The Treasury Building

A National Historic Landmark
1

The Capital Moves to Washington (1790-1835)

I

n the spring of the year 1800, the capital of the United 

States was preparing to move from the well-established 

city of Philadelphia to a parcel of tidewater land along the 

Potomac River. President John Adams issued an Executive 

Order on May 15th instructing the federal government to 

move to Washington and to be open for business by June 

15, 1800. 

Arriving in Washington, relocated government employees 

found only one building completed and ready to be 

occupied: the Treasury Department building. Of the 131 

federal workers who moved to Washington, over half of 

them (69) were housed in the Treasury Building. Nearby 

stood the partially completed White House, while almost a 

mile to the east at the terminus of Pennsylvania Avenue rose 

the Capitol building, still a work in progress. 

Few were so generous as to call Washington a “city” despite 

the arrival of the executive and legislative branches of the 

federal government. In 1800, Washington had a population 

of 3,210 with neighboring Georgetown (considered a 

separate municipality) at 2,993 – ranking them as the 31st 

and 32nd largest cities in the country at the time. By contrast, 

New York Citys’ population was 60,515, Philadelphia was 

41,220, and Baltimore was the third largest city with 26,514 

inhabitants. 

What many had hoped to find on their arrival in Washington 

was a city that mirrored the scale, architecture, and amenities 

of the former capital cities of New York and Philadelphia. 

All too frequently visitors were disappointed at the progress 

of the new capital city: 

The first Treasury building.
2

“I arrived about one o’clock at this place known by the name of the 

city, and the name is all that you can call so. As I expected to find it 

a new country, with houses scattered over a space of ten miles, and 

trees & stumps in plenty with, a castle of a house - so I found it - The 

President’s House is in a beautiful situation in front of which is the 

Potomac with a view of Alexandria. The country around is romantic 

but a wild, a wilderness at present.” 	 	 	 	

	 	 - Abigail Adams, First

Architecturally, the development of Washington

was influenced by a small number of professionally

trained architects from England and Europe who

had relocated to the American colonies in search

of better opportunities. These imported architects

were augmented by local “master builders” who

used established architectural pattern books and

construction techniques to design their buildings.

The number of architects and designers who eventually

had a hand in the completion of the Treasury building

in 1800 represents a virtual “who’s who” of practicing

architects in the late 18th and early 19th centuries in

America. Initially, the winning design for the Treasury

“Executive Office” building was awarded to George

Hadfield, an English architect who moved to the United

States in 1795 and had served as Superintendent of

Construction for the Capitol building.

The construction of the new building was the

responsibility of the City Commissioners who were

receptive to the design but not necessarily the

architect. The Commissioners wanted to purchase the

architectural drawings from Hadfield and supervise

their own construction. After a series of protracted

negotiations over the amount of compensation, the

drawings were procured and Hadfield was released

from the project.

The City Commissioners had some concerns that

Hadfield’s original design was a little too imposing,

particularly given the building’s location next to the

new President’s House. They chose to modify the

design towards the more comfortable proportions

of the Georgian style by removing a third floor and

eliminating a stately entrance portico and columns.

To supervise the construction, the Commissioners

turned to Architect James Hoban who was fulfilling
3

similar duties next door at the White House. Hoban

was an Irish architect who came to Philadelphia in

1785. He is believed to have been involved in the

design of the First Bank of the United States in

Philadelphia whose appearance was remarkably similar

to the Royal Exchange building in Dublin, Ireland with

which Hoban was very familiar. The drawings for the

First Bank were submitted under the name of Samuel

Blodgett, a businessman and land speculator who

frequently collaborated with Hoban (In 1793 Hoban

completed a design for Blodgett’s Hotel on a parcel of

land near the White House).

When the first Treasury building was completed it was a

two story brick building with a basement and attic that

had 16 rooms on the first floor and 15 rooms on the

second floor. The building was 147 feet long and 57 feet

wide, flanking the southeast end of the White House.

Within six months of occupying the building a fire

broke out on January 20, 1801 nearly destroying the

entire structure. The fire started in one of the first

floor rooms and burned through to the floor above

but was extinguished before any serious structural

damage occurred. The building was repaired, yet by

1805 the records of the department were beginning to

overwhelm the original building and a new “fireproof”

brick and masonry vault extension was planned for the

west side of the Treasury building.

The extension of the Treasury building was designed

by architect Benjamin Latrobe and completed in 1806.

Since 1803, Latrobe had served as Surveyor of Public

Watercolor by Nicholas King. View of White House, 1803.
4

Buildings and Superintendent of Construction at the

Capitol building, and while working in Washington had

maintained his practice in Philadelphia. It was during

this period that a young Robert Mills, future architect

of the East and Center wings of the current Treasury

building, apprenticed at Latrobe’s’ office (1803-1808).

The fire-proof vault addition designed by Latrobe

turned out to be a hearty structure - it was the only part

of the building that survived the 1814 attack by British

troops who burned many of the significant buildings in

Washington during the War of 1812. Treasury offices

were temporarily relocated to seven buildings along

Pennsylvania Avenue between 19th and 20th streets

and James Hoban was once again asked to supervise

the construction of the Treasury building and the

White House which took until 1817 to complete.

With the reconstruction of the Treasury and White

House buildings finished, Hoban was asked to oversee

the construction of two new buildings: the State

Department at the northeast corner of the presidential

grounds acrossfrom the Treasury building and the Navy

building on the northwest corner of the grounds (in

the area later to be occupied by the EEOB building). By

1820 the three executive office buildings surrounding

the White House were completed.

While James Hoban was focused on the construction of

executive office buildings on the Presidential grounds,

Latrobe’s plan for the fire-proof vault.
5

Robert Mills had moved on to become a practicing

architect in South Carolina. In 1820 he was named

the Commissioner of Public Buildings for the state of

South Carolina and in 1827 completed his influential

Fireproof Record Office in Charleston, SC, constructed

entirely of nonflammable masonry materials. By 1830,

however, Mills had moved back to Washington and

was working as a draftsman in the Land Office of the

Treasury Department.

On March 30, 1833, the Treasury building was once

again engulfed in flames. Late in the evening Richard

H. White had set fire to the building hoping to destroy

incriminating pension records inside the Treasury

building. Volunteers saved records that could be

retrieved (mostly from the Latrobe vault extension

which once again largely survived the fire) and the

Treasury offices were relocated to a row of buildings

on the south side of Pennsylvania Avenue, opposite the

Willard Hotel. After the fire, it was Robert Mills who

was asked to prepare a set of drawings of the Treasury

building recording the design of the building before

the fire.

A Monumental Treasury Building (1836-1851)

When Robert Mills submitted drawings of the destroyed Treasury building along with a report on the need for 

a more fire-proof building in the future, he also included 

drawings of what he proposed as a potential new Treasury 

building. Mills eventually won a design competition and 

was appointed Architect of Public Buildings by President 

Andrew Jackson to oversee the design and construction of 

the Treasury and Patent Office buildings. Construction on 

the new Treasury building began on September 7, 1836.

Early 19th century design sketch for the Treasury building south wing.
6

Ironically, Mills faced similar design concerns from some

Washington officials that architect George Hadfield had

endured back in 1800. Both architects proposed designs

that contained elements of the Classical Revival style of

architecture that echoed

the buildings of ancient

Greece and Rome – a

larger more imposing

architectural style for

government buildings

of the new capital.

While Hadfield’s designs

were too expansive and

were never used for

the first Treasury building, Mills more restrained Greek

Revival design, and the passage of 30 years in architectural

sensibilities, allowed his drawings to win the design

competition with few alterations. Then construction started

and opinions began to change.

Disagreements over the Treasury building came to a head

less than two years into the construction of the east wing.

In January, 1838 a

proposal was introduced in Congress to

demolish the partially constructed building. The Committee

on Public Buildings

directedCapitol building architect Thomas

U. Walter to inspect

and report on the

Treasury building. A

report on January 29,

1838 by Walter critical ofthe building designwas rebutted by

Mills a few weeks later in February. Despite Mills’ arguments,

a congressional billwas broughtto thefloor and voted on with

the recommendationto demolishtheTreasury building and

use the stone for a replacement Post Office building. The

bill was narrowly defeated 94-91 and work on the Treasury

building was allowed to continue. Despite all of the difficulties in the design and construction of the Mills Treasury building, in 1839 Mills was awarded the commission

to design the new Post Office building by President Andrew Jackson. This was the Post Office that Congress had

wanted to build with stones from the proposed demolition of the Treasury building.

Column capital detail, east wing colonnade.

East wing colonnade along 15th street.
7

The Mills wings of the current Treasury building (east

and center sections) were finally completed in 1842.

The massive, 350’ long Greek inspired Ionic colonnade

facing 15th street is the most striking feature of Mills

design. By 1844, the tan sandstone exterior, including

the colonnade, was painted white to protect the integrity of the stone (the same stone and painting thereof

was used at the “White” House as well). While Mills had

always envisioned additional wings added to the Treasury building beginning with a south wing extension,

in 1851 he was removed from his Treasury position before any design or construction of the south wing had

begun.

The South Wing Extension (1852-1859)

As early as 1841, Mills had published a conceptual plan for the Treasury building that included additional 

wings at the north and south ends of the east wing, running 

parallel with the center wing. In Mills design there would 

be no west wing of the building, allowing clear views of the 

White House from the Treasury building.

By the early 1850’s there was a growing need to increase 

the size of the Treasury building. Mills revised his earlier 

design and submitted a plan to Treasury Secretary Thomas 

Corwin. Controversy followed Mills yet again and Thomas 

U. Walter was brought in to critique the Mills plan and 

eventually provided two design drawings of his own. 

Walter’s drawings for the first time showed a west wing 
8

of the Treasury building that would eventually create a 

closed rectangular shaped building with Mills center wing 

bisecting the rectangle and creating two enclosed courtyards. 

Ultimately Walters design was chosen and in 1851, Robert 

Mills was released from his architectural position at the 

Treasury Department. 

In 1853 Ammi B. Young was named the Supervising 

Architect in the Office of Construction at the Treasury 

Department. Key among his responsibilities was to merge 

the design approaches previously prepared for the addition 

of a south wing to the Treasury building. One of the most 

important revisions was the acceptance for the need to 

expand the Treasury building with both a south and west 

wing. The inclusion of the west wing in the design and 

planning created an opportunity for economies of scale by 

reducing costs for manpower and building materials. In 

1855 ground was broken to start excavating for the South 

Wing foundation.

During the period that the south wing was being designed, 

Treasury Supervising Engineer Alexander Bowman had 

begun testing wrought iron as a structural building material. 

Testing was completed in 1854 and wrought iron was used 

in federal building construction for the first time in the 

south wing of the Treasury building and concurrently in 

the construction of the St. Louis Post Office. The use of 

structurally supporting wrought iron and decorative cast 

iron in the south wing allowed the size of the corridors and 

office spaces to be opened up since these spaces were no 

longer restricted by the limitations of heavy building stone 

and masonry supporting walls. These larger spaces are 

a point of distinction between the earlier east and center 

wings of the building and the south, west and north wings.

By 1857 construction of the south wing had progressed 

up to the second floor level and excavations for the west 

wing foundations had begun. Progress on the Treasury 

building came to a halt in 1858 with the country falling 

into a recession after the Panic of 1857. Construction on 

all federal buildings was stopped due to a lack of funding 

appropriations from Congress. Before the stoppage, the 

construction of the south wing had completed setting in 

place over 45 monolithic stone columns and pilasters, some 

weighing as much as 33 tons each. 

Little work was done on the Treasury building between 1858 

and 1860. Whatever funds were able to be put towards the 
9

building construction focused on completing the south wing 

including the completion of the new office of the Secretary 

of the Treasury. In 1859 the 1805 Latrobe vault extension 

from the first Treasury building was finally demolished. It 

had continued to survive over the years first as President 

Adam’s tool shed, then as President Jackson’s “orangery” 

(fashionable in the 17th-19th centuries as greenhouses 

for wintering citrus trees) and lastly as President Pierce’s 

greenhouse. Given the finances of the times, a cost reduction 

of the design of the south portico was reconsidered and 4 

stone columns were eliminated through the use of cast iron 

beams for the upper floors and ceilings. 

Economic challenges were not the only events that 

disrupted the construction of the south and west wings of 

the Treasury building. By 1860 it appeared almost certain 

that the country was headed towards a military conflict 

between the states. Troops were stationed in the Treasury 

building and occupied the newly completed south wing 

from the attic down through the first floor. For the next few 

years, the building was more of a fortification than it was a 

government office building.

The Civil War Era

(1860-1866)

The years of the Civil War in America (1861-1865) were challenging times for a large number of federal buildings 

under construction before the start of the war. The government 

used many of their existing buildings to accommodate wartime needs. So it was that members of the military command 

were the first occupants of the newly completed south wing 

in 1860. During the same year the Treasury Carpentry 

Shop staff was loaned out to help build fortifications along the 

Potomac River. Troop regiments camped in the south courtyard 

space were a regular occurrence throughout the war. 

Union troops camped in Treasury building courtyard.
10

While a labor force and the supply of some building

materials became increasingly scarce as the war grew

longer, the Treasury building and the expansion of the

Capitol dome were among the few large scale federal

building projects that remained active during the war. By

1861 Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase was occupying his

new office, although work on the west wing would remain

suspended until February of 1862. By the summer of

1862 work had begun once again and the setting of all

of the massive west portico columns was completed. In

July, Ammi B. Young, the Supervising Architect, resigned

after completing the south wing and 70 other federal

buildings across the country. He was replaced by Isaiah

Rogers who oversaw the building of the west wing.

In 1863, as work continued, another key figure arrived

at the Treasury Supervising Architect’s office when

Alfred Mullett was appointed as a clerk in the Bureau

of Construction. In less than 5 months he rose to the

position of Assistant Supervising Architect. Within t

years Muller would rise to the position of Supervising

Architect.

While the construction of the west wing was the major

focus of the architects office during the Civil War, some

attention was paid to addressing improvements to

previously constructed parts of the Treasury building.

The south wing attic space was converted to usable

office space in 1863. By

1864 the west wing was

essentially completed

and in the same year

theMillsdesignedcenter

wing courtyard facing

windowswere replaced.

On many levels, 1865

was a one of the most

significant years in the

history of the nation,

and of the Treasury

building as well. Over

a period of 41 days

starting on March 4,

1865, President Lincoln held his Second Inauguration;

the Civil War ended on April 9, 1865 with General Robert

E. Lee’ssurrender; and President Lincolnwas assassinated

on April 14, 1865.

Lincoln portrait, Treasury Department Collection.
11

After the death of President Lincoln, the Secretary

of the Treasury provided his office for Vice President

Johnson as a temporary Office of the President until

Mrs. Lincoln moved out of the White House. Asthe Civil

War ended and many of the troops left Washington,

their departure allowed spaces in the Treasury building to

be returned for the department’s use.

	 Despite the return of space

in the south wing, the

Treasury building needed

to continue to expand

it’s capacity. In 1865 t

attic level was converted

to offices in the Mills

designed east and

center wings. The

role of the Supervising

Architect expanded as

well taking on the

supervision of real

estate owned by Treasury

and procuring rented space

in existing buildings for

Customs officers.

These tasks did not fall upon

Isaiah Rogers who resigned

his position in September of

1865, but to Alfred Mullett,

the new Supervising

Architect. Also, 

the fall of 1865 a road

running between the

Treasury building and

the White House (East

Executive Avenue) was

opened. Another small

change was Mullett’s

replacement of the

south wing exterior

fence along 15th Street at the southeast corner of the

building. With three out of four wings completed, the

State Department building at the north end of the

building was demolished in order to be able to add the

north wing.

East Executive Avenue, 19th century.
12

The North Wing-Completing Treasury (1867-1870)

By the time the west wing of the Treasury building wascompleted, an architectural style and construction

methods were well established. All that was needed to

begin the north wing of the building was the removal of

the State Department building. In January of 1867 the

building was demolished and construction officially

began on the north wing.

The north wing was completed in a little over two years, a

remarkably short period of construction given the delays

that had plagued every other wing of the building. The

north wing entrance, lobby, Cash Room and adjacent

spaces were sufficiently finished to allow the Cash Room

to be able to host the Inaugural Reception for President

Ulysses S. Grant in March of 1869.

The speedwithwhichthenorthwingwasbuiltwaspossible

because much of the building stone and raw materials

were purchased and delivered to the site as early as 1866.

In addition to new materials, portions of the building

materials from the old State Department building were

salvaged and used for the north wing addition. A critical

concern asthe construction began was how to successfully

“attach” the new wing of the building to the east wing on

one side constructed 24 years prior, and the west wing

recently completed in 1864. To insure a proper alignment

the grounds were excavated an extra 18 feet deeper for

the foundations of the north wing which then abutted the

existing structures.
13

In the midst of the north wing construction, architect

Alfred Mullett was also working on modifications to

features of the previously completed west and south

wings. At the roof level along the east and south wings

Mullett lowered the balustrades and along the west

wing removed galvanized iron ornaments designed

by Isaiah Rogers which Mullett felt conflicted with

the restrained Classical Revival style of the Treasury

building. At the south entrance, Mullet reworked

the entrance plaza raising the central platform and

replacing the curvilinear design of Ammi Young.

Mullett anticipated the construction of the north wing

to be completed in January of 1869 and confidently

agreed to a proposal to hold the Inauguration

Reception for President Ulysses Grant on March 4,

1869. The construction continued into March right up

until the event with Mullett pressing his suppliers for

the materials he needed to complete the Cash Room

space. Portions of the second floor marble walls never

arrived in time and through the use of decorations

and large fabric murals of the “Goddess of Liberty”

and “Abraham Lincoln”, uncompleted areas remained

hidden from view during the reception.

The preparations for the 1869 Grant Inauguration

Reception were a distraction that temporarily slowed

the remaining construction at the northwest corner of

the building. The corner offices and the spiral staircase

in this section of the building would continue to be

worked on until 1870, when the construction of the

entire wing was completed.
14

Delays in one area of the building did not dissuade

Mullett from continuing to make improvements in other

parts of the building. In 1870 he converted the attic space

on the 5th floor of the west wing spiral staircase into a

magnificent triple-skylight oval dome with ornamental

and gilded plaster details. The Cash Room ceiling also

received gold leaf accents for its ceiling and the addition

of a new hydraulic elevator. These small projects aside, in

1870 after 34 years of construction, the Treasury building

was finally complete.

Late 19th - Early 20th Century (1871 -1909)

During the late 19th century the Treasury buildingincorporated a vast array of new technologies. At

the same time, outside the building walls, Washington,

DC had grown into a more metropolitan capital city

with commercial and infrastructure projects that had

significant effects on the neighborhood around the

Treasury building.

In 1877, one of the earliest telephone lines in

Washington was installed between the White House and

the Treasury building, and by 1879 there were phone

lines throughout the building. Other improvements

included the first direct current electricity brought

into the building by the U.S. Electric Company for

the Engraving & Printing operations in the basement

in 1885, which would be expanded throughout the

building over a 10 year period.

Currency shipment leaving Treasury building vaults.
15

As improvements to the Treasury building continued

towards the end of the 19th century, they were barely

able to keep pace with the growing population of

Treasury employees. The large number of federal

buildings under construction by the Office of the

Supervising Architect necessitated adding a temporary

drafting studio building in 1891 inside the open south

courtyard space once occupied by Union troops during

the Civil War. In 1904 a “duplicating gallery” for the

production of architectural drawings was added to the

attic space of the center wing (what would later become

the full-height 5th floor of the Treasury building above

all wings). From the late 1890’s through 1910 over 400

federal buildings (post offices, courthouses, custom

houses, mints, etc.) were designed by the staff of the

Supervising Architect’s Office.

At the turn of the century came one of the first major

renovation projects at the Treasury building. In 1907

Supervising Architect James Knox Taylor began the

lengthy process of reconstructing the facade of

the entire east wing of the building including the

replacement of the massive portico columns. Although

granite was the building stone originally specified

by architect Robert Mills in 1833, congressional

appropriators overruled his selection and substituted

less durable sandstone in order to reduce costs. By

the turn of the century, the sandstone had begun to

crumble and had to be rebuilt, this time using granite,

the type ofstone suggested by Mills over 70 years earlier.

While the east facade and colonnade were being

reconstructed outside the building, in 1910 a major

architectural report was being prepared on the use of

space inside the Treasury building. Under the direction

of the Secretary of the Treasury, the architectural

firm of York & Sawyer documented in drawings and

photographs the existing use of office, factory, clerical

and storage spaces throughout the building. The report

made a number of recommendations for building

improvements including ways that space could be more

efficiently utilized.

Among the first of the York & Sawyer report recommendations to be implemented was the relocation of

the Office of the Secretary of the Treasury to the southwest corner of the building on the third floor, where

the office remains to this day.
16

World War I

Treasury Annex Building (1910 -1921)

With an architect’s study completed and a long listof projects to improve the interior of the Treasury

building, in 1910 Congress approved $180,000 for

an interior modernization. Some of the projects

completed included the construction of an IRS

laboratory on the fourth floor of the north wing and

the installation of a building-wide fire alarm system.

By 1914 however, the attention (and the finances) of

the nation began turning towards a growing conflict in

Europe – World War I.

Even before America officially entered the war in 1917,

vast quantities of supplies were being shipped to Allied

countries in Europe. Once America declared war on

Germany, the government and private businesses

rapidly turned manufacturing and construction efforts

towards those materials and items that could aid the

war effort. One of the few federal building projects

that was allowed to continue was the construction

of a Treasury Annex building on the north side of

Pennsylvania Avenue, across the street from the main

Treasury building.
17

Designed by well respected architect Cass Gilbert, the

building that stands today was created as a section of

what was proposed to be a much larger building taking

up the entire side of the street facing the east end of

Lafayette Park across from the White House. Designed

and constructed in just 2 years, the Annex building

exterior reflects the classical origins of the main

Treasury building.

Part of the reason that the Treasury Annex building was

allowed to be constructed during a time of war was the

passage of the War Revenue Act, which required the

expansion of the Internal Revenue Service to process

the collection of tax revenues which were financing

up to one third of the costs of the war. The work of

the Treasury employees who would occupy the Annex

building was so critical that President Wilson signed an

Executive Order waiving the 8 hour work day rule to

expedite construction. Likewise, structural steel for the

building fabricated by Bethlehem Steel was processed

as a “war order” to insure a quick delivery of the steel.

On June 14, 1919, after only 14 months of construction,

the Annex building was ready for occupancy primarily

by the Bureau of Internal Revenue Income Tax Unit.

On June 28, 1919 World War I ended with the signing

of the Peace Treaty in Versailles. Ironically, a building

rushed through design and construction to be able

to accommodate Treasury employees whose work was

critical to the war effort was completed just 14 days

before the war was over.

Treasury Annex, 2007.
18

With all of the dramatic mobilizations for war behind

them, the Treasury architects once again turned to the

list of building improvements suggested in the York &

Sawyer report of 1910. In 1921 the expansion of the

attic space into a fully functioning 5th floor addition

continued along the west wing of the building. Despite

the addition of a new floor and an entire Annex

building, space was still at a premium in the Treasury

building as the department continued to grow in size

and complexity.

The Great Depression -World War II

(1922 -1949)

With World War I ended and the country entering the roaring 1920s, few would have predicted that two 

of the biggest economic challenges the country and the 

Treasury Department would ever face were yet to come. 

Changes to the Treasury 

building itself during the 

early 1920s were relatively 

modest. After going 

decades without another fire, 

misfortune returned when 

the Supervising Architect’s 

duplicating gallery on the 5th 

floor over the center wing of 

the building caught fire and 

was destroyed. Conversely, 

it was a happier occasion 

in 1923 when the statue of 

Alexander Hamilton was 

dedicated on the south plaza 

of the Treasury building.
19

In 1927 for the first time, 

the Treasury building 

appeared on the 

country’s currency as 

the main subject on 

the reverse side of the 

$10.00 bill. During the 

Depression, funding for repairs and renovations to existing 

federal buildings such as the Treasury or Annex buildings, 

or to construct new buildings, was limited. When projects 

were funded they were viewed through a prism of job 

creation rather than to design architecturally significant 

buildings for the federal government. In order to get as 

many projects as possible into the construction phase, 

the President’s Emergency Committee for Employment 

reported that the Office of the Supervising Architect was “... 

running its blueprint department night and day, three shifts 

and its committee on the selection of [building] sites has 

been holding night sessions.”

From 1927-1933 no significant architectural projects 

were completed at the Treasury building. In fact, the most 

noteworthy changes to the building for the first half of the 

20th century were the changing of the entire electrical 

system from direct to alternating current (1933-38), and 

a new building-wide air conditioning system (1934). 

There was one exception – changes made to the Treasury 

building to secure the building and its inhabitants during 

World War II.

The possibility of enemy air strikes over Washington, DC 

during World War II created a need to structurally reinforce 

parts of the Treasury building for the first time since the 

Civil War. The domes with skylights over the stairwells were 

infilled with concrete pads up to 12” thick. Where required 

for black-out purposes, additional corridor skylights and 

exterior windows were either filledin or fitted with black-out shades. 

On the lower floors of the building, 

taking advantage of the thick granite 

foundation walls, several rooms and 

vaults were converted to bomb shelters, 

including one specifically for the use of the 

President.

President Roosevelts’ bomb shelter in Treasury building.
20

Understandably, the focus of the Treasury Department 

during the Great Depression and World War II was on 

managing the finances of the country. Building additions 

and repairs were largely deferred. As the Treasury building 

moved forward into the 1950’s, years of benign neglect 

would take their toll on the building.

Mid 20th Centur y -

and Another Great Fire (1950 - 1996)

By the 1950s, the earliest wings of the Treasury building had surpassed the century mark since their original 

construction. Into the 1960s the building was 50 years 

removed from the last major renovation in 1910. The 

Treasury building was falling into disrepair just as the 

country was beginning to appreciate some of the earliest 

iconic historic buildings that had played important roles in 

American history with the passage of the National Historic 

Preservation Act in 1966.

In 1954, the exterior stone of the building was systematically 

cleaned and a few other minor changes to the outside of 

the building were made including the carving of the words 

“Treasury Department” above the south wing portico 

entrance (1956). By 1959 the heating system had been 

replaced and modern fluorescent light fixtures were installed 

throughout the building.

West Wing dome, skylights with concrete infill, 1957.
21

The Treasury Department continued to try and keep up

withindividual repairandrenovationprojectsthroughout

the 1960’s. The plumbing and restroom facilities were

renovated in 1963, and there were continuous upgrades

made to various windows, doors, and air conditioning

systems.

Difficulties in maintaining and modernizing an older

building in the center of the nation’s capital were

not unique to Treasury. Many large commercial and

government buildings along Pennsylvania Avenue were

beginning to acquire a rather shabby appearance. This

imagery did not go unnoticed by President John F.

Kennedy during his inaugural parade in 1961. Within a

year the President’s Advisory Council on Pennsylvania

Avenue was formed to work on a new master plan for

the “Nation’s Main Street.”

Treasury’s efforts to keep its own building up to date

were more functional than aesthetic, nevertheless in

the 1970’s the Treasury building received among the

highest honors bestowed on important American

buildings.In 1971 theTreasury buildingwas nominated

and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This registration was followed by an even more

significant 1972 appointment of the building as a

National Historic Landmark. While the interior of the

building had endured decades of neglect and some

insensitive renovations, the Classical Revival exterior

fully clad in durable granite had retained its stately

architectural presence.

In 1976, a tradition that began over a century earlier

ended when the public banking room known as the

“Cash Room” was

closed at the north

entrance to the

building. Established

after the Civil War

as a way to reinforce

public faith in the

federal government’s

greenback currency,

the room allowed

the public to enter

	 	 	 	 the Treasury building

and redeem any bills, coins, bonds, or certificates

issued by the federal government.

Cash Room view from balcony over banking operations.
22

With the utilitarian banking room requirements no

longer needed, the Treasury Department recognized

a unique opportunity to restore the Cash Room as a

ceremonial space. Assisted by the formation of an

Office of The Curator for the Treasury in 1985, the

Cash Room was restored to the period of the 1869

Inaugural Celebration for President Ulysses S. Grant

and reopened for use by the department in 1987.

After the completion of the Cash Room, additional

restoration projects progressed room by room,

including; the North Lobby (1987), the Secretary of

the Treasury’s Conference and Diplomatic Reception

Rooms (1988), the Andrew Johnson Suite (1991) and

the Salmon Chase Suite (1992). Concurrently, the

building was in a continuous state of repair in an effort

to overcome a list of deferred maintenance projects

that seemed neverending.

In 1996, a project to replace a portion of the roof of the

building accidently started a fire above the north wing.

Damage from the fire and water that cascaded down all

five floors of the building created a level of destruction

not seen since British troops had burned the previous

Treasury building during the War of 1812.

A 21st Century Restoration and Modernization

(1996 - 2007)

The interior damage and repairs that were neededafter the 1996 fire were extensive enough to raise

serious questions about the overallsafety of the building

Treasury building, South Wing, 2006.
23

and led to the decision to undergo a comprehensive

renovation of the entire Treasury building. Once the

areas of the north wing that were affected by the fire

were stabilized, an architectural design team and the

Treasury Department began to prepare for a phased

restoration and modernization of all four wings and

two courtyard buildings.

In 1997 the exterior portion of the project was begun as

restoration contractors focused on replacing the roof,

repointing and repairing the granite stone masonry,

and cleaning the entire building for the first time in

almost half a century. While work on the outside was

being completed a complicated design for the interior

modernization and restoration was developed.

Just asthe exterior project was finishing and the interior

portion of the project was ready to begin, the tragic

events of September 11, 2001 took place. Suddenly,

new levels of security requirements were added to the

Treasury exterior and interior projects. Some of the

new protections extended beyond the building itself

to the surrounding grounds including a redesign of

Pennsylvania Avenue, limited access to the service road

at the south end of the Treasury building, and security

bollards along 15th street.

Inside the Treasury building, virtually every mechanical,

electrical and plumbing system was either upgraded or

replaced. Telecommunication systems were upgraded and

rooms originally designed in the 19th century for clerical

pools or currency production were subdivided into

modern office spaces. For the first time, a building wide

fire suppression and sprinkler system was installed and all

of the stairwell dome skylights covered during World War

2 were reopened and restored.

Almost as difficult as the new construction to

modernize a historic landmark building was the need

to carefully protect historic spaces in the building that

were previously restored, such as the North Lobby

entrance, the Andrew Johnson office suite, and the

Salmon Chase offices. Elaborate protective panels were

installed with self contained circulating ventilation fans

and air purification components. A separate vibration

monitoring system insured that any new construction

above or below the restored areas did not adversely

damage these important spaces.
24

One of the most significant restoration efforts

incorporated into the modernization of the building

was the triple oculus skylight over the West Dome

above a monumental double spiral staircase. Elevators

were removed from the open centers of the stairwells,

concrete pads from World War II were taken out of the

skylight bases, and the elaborate painted and gilded

finishes of the dome were restored.

As winter arrived towards the end of 2006, the last office

spaces in the west wing of the building were being

completed. Small projectsin service areas of the basement

would continue into 2007, while all of the remaining

employees displaced during construction returned to the

building. For the first time in over 10 years all four wings

of the building were fully occupied.

Throughout the long construction period, thousands

of photographs were taken of features of the building

including some of original construction techniques

and materials that were seen for the first time. Some of

this new information was targeted for research before

construction began based on archival information

about where certain historic architectural features or

decorative finishes might be found beneath modern

layers of new materials. Added to these known

historic features grew a lengthy list of discoveries and

observations that were unexpected.

In general, the interior of the building is now more

representative of its 19th century appearance than at

any point during the last century. The ability to run

many building systems beneath floors or through

West wing dome restoration, August, 2005.
25

wall channels has removed many of the unsightly air

ducts, wiring channels and office heating and cooling

equipment that had scarred the appearance of the

building during the 20th century. New reproduction

doors, windows and light fixtures were returned to

their historic 19th century character.

The success of the modernization and restoration of

the Treasury building was recognized with the 2007

Chairman’s Award for Federal Achievement in Historic

Preservation from the Advisory Council for Historic

Preservation.

The Treasury Department, the Office of the Curator

and the nonprofit Treasury Historical Association

continue to work in partnership to complete important

restoration projects remaining and newly discovered

since major construction ended in 2007. These

future projects will help enrich the Treasury building

for decades to come as the building begins it’s third

century as the oldest federal agency occupying its

original location since the federal government w

moved to Washington, DC in 1800.

“These old buildings do not belong to us only,

they belong to our forefathers and they will

belong to our descendents

unless we play them false.

They are not in any sense

our own property to do with

as we like with them.

We are only trustees for those

that come after us.” 

 – William Morris
26

Historic Timeline

1800 - First Treasury building completed 

time for the relocation of the federal

government from Philadelphia to

Washington, DC.

1814 - During the War of 1812 British burn t

Treasury building requiring extensive

rebuilding and repairs.

1833 - Arsonists burn Treasury building to t

ground. Treasury Department is relocated

to rented space in nearby buildings.

1836 - New Treasury building designed by Robe

Mills begins construction.

1842 - Mills designed East and Center wings 

the building are completed.

1859 - South Wing completed by Ammi B. Young.

1861 - Start of the Civil War, officers and troo

stationed in the South Wing of the

Treasury building.

1864 - West Wing completed by Isaiah Rogers.

1865 - End of the Civil War, assassination 

President Lincoln. President Johnson

temporarily moves his office into Treasury

building.

28

1992 - Salmon Chase Suite restored.

1996 - Roof fire above North Wing of t

Treasury building.

1997 - Exterior and interior restoration a

modernization of the entire Treasury

building begins.

2004 - West Wing stairwell dome with thr

skylights restored.

2007 - Treasury building restoration a

modernization completed. Treasury

building receives the Chairman’s Award

from the Advisory Council for Historic

Preservation.

2009 - Northwest and Southeast stairwell dom

decorative painting and gilding are completed.

2010 - Exterior east colonnade historic ca

iron railing restored between each of 33

columns.
The Cash Room is one of many restored 

spaces in the Treasury Building that 

celebrates the architectural grandeur of the 19th 

century. Today, as part of an active office 

building, the architecture, decorative arts and 

historic artifacts on display at the Treasury 

Building provide a connection to a heritage that extends back to the 

founding of our country.
Department of the Treasury

Office of the Curator

Washington, D.C. 20220