Editing Federal Triangle (section)

==Federal Triangle's first half-century==

[[File:Federal Triangle pylon.jpg|thumb|[[Federal Triangle station]], the [[Washington Metro]] stop of Federal Triangle, opened on July 1, 1977]]
The continuing existence of the District Building, Old Post Office Pavilion, and Southern Railway building as well as parking issues became points of contention during Federal Triangle's first 50 years. District of Columbia officials said in 1958 that they were willing to have the District Building torn down and Federal Triangle "finished" (if the city was properly compensated), but a lack of federal funds defeated the move.<ref>Eisen, Jack. "Delay for Federal Triangle Foreseen in Lack of Funds." ''Washington Post.'' May 8, 1958.</ref> In 1995, the D.C. and federal governments signed an agreement in which the federal government would construct a new top floor and renovate the building (at a cost of $47 million) in return for a 20-year lease on 130,000 square feet (12,090 square metres) of space in the structure.<ref>Schneider, Howard. "Proposal to Renovate District Building Is Outlined." ''Washington Post.'' October 4, 1995; Melton, R.H. "Interim District Building Sought During Renovation." ''Washington Post.'' May 15, 1990.</ref> Plans were developed in 1970 to demolish most of the Old Post Office Pavilion (leaving only the bell tower).<ref>Von Eckardt, Wolf. "Catalytic Castle in the Triangle." ''Washington Post.'' January 30, 1971.</ref> But opposition to the plan emerged, and the following year plans were made to restore the building instead.<ref>Scharfenberg, Kirk. "Restoration Considered For Post Office Building." ''Washington Post.'' July 1, 1971; Combes, Abbott. "Gravel Seeks to Prevent Razing of Old Post Office." ''Washington Post.'' April 21, 1972.</ref> In 1973, the [[General Services Administration]] (GSA) developed a plan save the Old Post Office Pavilion,<ref>Scharfenberg, Kirk. "GSA Moves To Save Old Post Office." ''Washington Post.'' March 23, 1973.</ref> and the National Capitol Planning Commission agreed to the project.<ref>Gorney, Cynthia. "Historic Old Post Office Building Saved for Avenue's Grand Plan." ''Washington Post.'' September 5, 1975.</ref> An $18 million renovation began in 1977.<ref>Conroy, Sarah Booth. "Bold Renovation of Old Post Office Set." ''Washington Post.'' June 3, 1977; Eisen, Jack. "$18 Million Appropriated To Convert Old Post Office." ''Washington Post.'' July 28, 1977; Bruske, Ed. "The Case of The Vanishing Old Post Office." ''Washington Post.'' July 12, 1979.</ref> The renovation was completed in 1983 to highly positive reviews.<ref>Berry, John F. "Post Office Building Enjoys Renaissance." ''Washington Post.'' January 17, 1983; Forgey, Benjamin. "The Old Post Office Delivers." ''Washington Post.'' April 16, 1983; Mayer, Caroline E. "Old Post Office Awakens To New Life on the Avenue." ''Washington Post.'' September 12, 1983; Forgey, Benjamin. "Old Post Office: Brilliant Rebirth." ''Washington Post.'' September 13, 1983.</ref> In the late 1980s, plans were laid to double the size of the Old Post Office Pavilion's retail space to 75,000 square feet (6,975 square metres) in order to attract more shoppers to the building.<ref>Hilzenrath, David S. "Old Post Office Passes First Test for Expansion." ''Washington Post.'' October 15, 1988.</ref> Utilizing the provisions of the ''Public Buildings Cooperative Use Act of 1976'',<ref>The Act authorized the private development of historic public buildings for mixed public-private use, under certain conditions. See the full description of the Act's provisions in: King, Thomas F. ''Cultural Resource Laws and Practice.'' 3d ed. Lanham, Md.: AltaMira Press, 2008. {{ISBN|0-7591-1189-8}}</ref> the retail space expansion was financed and completed in 1992.<ref name="UnpolishedJewel">Forgey, Benjamin. "Facets of an Unpolished Jewel." ''Washington Post.'' March 7, 1992.</ref><ref name="SquareDeal" /> Despite the federal government's intention to demolish the Southern Railway Building and construct a federal office building on the site to complete the Federal Triangle complex, the building stood until 1971.<ref name="Goode" /> It was demolished in that year, and turned into a parking lot.<ref name="Goode" />

As many critics had anticipated during Federal Triangle's construction in the 1930s, parking issues grew much worse due to the development's existence.<ref>"Federal Triangle Blamed for Traffic Snarl." ''Washington Post.''March 23, 1941.</ref> In the late 1950s, a proposal was made to build a commuter and long-distance bus terminal at Federal Triangle as well as a large office building on the space of the parking lot, but the $60 million it would take to build the terminal was never provided.<ref>"Top Decision Expected On Midtown Terminal." ''Washington Post.'' May 20, 1959.</ref> The parking issue became so vexing that the [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Eisenhower administration]] ordered its own parking study in 1959.<ref>Eisen, Jack. "White House Orders Parking Space Study." ''Washington Post.'' May 31, 1959.</ref> There were several attempts to remove the parking lot in the interior of Federal Triangle and build the long-planned Great Plaza. The first such move came in 1955, when the Commission of Fine Arts asked the federal government to build the plaza, but nothing came of the proposal.<ref name="GreatPlaza" /> A second effort was made in 1972, with the goal of building the Great Plaza in time for the national bicentennial in 1976, but the required $36.7 million in federal funds were not forthcoming.<ref>Green, Stephen. "Funds Denied For Building Grand Plaza." ''Washington Post.'' June 20, 1972.</ref> The parking lot was leased to a private company in 1979.<ref>"Court Backs U.S. in Suit Over Parking Lot." ''Washington Post.'' July 25, 1979.</ref>

Several other outstanding issues regarding Federal Triangle's development were also raised, and occasionally resolved, in the next half-century. The closure and elimination of Ohio and Louisiana Avenues NW led each state's representatives to seek to rename other streets in the District of Columbia after those states. Ohio Drive NW came into existence in 1949, after Congress passed legislation authorizing the name change of the drive along the [[Tidal Basin (District of Columbia)|Tidal Basin]].<ref>"Ohio's Name Goes on D.C. Street Today." ''Washington Post.'' August 12, 1949.</ref> Another issue remaining from Federal Triangle's development regarded the condemnation of railway tracks in the area.  The Mount Vernon, Alexandria and Washington Railway argued that it had not been properly compensated for the loss of its tracks in the area, and in 1943 sought federal relief.<ref>"Bill Would Enable Railway to Sue For Loss-Recovery." ''Washington Post.'' February 20, 1943.</ref>

Some improvements were made to Federal Triangle, however.  In 1952, the [[Andrew W. Mellon Memorial Fountain]] was dedicated  within the eastern tip of the Triangle.<ref>{{cite web | year=1993| title=Andrew W. Mellon Memorial Fountain, (sculpture)| work=[[Save Outdoor Sculpture!]] | publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] | url=http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&profile=all&source=~!siartinventories&uri=full=3100001~!323065~!0#focus | access-date= April 18, 2010}}</ref> A new cooling plant was built in 1960.<ref>"Big Cooler Approved For Federal Triangle." ''Washington Post.'' January 8, 1960.</ref> Beginning in 1970, all the buildings were floodlit at night in order to reduce the level of crime in the area.<ref>Hodge, Paul. "9 Buildings to Get Bright New Lights." ''Washington Post.'' December 12, 1970.</ref>

In 1972, the [[Federal Triangle (Washington Metro)|Federal Triangle]] [[Washington Metro]] station was approved at Federal Triangle,<ref>"2 Subway Station Plans Approved." ''Washington Post.'' August 2, 1972.</ref> and the station on Metro's [[Blue Line (Washington Metro)|Blue]] and [[Orange Line (Washington Metro)|Orange]] lines opened on July 1, 1977.<ref>Feaver, Douglas B. "12 Miles Of Subway Set to Open." ''Washington Post.'' June 30, 1977; Feaver, Douglas B. "Today, Metro Could Be U.S. Model." ''Washington Post.'' July 1, 1977; Feaver, Douglas B. "Blue Line Start Rocky But Popular." ''Washington Post.'' July 2, 1977.</ref> Major heating, cooling, and electrical upgrades were made to the Archives, ICC, and Labor buildings and the Departmental Auditorium in 1984.<ref>Struck, Myron. "Federal Construction Program Gains." ''Washington Post.'' April 21, 1984.</ref>

After the [[Oklahoma City bombing|terrorist bombing]] of the [[Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building]] in [[Oklahoma City]] on April 19, 1995 (which killed 168 people), security at Federal Triangle was tightened measurably and many of the pedestrian areas and buildings restricted to federal employees or those with official business.<ref name="SquareDeal">Forgey, Benjamin. "Square Deal for Federal Triangle." ''Washington Post.'' May 24, 1998.</ref> A major renovation for the Labor, ICC, and Post Office buildings was conducted in 1998.<ref name="SquareDeal" />