military forces to originate from. Turrets constructed above the rest of a structure only improve visibility, providing 360-degree views of

6888-662: The architectural style of the buildings, the board adopted the McMillan Plan's recommendation of the Neoclassical style . Rather than a mass of tall, imposing buildings, two unifying open spaces (intended for ceremonial use, and under discussion by the Board at least by March 1928) would be utilized. The first would be a Circular Plaza (inspired by the Place Vendôme ) bisected by 12th Street NW, and which would require

7011-609: The area, but did not address whether the Old Post Office Building, the District Building, or the Southern Railway Building should be torn down. Planning for the complex was deeply influenced by the City Beautiful movement and the idea of creating a civic center to achieve efficiency in administration as well as reinforce the public's perception of government as authoritative and permanent. For

7134-550: The area. The council's draft plan was ready for Kennedy's approval almost two and a half years later when he was assassinated in Dallas Texas on November 22, 1963. The draft plan retained the Old Post Office Building. Kennedy's successor, 36th President Lyndon B. Johnson , agreed to move forward with the plan and appointed a Temporary President's Commission on Pennsylvania Avenue, although it did not hold its first meeting until May 21, 1965. The new commission recommended that

7257-415: The atrium at the third floor level to allow post office supervisors to look down on the workers. The fifth floor housed executive offices in the corners. Each office had a turret , ornately carved wooden moldings, and red oak paneling. But there were problems with the structure. The Washington Star reported that the skylights and windows leaked air and water, the marble floors were poorly laid, and much of

7380-416: The best single event." The stamp became larger over the years. The celebration that marked the beginning of 1986 featured a 900 lb (408 kg) illuminated replica of that year's twenty-two cent puppy "Love" stamp. By the beginning of 1990, the neon-lighted stamp had reached a size of 20 feet (6 m) by 30 feet (9 m) and a weight of two tons (1814 kg). Up to 100,000 people celebrated at

7503-562: The building was complete in 1899. The total cost of construction was $ 3 million. At the time of its completion, the Post Office Building contained the largest uninterrupted enclosed space in the city. Its clock tower reached 315 feet (96 m) into the air. It was also the city's first building to have a steel frame structure, and the first to be built with electrical wiring incorporated into its design. The structure featured elevators with cages of highly intricate wrought iron,

SECTION 60

#1732776461693

7626-420: The building was owned by Hillman Properties. As construction occurred, the Old Post Office Pavilion lost many of its high-end retailers and replaced them with low-end shops selling mugs, souvenirs, T-shirts, and other items aimed at tourists. The East Atrium, however, included larger and more upscale retailers. The addition also featured a 5,000-square-foot (460 m) miniature golf course and bar. The East Atrium

7749-531: The cable and plunged through two floors, narrowly avoiding killing a man, who had just gotten up from his desk. The mechanical clock was later replaced with an electric one. After observing the poor state of the Avenue during his inaugural parade from the United States Capitol to the White House , 35th President John F. Kennedy appointed a President's Council on Pennsylvania Avenue to study ways to improve

7872-501: The city and its surroundings. A historic federal office building, it now serves as a hotel. Construction began in 1892 and was completed in 1899. The building is an example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, popular in the late 19th-century United States. Its bell tower is the third tallest structure in Washington, D.C., excluding radio towers. It succeeded an earlier 1839 building, the General Post Office , which

7995-416: The company asked the GSA to extend the 55-year lease to 65 years, and give it the option of adding three more decade-long lease extension options. According to Denhill D.C. officials, the negotiations were so far advanced that they had a management company ready to operate the hotel and retail tenants ready to take space. GSA said it then ended the negotiations over legal concerns that it was about to enter into

8118-604: The company pulled out in May 1996, saying it could not reach a lease agreement with Hill Partners. Hill Partners had a difficult time finding any new tenants for the East Atrium and for the Pavilion. Virgin Group said in June 1996 it might build a Virgin Megastore , 8-to-12 screen Virgin Cinema , and possible a rock music-themed restaurant at the Old Post Office. But the company wanted the main building for its retail outlets, not

8241-415: The construction was shoddy. The ninth floor was to have served as a file room, but a post-construction inspection showed it could not accommodate the weight. Technological advances in electricity and electrical wiring, mechanical engineering, heating, and movement of air made the building out of date as soon as it opened. The anticipated economic development, however, never occurred. At the 1898 meeting of

8364-487: The demolition of the Old Post Office Building. By 1934, however, although the government had cleared land around the Old Post Office Building, Congress was increasingly opposed to demolishing the structure. Tearing down a structurally sound 35-year-old building during the Great Depression seemed foolish. But the executive branch agencies overseeing the Federal Triangle's construction still wanted it gone. Yet, it

8487-417: The east) for the construction of an architecturally "harmonious" set of massive office buildings. Heyburn's plan retained the architecturally dominating Post Office Building of 1899 with its commanding tower, but adjusted its Pennsylvania Avenue side to be parallel with the street. The clock in the building tower was originally mechanical in nature, and kept accurate time via gravity. A cable was wrapped around

8610-538: The effect of the undertaking". In cases where the ACHP determines federal action will have an "adverse effect" on historic properties, mitigation is sought. Typically, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) is created by which the involved parties agree to a particular plan. Many states have laws similar to Section 106. In contrast to conditions relating to a federally designated historic district, municipal ordinances governing local historic districts often restrict certain kinds of changes to properties. Thus, they may protect

8733-405: The end of the thirteenth century they became important in this fashion. They allowed for the staircases to occupy smaller spaces without affecting the layout of the structure to which they were attached. Since turrets project outward from a structure, they directed attention, and more ornamentation was focused on them than the rest of the facade. Turrets could vary in size, although they all shared

8856-406: The enterprise. The $ 29 million renovation was completed in 1983. Much of the building was gutted to utilize the interior space more efficiently, but some "preservation zones" were established to retain the interior's historic character. Much of the old marble was replaced with new, pink marble, and the interior repainted in shades of cream, gray, green, and ivory pastels. A glass-enclosed elevator to

8979-430: The event during each of its early years. However, after the celebration marking the beginning of 1986 had ended, clean-up crews found a strangled and raped 18-year-old woman dead in a stairwell 100 yards away from an indoor stage at which Cab Calloway had earlier performed. Although the event that marked the beginning of 1988 was orderly and well-attended, the D.C. government withdrew its funding later that year because

9102-464: The event's costs had become prohibitive. Attendance at the event then fell precipitously. As a result, the Postal Service decided in 1990 to stop dropping the stamp. Although the Pavilion hosted a party for 2,500 during which a smaller version of a "Love" stamp descended within the building's atrium to mark the beginning of 1991, the outdoor events disappeared. Despite the positive news about

9225-401: The expensive complex of white marble office buildings or making the Federal Triangle architecturally harmonious. The Old Post Office Building's tower slowly became an iconic one in the city. The United States Information Agency often used it as a backdrop for propaganda films to be shown in foreign countries. In one instance, a portion of a film about Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn

9348-523: The forbidding language, these kinds of places are not actually excluded as a rule. For example, the Register lists thousands of churches. There is a misconception that there is a strict rule that a property must be at least 50 years old to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In reality, there is no hard rule. John H. Sprinkle Jr., deputy director of the Federal Preservation Institute, stated: [T]his "rule"

9471-681: The front entrance, where it currently stands. In 1983, Congress enacted legislation formally renaming the Old Post Office the Nancy Hanks Center . During 1983, the District of Columbia government and the United States Postal Service created a 14-foot (4 m) by 21-foot (6 m) wooden replica of the Postal Service's new 1984 twenty- cent "Love" stamp (see Post-World War II United States postage stamps and postal history ). Starting in 1984, replicas of

9594-401: The future. Thus, additions to an MPS can occur over time. The nomination of individual properties in an MPS is accomplished in the same manner as other nominations. The name of the "thematic group" denotes the historical theme of the properties. It is considered the "multiple property listing". Once an individual property or a group of properties is nominated and listed in the National Register,

9717-543: The group of properties to be included in the National Register. The process begins with the multiple property documentation form which acts as a cover document rather than the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. The purpose of the documentation form is to establish the basis of eligibility for related properties. The information of the multiple property documentation form can be used to nominate and register related historic properties simultaneously, or to establish criteria for properties that may be nominated in

9840-480: The last fifty years, rural historic landscapes, traditional cultural properties and vessels and shipwrecks. Properties are not protected in any strict sense by the Federal listing. States and local zoning bodies may or may not choose to protect listed historic places. Indirect protection is possible, by state and local regulations on the development of National Register properties and by tax incentives. By contrast,

9963-578: The latest versions of the "Love" stamp were lowered from the spire of the Old Post Office Building's Clock Tower around midnight during each New Year's Eve . Musicians entertained ballroom dancers within the building while fireworks and searchlight beams illuminated the night-time sky and celebrities performed on outdoor stages. At midnight, bells pealed from the tower and neon signs flashed "Happy New Year" amid laser light shows . As 1985 waned, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry predicted: "We're going to outdo New York . We think we might just take over and become

10086-499: The life of Washington, D.C. Postmaster James P. Willett. On September 30, 1899, Willett fell 90 feet (27 m) down an open elevator shaft. Nothing more than a flimsy wooden barrier prevented access to the shaft. Willett died a day later. In the early 1880s, Senator Justin Smith Morrill and Senator John James Ingalls proposed razing all the structures between Pennsylvania Avenue and B Street (now Constitution Avenue ) to

10209-473: The main structure, not extending down to the ground. Residential turrets were greatly popularized in the Queen Anne residential style , and can often be found on a variety of Victorian and Queen Anne home designs today. Some residential turrets are designed to be open-air balconies as well. Turrets can help to bring in more natural light and are often used to create more space in a home. These elements make

10332-427: The middle of a wall. Since turrets projected outward from a structure, they had to be supported either by weight-bearing corbels or be cantilevered . This put a restriction on how large a turret could be constructed. Turrets were expensive to build, as hoisting stones high above the ground to construct them was highly laborious. It is thought that many were timber-framed and cladded in stone which would have reduced

10455-431: The money received for renovations and upgrades. It also legalized the use of a portion of federal office buildings for commercial retail and restaurant use. The Old Post Office was the first major project begun under the law. An $ 18 million renovation began in 1977. The building badly needed it: The atrium roof had been covered over, making the interior dark; the building leaked and had suffered extensive water damage; there

10578-835: The multiple property documentation form, combined with the individual National Register of Historic Places nomination forms, constitute a multiple property submission. Examples of MPS include the Lee County Multiple Property Submission , the Warehouses in Omaha , the Boundary Markers of the Original District of Columbia and the Illinois Carnegie Libraries . Before the term "Multiple Property Submission"

10701-568: The national railroad system for speedier mail delivery. Although only 15 years old, the building at 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue was now commonly called the "old" post office. For the next forty years, the building served as office space for several government agencies. The Old Post Office Building was slated for demolition during construction of the Federal Triangle . In 1926, the United States Congress enacted

10824-797: The nine buildings included in the University of Connecticut Historic District in Storrs, Connecticut (listed in 1989, demolished in 2017), and the Terrell Jacobs Circus Winter Quarters in Peru, Indiana (listed in 2012, demolished in 2021). In France , designation of monument historique is similar to NRHP listing. In the French program, however, permanent restrictions are imposed upon designated monuments, for example requiring advance approval for any renovation of

10947-553: The nominating individual or group. After preliminary review, the SHPO sends each nomination to the state's historic review commission, which then recommends whether the State Historic Preservation Officer should send the nomination to the Keeper of the National Register . For any non-Federally owned property, only the State Historic Preservation Officer may officially nominate a property for inclusion in

11070-639: The nomination. Each nomination contains a narrative section that provides a detailed physical description of the property and justifies why it is significant historically with regard either to local, state, or national history. The four National Register of Historic Places criteria are the following: The criteria are applied differently for different types of properties; for instance, maritime properties have application guidelines different from those of buildings. The National Park Service names seven categories of properties that "are not usually considered for" and "ordinarily ... shall not be considered eligible for"

11193-403: The now-defunct Save America's Treasures grants, which apply specifically to properties entered in the Register with national significance or designated as National Historic Landmarks . The NHPA did not distinguish between properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places and those designated as National Historic Landmarks concerning qualification for tax incentives or grants. This

11316-552: The observation deck was also added, as well as a new grand staircase to the second floor and two 6,000-square-foot (560 m) restaurants. The renovated building was officially dedicated on April 19, 1983. Vice President George H. W. Bush presided over the event. The re-opening was celebrated with peals from the Bells of Congress from the clock tower. Federal tenants included the Institute for Museum Services , National Endowment for

11439-405: The office structure, a food court , a retail space, and a roof skylight over the building's central atrium . The building acquired the name of "Old Post Office Pavilion". A glass-walled addition on a former adjacent parking lot was added to the structure in 1991. In 2013, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) leased the property for 60 years to a consortium headed by "DJT Holdings LLC",

11562-500: The pavilion, was also losing money. Old Post Office Joint Venture (OPOJV) received $ 166,000 a year in rent from GSA, but its agreement with the federal government called for doubling the size of the retail space to 100,000 square feet (9,300 m). Approval for that expansion had never been given. OPOJV originally proposed expansion of the retail space into the Internal Revenue Service Building , but this

11685-463: The preservation of income-producing historic properties. The National Park Service was given the responsibility to ensure that only rehabilitations that preserved the historic character of a building would qualify for federal tax incentives. A qualifying rehabilitation is one that the NPS deems consistent with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. Properties and sites listed in

11808-416: The press believed that the demolition of the 1898 District Building ("city hall" for the District of Columbia ) and the Old Post Office Building, and the closure of many streets in the area, would follow. A Board of Architectural Consultants was created on May 19, 1927, to advise the federal agencies developing the Federal Triangle on how to proceed. By July 1927, the board had fashioned a general plan for

11931-402: The project and OPOJV agreed to contribute another $ 15 million. The National Capital Planning Commission also gave its approval to the project. The new East Atrium opened on March 6, 1992. The three-level structure had 100,000 square feet (9,300 m) of interior space and a glass roof. Under the terms of the development agreement, the federal government owned the land beneath the structure, but

12054-792: The properties that were demolished or otherwise destroyed after their listing are the Jobbers Canyon Historic District in Omaha, Nebraska (listed in 1979, demolished in 1989), Pan-Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles, California (listed in 1978, destroyed in a fire in 1989), Palace Amusements in Asbury Park, New Jersey (listed in 2000, demolished in 2004), The Balinese Room in Galveston, Texas (listed in 1997, destroyed by Hurricane Ike in 2008), seven of

12177-475: The property is not guaranteed. During the nomination process, the property is evaluated in terms of the four criteria for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. The application of those criteria has been the subject of criticism by academics of history and preservation, as well as the public and politicians. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District , may qualify for tax incentives derived from

12300-498: The property more than a National Register listing does. The Department of Transportation Act , passed on October 15, 1966, the same day as the National Historic Preservation Act, included provisions that addressed historic preservation. The DOT Act is much more general than Section 106 NHPA in that it refers to properties other than those listed in the Register. The more general language has allowed more properties and parklands to enjoy status as protected areas by this legislation,

12423-615: The rehabilitation of the historic structure. The rehabilitation may be of a commercial, industrial, or residential property, for rentals. The tax incentives program is operated by the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives program, which is managed jointly by the National Park Service, individual State Historic Preservation Offices and the Internal Revenue Service . Some property owners may also qualify for grants, like

12546-481: The roof accidentally caused the blaze, which began at 3:45 pm and was extinguished 45 minutes later. Although small, the fire snarled downtown traffic during the evening rush hour . By October 1993, despite more than 3 million visitors a year, OPOJV was behind on its rent to GSA and in default on its mortgage to Collin Equities (a subsidiary of Wells Fargo ). Real estate experts blamed the cost of heating and cooling

12669-468: The south to create a park. The influential McMillan Plan of 1902, however, proposed retaining the structure. (It could hardly have done otherwise, with the building only just having been completed.) Nonetheless, the same year the Washington Post editorialized in favor of its demolition. In 1906, discussing plans to beautify Washington, essayist Sammuel E. Moffett disparagingly called the building

12792-711: The southeast corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 12th Street, was chosen by Senator Leland Stanford in 1888 in the hope that the building would revitalize the Murder Bay neighborhood between the Capitol building and the White House . Willoughby J. Edbrooke , Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department , designed the structure in the tradition of the Romanesque Revival architecture of Henry Hobson Richardson . Construction began in 1892, and

12915-413: The state of Colorado, for example, does not set any limits on owners of National Register properties. Until 1976, federal tax incentives were virtually non-existent for buildings on the National Register. Before 1976 the federal tax code favored new construction rather than the reuse of existing, sometimes historical, structures. In 1976, the tax code was altered to provide tax incentives that promote

13038-418: The surrounding land allowing enemies to be spotted from further away. This provided more time for a fortress’s defenders to prepare for an attack. Turrets offered greater resilience to attacks and were less vulnerable than free-standing watch towers . As their defensive necessity lessened, turrets began to be used as ornamental elements instead. Turrets were sometimes used to house staircases, and towards

13161-468: The three-story retail section, and it was 98% leased at its opening. The building's atrium and retail spaces thereupon acquired the name of "Old Post Office Pavilion". During the mid-1980s, Hillman Properties bought out its partner, Evans Development, and took control of the Old Post Office Pavilion. In 1980, a statue of Benjamin Franklin , originally created in 1889, was placed outside the building near

13284-514: The total value of expenses incurred in preserving the property. Properties can be nominated in a variety of forms, including individual properties, historic districts and multiple property submissions (MPS). The Register categorizes general listings into one of five types of properties: district, site, structure, building or object. National Register Historic Districts are defined geographical areas consisting of contributing and non-contributing properties. Some properties are added automatically to

13407-418: The use of their property. Some states and municipalities, however, may have laws that become effective when a property is listed in the National Register. If federal money or a federal permitting process is involved, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 is invoked. Section 106 requires the federal agency involved to assess the effect of its actions on historic resources. Statutorily,

13530-610: The vast atrium, heavy tenant turnover, and the lack of a theater for a space below the East Atrium. Although the D.C. Convention and Visitors Association said the Old Post Office was the eighth most-visited attraction in the District of Columbia, retail experts believed it had never made money, and the East Atrium did not bring in enough rent to support the Old Post Office Pavilion. Collin Equities/Wells Fargo foreclosed on OPOJV in October 1993. The bank hired Hill Partners,

13653-415: The weight needed to be supported by corbels/cantilevers and reduced the cost of construction. Turrets were traditionally supported by a corbel . The top of a turret could be finished with a pointed roof or another type of apex or might have had crenellations , such as in the image above. In the modern day, turrets are most commonly found on homes. These turrets are still towers that project outwardly from

13776-538: Was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. That same year, the GSA formally dropped its intention to demolish the building and instead developed a plan to preserve it. The National Capital Planning Commission agreed to the project. Major renovation of the structure was made possible in 1976 by enactment of the Public Buildings Cooperative Use Act. The law gave GSA the legal authority to lease federal buildings and use

13899-624: Was built in Classical Revival style on F Street NW. It was used as the city's main General Post Office until 1914 at the beginning of World War I . The Pennsylvania Avenue landmark functioned primarily as a federal office building. It was nearly torn down during the construction of the surrounding Federal Triangle complex in the 1920s and 1930s, and 1970s. Instead, major renovations to The Old Post Office Building were made in 1976 and 1983. The 1983 renovation added to

14022-501: Was deliberate, as the authors of the act had learned from experience that distinguishing between categories of significance for such incentives caused the lowest category to become expendable. Essentially, this made the Landmarks a kind of "honor roll" of the most significant properties of the National Register of Historic Places. As of 1999, 982 properties have been removed from the Register, most often due to being destroyed. Among

14145-409: Was filmed in the tower. By the 1950s, and Eisenhower era, the neighborhood around the Old Post Office Building had also declined. Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. was marked by deteriorating homes, shops, and office buildings on the north side and monumental Neoclassical federal office buildings of the 1920s-30s era Federal Triangle on the south. On October 10, 1956, the weight of the clock came loose from

14268-671: Was introduced in 1984, such listings were known as "Thematic Resources", such as the Operating Passenger Railroad Stations Thematic Resource , or "Multiple Resource Areas". A listing on the National Register of Historic Places is governmental acknowledgment of a historic district, site, building, or property. However, the Register is mostly "an honorary status with some federal financial incentives". The National Register of Historic Places automatically includes all National Historic Landmarks as well as all historic areas administered by

14391-404: Was managed by General Growth Properties , which said about 78 percent of the space was leased. The East Atrium was not well received, critically. Architecture critic Benjamin Forgey acknowledged that the building achieved its goals; incorporated many modern architectural design features (such as glass curtain walls , setbacks , and good connections to sidewalks and pedestrian areas); and it added

14514-407: Was mold throughout the building; the tower was filled with five to six meters of pigeon droppings, and the heating system often broke down. The GSA held a competition in 1978 to find a partner willing to redevelop the Old Post Office Building. The agency believed that the configuration of the interior space and downtown real estate market would support only a hotel. But the winning bid did not propose

14637-421: Was not demolished. Four years passed. Although a push was made in 1938 to remove the Old Post Office Building, Senator Elmer Thomas defended it and attacked the erection of a Neoclassical office building in its place as financially unacceptable. The effort to remove the building in 1938 was the last one for 30 years. Various reasons have been suggested for why the Old Post Office Building survived. A common claim

14760-408: Was not going to make money, GSA began negotiating with Collins Equities/Wells Fargo to cancel the lease. GSA by now had realized that if retail space was to be retained, it would need to open onto Pennsylvania Avenue NW. But the agency also was considered scrapping the retail floors and turning them into office space or getting rid of both retail and office space to allow the structure to be developed as

14883-529: Was rejected for security reasons. It then proposed an underground parking lot and pavilion expansion in the area occupied by the IRS building's parking lot, but this, too, was not approved. With the financial situation at the Old Post Office Pavilion worsening, OPOJV proposed building a glass-enclosed annex on the IRS building's parking lot. The proposal was strongly opposed by the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board. Nonetheless, Congress appropriated $ 1.7 million for

15006-409: Was retail or restaurants inside. The pavilion's revenues were generated in about equal parts from tourists, local office workers, and local residents. Although most retailers were making money, revenues fluctuated wildly on a seasonal basis. Restaurants had a difficult time earning money, and turnover among them was high. Old Post Office Joint Venture, a group led by Hillman Properties, the developer of

15129-435: Was taken on the demolition project in 1970, and Von Eckardt continued to press for the building's preservation in 1971. By early 1971, a group of local citizens and architects formed a group known as "Don't Tear It Down" (predecessor to the D.C. Preservation League). The group's members included Nancy Hanks , the politically influential chairwoman of the National Endowment for the Arts . Don't Tear It Down began heavily lobbying

#692307