John A. Wilson Building

	District Building
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. Historic district; Contributing property
	The John A. Wilson Building in 2020
Location	1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Coordinates	38°53′42″N 77°1′53″W / 38.89500°N 77.03139°W
Area	1.1 acres (0.45 ha)
Built	1904–1908
Architect	Cope and Stewardson
Architectural style	Beaux Arts
Part of	Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site (ID66000865)
NRHP reference No.	72001422
Added to NRHP	March 16, 1972

The John A. Wilson District Building, popularly known simply as the Wilson Building, houses the municipal offices and chambers of the Mayor and the Council of Washington, D.C. It was originally called the District Building. In 1994, it was renamed in recognition of former Council Chair John A. Wilson.^[3] Completed in 1908, during the administration of 26th President Theodore Roosevelt, the building is a contributing structure to the Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site.

History

19th century

The original site of the John A. Wilson Building was a streetcar power station that a fire had destroyed in 1897.

20th century

With the "Public Building Act" of 1902, the United States Congress authorized $550,000 for the purchase of the property and an additional $1.5 million (later increased to $2 million) for the construction of a new District municipal building. Previously, the D.C. government had been housed in the old District of Columbia City Hall, a historic neoclassical styled structure on Indiana Avenue, constructed 1822–1849 by George Hadfield.^[4]

A competition for the design of the new District Building called for "classic design in the manner of the English Renaissance". The Philadelphia firm of Cope and Stewardson won the contract, and construction started in 1904. The building was dedicated on July 4, 1908 by Henry MacFarland, President of the Board of Commissioners. While the building has continuously served as the municipal offices of the District's local government, the United States Department of War housed 200 visiting servicemen there during World War II.^[4]

In 1977, twelve gunmen took about 150 people hostage at three sites around the District of Columbia. During the crisis, later known as the 1977 Hanafi Siege, two of those gunmen held about a dozen hostages inside the council chambers on the fifth floor of the District Building. Then-councilman Marion Barry was hit by a stray bullet during the commotion, which left two others dead, including DC Protective Services Police Officer Wesley Cantrell. The press room at the Wilson Building is named in memory of Maurice Williams, a 24-year-old reporter killed during the attack.^[5]

In 1995, two-thirds of the Wilson Building was leased to the federal government for a period of 20 years due to the district's inability to pay for needed repairs; during that time, the district paid approximately $8 million per year to the General Services Administration to lease back the space.^[6] The district government was able to regain use of the entire building after the United States Congress approved funds for major renovations. The offices of Mayor Anthony Williams and DC Council were temporarily relocated to One Judiciary Square.

Exterior

The District Building was designed in the American Beaux Arts classical revival style and takes up the entire block between 14th and 13 1/2th Streets NW, south of Pennsylvania Avenue across from Freedom Plaza. The base of the building is made of grey granite from Maine, while the upper four stories are constructed of white marble from New York. The main entrance to the building features an eagle with outstretched wings surrounded by two sculptures representing "Justice" and "Law." The fifth (attic) story features alternating male and female sculptures of heroic figures that represent: sculpture, painting, architecture, music, commerce, engineering, agriculture, and statesmanship.^[3]

In January 2005, the statue of Alexander Robey Shepherd, Governor of the District of Columbia from 1873 to 1874, was restored to its original location in front of the Wilson Building at the northwest corner. It had been removed in 1979 during the first year of Mayor Marion Barry's administration.^[7]^[8]

Current use

Following the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, the appointed Mayor-Commissioner form of government was replaced by a locally elected Mayor of the District of Columbia and Council of the District of Columbia who maintain their offices within the Wilson Building. The D.C. Council chamber, committee rooms, and legislative staff offices are also in the building.

In October 2006, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities opened the City Hall Arts Collection. Art pieces from a diverse group of D.C.-area artists are on public display throughout the building. Works include a glass casting by Michael Janis of the Washington Glass School; paintings by Felrath Hines (former chief conservator of the Hirshhorn Museum), Sylvia Snowden, and Mark Cameron Boyd; photographs by Alexandra Silverthorne, Harlee Little, and Max Hirshfeld; and sculpture by Jae Ko. The portrait of John A. Wilson on display at the main entrance is by renowned portrait painter Simmie Knox.^[9]

Notes

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
^ ^a ^b "John A. Wilson Building / District Building". Cultural Tourism D.C. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
^ ^a ^b Ganschinietz, Suzanne. "District Building". National Park Service. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
^ Vargas, Theresa (12 March 2007). "'Some Things You Never Forget'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
^ Williams, Vanessa (November 11, 1999). "D.C. Government Reclaims City Hall". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
^ H-Net Review: Alan Lessoff <ahlesso@ilstu.edu> on Historical Dictionary of Washington, D.C
^ "Rimensnyder Asks for New Respect for Washington's 'Boss' Shepherd" in "Lecture Series" page Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine of official website of The Ruth Ann Overbeck Capitol Hill History Project, Washington, D.C. Accessed August 5, 2008.
^ Dawson, Jessica (11 November 2006). "In District Government Building, All Art Is Local". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2011.

[nris2010-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.

[nris2008-2] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.

[CTDC-3] "John A. Wilson Building / District Building". Cultural Tourism D.C. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2011.

[NRHP-4] Ganschinietz, Suzanne. "District Building". National Park Service. Retrieved 5 October 2011.

[5] Vargas, Theresa (12 March 2007). "'Some Things You Never Forget'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 October 2011.

[6] Williams, Vanessa (November 11, 1999). "D.C. Government Reclaims City Hall". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 2, 2011.

[7] H-Net Review: Alan Lessoff <ahlesso@ilstu.edu> on Historical Dictionary of Washington, D.C

[8] "Rimensnyder Asks for New Respect for Washington's 'Boss' Shepherd" in "Lecture Series" page Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine of official website of The Ruth Ann Overbeck Capitol Hill History Project, Washington, D.C. Accessed August 5, 2008.

[9] Dawson, Jessica (11 November 2006). "In District Government Building, All Art Is Local". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2011.

[2]

[1]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

v t e Federal Triangle
Buildings	Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium Department of Labor Building Federal Trade Commission Building Herbert C. Hoover Building Internal Revenue Service Building John A. Wilson Building National Archives Building National Children's Museum Old Post Office Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center White House Visitors Office William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building
Public art	Andrew W. Mellon Memorial Fountain Bearing Witness Federal Triangle Flowers Guardianship Heritage Man Controlling Trade Past Present Statue of Alexander Robey Shepherd Statue of Nathan Hale
Related	Federal Triangle station Murder Bay
Category Commons

v t e U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Topics	Architectural style categories Contributing property Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places Keeper of the Register National Park Service Property types
Lists by state	List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Lists by insular areas	American Samoa Guam Minor Outlying Islands Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico Virgin Islands
Lists by associated state	Federated States of Micronesia Marshall Islands Palau
Other areas	District of Columbia American Legation, Morocco
Related	National Historic Preservation Act Historic Preservation Fund List of jails and prisons on the National Register of Historic Places University and college buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places portal Category