Exhibitions
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Like the Treasury Building, which clearly served as a model for many buildings designed by the Supervising Architect’s Office, the United States Mint buildings were often among the most important architectural focal points of their communities. Originally these buildings housed several functions ranging from the industrial to the clerical, but today these buildings often have been adapted to dramatically different uses. The best tools for uncovering the original intent of the architect are primarily architectural drawings, the Supervising Architect’s annual reports, and other primary sources such as personal letters and newspaper articles. These types of documents offer researchers a first-hand account of the past: they demonstrate the demands of a program that had to accommodate disparate functions; tell us details about construction, costs, and workmanship; and provide insight into the factors that influenced their forms.
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The Treasury Building has evolved through its century and half of use and this exhibition is concern with how spaces changed through its growth and development. When the first wing was completed in 1842, the Treasury Department had already outgrown the space and three “extensions” were constructed in subsequent decades, each housing new offices and bureau functions. The building was at any given time, executive offices, clerical work rooms and a factory, housing the printing operations of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Learn how multiple functions changed space in this prominent Washington landmark.
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The former Office of the Supervising Architect, charged with the planning and construction of all government building, was originally housed in the Treasury Building. In order to accommodate the operations of over one hundred draftsmen, a structure was erected in the building’s South Court, which has remained long after the office was folded into the operations of the General Services Administration. This site examines the buildings architectural history and illustrates its earliest period as a drafting studio, one of the last remaining structures of this type in the United States.
Last Updated:
12/3/2010 5:10 PM