Richards Building
| Richards Building | |
|---|---|
 The Richards Building in 1923 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Rundbogenstil |
| Address | 205 New Jersey Avenue, SE |
| Town or city | Washington, D.C. |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 38°53′12″N 77°00′30″W / 38.8868°N 77.0082°W |
| Completed | 1871 |
| Demolished | 1929 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Adolf Cluss |
The Richards Building was the headquarters of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1871 to 1929. It was located in Washington, D.C. on a block immediately south of the United States Capitol. It was demolished in 1929 to construct the Longworth House Office Building.[1]
Architecture
The Building was designed by Adolf Cluss. It consisted of two connected units, a Main Building to the east facing New Jersey Avenue, and a Back Building facing South Capitol Street. The exterior of the Main Building was in the Rundbogenstil style, with red brick walls, brown stone trim, and a red, blue, and green patterned slate roof.[1] It was designed with abundant windows and an innovative ventilation system.[2]
History
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The building was constructed by A. and T. A. Richards in 1871 and rented to the Coast and Geodetic Survey.[3][4] The builders structured the building in the form of a hotel with many small rooms, so it could be used as such if the government did not renew its initial 10-year lease. This caused difficulties as the layout was not well suited to functions such as a printing and lithographic plant, and machine and carpenter shop.[3]
The building was not considered to be sufficiently fire-proof, so when the neighboring Butler Building was constructed as a residence in 1873, the superintendent requested that a portion of that building be constructed to be fire-proof so that it could be rented as storage for valuable and irreplaceable survey records, maps, and engraving plates.[5]
The government purchased the Richards Building outright in 1891.[4] By 1916, the building was considered so inadequate that Secretary of Commerce William C. Redfield reported to Congress that, "were there such a function as a public incendiary, these buildings are among the first that should receive his official attention."[6] In 1929, the Coast and Geodetic Survey moved to the Department of Commerce Building, and the Richards Building was demolished to construct the Longworth House Office Building.[1]
References
- ^ a b c "United States Coast Survey". Adolf Cluss Virtual Exhibition. Retrieved 2020-12-14.
- ^ Cloud, John (2007). "Benjamin Peirce and "The Science of Necessary Conclusions" (1867–1874)" (PDF). Science on the Edge: The Story of the Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1867–1970. U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. pp. 13–17. Retrieved 2020-12-14.
- ^ a b Annual Report of the Superintendent, United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. 1916. p. 15.
- ^ a b Annual Report of the Superintendent, United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. 1919. pp. 17–19.
- ^ Congressional Record, Forty-Third Congress, Third Session. 1875. p. 1814.
- ^ The Abridgment, 1915, Containing the Annual Message of the President of the United States to the Two Houses of Congress. 1916. pp. 1645–1646.