The Washington herald., 1921-10-02


his hand He walked rapidly across the lawn followed
by an anxious and semi-nervous group OF men who
formed the art committee and who had been charged
with the selection of suitable site for the new
Treasury Building together with the selection OF deSr
able plans.
Proceeding rapidly toward the Of Fifteenth
street and PENNSYLVANIA avenue Old Hickory stamped
his way through the mud and the debris of the old
wooden Treasury Building which had lately burned to
the ground. He went behind the wooden building
which housed the State Department at the time and
drove his deep into the ground at point almost
under the place where the big column stands at
the end of the of gigantic monolhs.
"Put the stone here and get the work
started" he said in his emphatic "Yes, sir;
yes, sir" answered the members OF the committee
Which Is the that the present Treasury Building
occupies the ground it does causing the jog in Penn
syvania avenue. Old Andrew Jacksons disgust with
delay and his intolerance toward neverendng argument
caused Il.
The history of the Treasury Building shows the
truth of the adage that human nature changes very
slowly, il at all Then in the days at present art
committees were hard to get together in agreement
Many fight and many difference Of opinion delayed
the work just does today when similar questions
come up for settlement
AS matter of fact it would have been much
better if other site had been selected for then
the original plan Of the city could have been followed
That plan contemplated having Pennsylvania avenue
and New York ntcrsect each other at the
White House leaving sort of park on either side of
the Presidents Mansion which would be known as
East and West Presidents Park. But the Treasury
stands one of those plots and the State War and
Navy Building is the other Lafayette Park where
it was originally planned to place executive buildings
is still park
THE Treasury Department was established by an act
i passed by the first Congress and approved on
steal
Philadelphia and when Washington was fitted up to
be the of national government the Treasury De-
partment installed in a little wooden structure of
four rooms designed for its purpose by George Hat
field, English architect, and completed in L7oo
This little frame house located at spot the
of the present building. Next to it, closer to
the corner of Fifteenth and Pennsylvania avenue,
placed the wooden building which housed the State
Department then lively Office bureau employing nearly
100 people '... ..r
1t was in this little frame structure that Secretary
of the Treasury Albert Galatin paid his high comp
ment to the work of Alexander Hamilton. When
President Jefferson made Gallatin Secretary he told
him to investigate in most searching manner the
detail of the Treasury Department that any chcancry
or shortcomings of Alexander Hamilton could be
exposed Gallatin made his investigation and reported
to tn. President that "he amazed find that the
system installed most accurate and intelligent in
every particular and that he felt able suggest abso-
lutely improvements in the methods Of handling
the government accounting and finances" He paid
peculiar tribute to the financial ability of Hamilton in
making this record for the Jefferson administration
the first one Of the opposite party" to come into
power and they were looking for any molehls which
might be turned into mountains for their party's
benefit '
In 1901 this building partially destroyed by
fire. but rebuilt. The British burned it down to
the ground when they captured the city in 1874 The
ale t;,,a n1I,,
Madison made her bid for undying fame by skipping
away from the burning structure with the official
White House spoons which, she declared, would
be used feed Engshmcu If she could prevent it.