U.S. Department of Agriculture South Building
Encyclopedia
The U.S. Department of Agriculture South Building is an office building in southwest Washington, D.C.
, United States
, built beginning in 1930 to house the expanded offices of the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA). Construction was completed on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Administration Building
to the north of Independence Avenue in 1930, but Depression-era
agriculture programs demanded far more office space than the main building could provide. The phased construction was completed in 1936. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 2007.
Completed in 1936, the South Building was the largest office building in the world until the completion of the Pentagon
, with dimensions of 458 feet (139.6 m) by 944 feet (287.7 m) in seven stories with 4500 rooms. The building's design is credited to Louis A. Simon of the Federal Office of the Supervising Architect
. The South Building was joined to the Administration Building by two enclosed pedestrian bridges
spanning Independence Avenue, thus consolidating USDA operations into one complex. The new building contained laboratory space as well as offices. It was originally referred to as the "Extensible Building", which could be expanded in a phased fashion. Phasing was necessary due to the time required to acquire such a large parcel of land.
The architecture of the South Building is a stripped-down example of Classicism
, with plain detailing that borrows from Classical form and proportion without using a great deal of expensive and time-consuming detail. The style became popular for government buildings until the advent of the Modern
style in government architecture, reaching its apex at the Pentagon. In the case of the South Building, the lesser level of detail indicated its subordinate position vis-à-vis the Administration Building. The interior is based on a rigidly-enforced network of corridors; only the departmental auditorium and library deviate from the corridor grid. Interiors are even more plain than the exterior.
The building is arranged in seven north-south wings, connected at the ends by the Headhouse (paralleling Independence Avenue} and Tailhouse (paralleling C Street). The 12th and 14th Street
elevations were planned to be seen from the National Mall
and so were sheathed in limestone
. The C Street and Independence Avenue elevations, which are not visible from the National Mall, used brick as the primary material, with limestone and terra cotta
detailing. The 14th Street elevation also features a monumental entrance with sixteen Corinthian
columns. Elsewhere, relief
panels between windows feature depictions of animals native to the United States
by sculptor Edwin Morris.
Since the relocation of laboratory space to the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center
, the South Building has been occupied exclusively by offices.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, built beginning in 1930 to house the expanded offices of the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
(USDA). Construction was completed on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Administration Building
U.S. Department of Agriculture Administration Building
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Administration Building, also known as the Jamie L. Whitten Building, houses the administrative offices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. The Administration Building projects into the National Mall from the larger U.S...
to the north of Independence Avenue in 1930, but Depression-era
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
agriculture programs demanded far more office space than the main building could provide. The phased construction was completed in 1936. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2007.
Completed in 1936, the South Building was the largest office building in the world until the completion of the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
, with dimensions of 458 feet (139.6 m) by 944 feet (287.7 m) in seven stories with 4500 rooms. The building's design is credited to Louis A. Simon of the Federal Office of the Supervising Architect
Office of the Supervising Architect
The Office of the Supervising Architect was an agency of the United States Treasury Department that designed federal government buildings from 1852 to 1939....
. The South Building was joined to the Administration Building by two enclosed pedestrian bridges
Pedestrian separation structure
A pedestrian separation structure is any structure that removes pedestrians from a vehicle roadway. This creates a road junction where vehicles and pedestrians do not interact.This can be considered a type of grade separation structure on the road....
spanning Independence Avenue, thus consolidating USDA operations into one complex. The new building contained laboratory space as well as offices. It was originally referred to as the "Extensible Building", which could be expanded in a phased fashion. Phasing was necessary due to the time required to acquire such a large parcel of land.
Classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
, with plain detailing that borrows from Classical form and proportion without using a great deal of expensive and time-consuming detail. The style became popular for government buildings until the advent of the Modern
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
style in government architecture, reaching its apex at the Pentagon. In the case of the South Building, the lesser level of detail indicated its subordinate position vis-à-vis the Administration Building. The interior is based on a rigidly-enforced network of corridors; only the departmental auditorium and library deviate from the corridor grid. Interiors are even more plain than the exterior.
The building is arranged in seven north-south wings, connected at the ends by the Headhouse (paralleling Independence Avenue} and Tailhouse (paralleling C Street). The 12th and 14th Street
14th Street Northwest and Southwest (Washington, D.C.)
Fourteenth Street is a street in Northwest and Southwest Washington, D.C., located 1¼ mi. west of the U.S. Capitol. It runs from the 14th Street Bridge north to Eastern Avenue....
elevations were planned to be seen from the National Mall
National Mall
The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The National Mall is a unit of the National Park Service , and is administered by the National Mall and Memorial Parks unit...
and so were sheathed in limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. The C Street and Independence Avenue elevations, which are not visible from the National Mall, used brick as the primary material, with limestone and terra cotta
Terra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
detailing. The 14th Street elevation also features a monumental entrance with sixteen Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
columns. Elsewhere, relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
panels between windows feature depictions of animals native to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by sculptor Edwin Morris.
Since the relocation of laboratory space to the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center
Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center
The Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, or BARC, is a unit of the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. It is located at in Beltsville, Maryland, and is named for Henry A. Wallace, former United States vice president and secretary of...
, the South Building has been occupied exclusively by offices.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in the District of Columbia
- Southwest Federal Center, Washington, D.C.
External links
- Agriculture South Building at the General Services AdministrationGeneral Services AdministrationThe General Services Administration is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S...
- History of the Washington USDA complex with links to construction pictures