Evening star., 1935-04-07
Its Wth
in Midst Of.
Struggles for
Place as Re-
public %s
81 " ~ in
Harm 0 ny
WHh SerUiCe
ofLeaders..
Occupants Of.
Famous ShuC-
lures Which
NJ d d e Up
Capitals Set-
ting.
By John Clageh Proctor.


of Columbia as the site for
i the Federal Capital. expected
the city to develop into a big
metropolis, and so far as streets, ave-
nues, reservations and parks were
concerned, they adequately planned
along these lines-at least for the
first 100 years. But not so as to
Office accommodations, which from
the first have been insufficient, and
even up to the present time. taking
into consideration the enormous
building projects carried on by the
Government in Washington during
recent years, many private buildings
will still have to be rented for some
time to come in order properly to
house the Federal departments and
their bureaus.
The four original departmental
buildings, which once surrounded the
White House-the Treasury and the
State Department on the Fifteenth
street side, and the Navy and War
Buildings on the Seventeenth street
side-were almost alike. The State
Department Building. which stood to
the north of the Treasury, and the
War Building, which occupied cor
responding position with the Navy
Office, were supposed to be Identical.
They had 16 rooms each on the first
floor and Is rooms each on the second
floor. The Treasury and Navy Build
ings had IA rooms each on both the
8irst and second floors.
In q crude sketch of these buildings
published in 1922, showing front views
and ground plans. dormer windows
Go not appear, although a sketch OF
the Treasury Building, made many
years later, and probably from recol-
lection, shows three dormer windows.
After the burning of Washington by
the British in 1914, such of these
buildings as then existed were rebuilt
and probably modified, though not
enlarged. In 1919 an addition was
made to the State Building of about
the same design, except that porticos
and freestone pillars were added;
and the War Department Building
vas treated in like manner.
OF THE four original buildings
~ erected for the Government, the
Treasury Building, begun in 1897. was
the only one sufficiently completed in
1900 to receive the Secretary of the
Treasury and the rs employees then on
the rolls of the department. 1t was
substantially typical of the group,
having a width of SIS feet and length
OF 160 feet.
Leonard Harbaugh, a builder, re-
erection
for the sum of $39,5l1, but up to the
1t had cost the Government $48, 1855 %.
The plans were prepared by George
Hadfield, an English architect, who
for time was employed to superin-
tend the construction work upon the
Capitol.
OF these four buildings, which
served their purposes for many years
the Treasury Building until March
80, 1888. when it was destroyed by
fire-perhaps the State Department
Building, in war and in peace, proved
one of the most notable, and its exist
ence did not cease until it was re-
moved about 1866, to provide space
for the Treasury extension, when it
moved temporarily into the building
at the southeast corner of Fourteenth
and 8 streets, erected for the Wash
tngton City Orphan Asylum. There
1t remained until 1875, when it took
UP its permanent quarters in the
present State, War and Navy Build
ing, to the west of the White House.
The State Department had its be-
ginning in July, 1889. when the first
Congress enacted a law entitled IAN
act for establishing an executive de-
partment of the Government, to be
denominated the Department of For
eign Affairs"
by this law we are told, IAN Of
ficer was to be appointed as Secretary
for the Department of Foreign Al
fairs, whose duties were to be per-
formed conformably to the instruc-
tions of the President. Before this,
while the Republic was struggling for
the recognition of the great nations,
its foreign affairs were conducted
through commissioners appointed by
Congress.
Shortly before the adoption of the
Constitution, the necessity for some
organization of our diplomatic cor
respondence led to the passage of a
resolution of Congress, authorizing
the appointment Of a Secretary OF
Foreign Affairs. His powers were de-
rived from Congress, and ne was re-
ouired to hold himself amenable to
that body, to attend its sessions and
to report and explain all matters per-
tanning to his province. In Septenl-
Der, 1889, another act OF Congress
changed the designation of the de-
partment to that of Department OF
Itate,' and defined additional duties
70 be performed by the Secretary
Of State"
WHEN the Government moved to
wv the new Federal City in June,
1900, the State Department, with its
eight employees. was at first crowded
into the building erected for the
Treasury Department. However, by
| August "a, 1t was moved into one OF