Editing Federal Triangle (section)

===Design and construction===
[[File:Ronald Reagan Bld.jpg|thumb|The 14th Street NW facade of the [[Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center|Ronald Reagan Building]] in 2006]]
Preliminary design specifications required that the final building be no taller than the existing Federal Triangle structures, be constructed of similar materials, emphasize pedestrian traffic, and have a "sympathetic" architectural style.<ref name="Energizing">Forgey, Benjamin. "Energizing the Great Plaza." ''Washington Post.'' April 18, 1987.</ref> An architectural model by the firms of [[Notter Finegold & Alexander]], Mariani & Associates, and Bryant & Bryant depicted a building with a long, uninterrupted facade along 14th Street NW and two colonnaded hemicycles on the east side (matching the Post Office Department building's hemicycle).<ref name="Energizing" /> The preliminary design specs were criticized for not more clearly specifying the architectural style,<ref name="Energizing" /> for bringing another 10,000 new workers to Federal Triangle each day, and for reducing the required number of parking spaces by 30 percent to just 1,300.<ref>Hilzenrath, David S. "Huge Office Plan Draws Criticism." ''Washington Post.'' April 16, 1988.</ref> The five public members of the design committee were named on April 6, 1988, and were former Senator [[Charles H. Percy]], chair; [[Harry McPherson]], president of the Federal City Council; Donald A. Brown, chair of the Federal City Council's International Center Task Force; Michael R. Garder, a member of the [[Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation]]; and Judah C. Sommer, a local attorney.<ref name="FiveNamed" /> Groundbreaking on the now-$350 million building was scheduled for 1989, and completion in 1993.<ref name="FiveNamed" /> Disagreements broke out in mid-1988 over which federal agencies should take up residence in the structure, and whether they should be trade- or foreign-policy related.<ref>Hilzenrath, David S. "Plan to Move Justice Dept. Is Attacked." ''Washington Post.'' June 25, 1988; Hilzenrath, David S. "Federal Tenants Compete for Complex." ''Washington Post.'' December 3, 1988.</ref> Seven designs were submitted in June 1989, each incorporating a base-middle-crown structure and enclosed in traditional materials (limestone facade, vertical glass windows, terra-cotta roof tiles).<ref name="CompetingComplete">Forgey, Benjamin. "Competing to Complete the Triangle." ''Washington Post.'' June 10, 1989.</ref> Each design incorporated a new home for the [[Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars]] (a [[Smithsonian Institution]] entity), an outdoor memorial to President [[Woodrow Wilson]], and exhibition and retail space.<ref name="CompetingComplete" />

Construction began in mid-1989. Contractors estimated the cost of the building at between $550 million and $800 million, far higher than the anticipated $350 million original price tag.<ref>Hilzenrath, David S. "Bidding for a Federal Triangle Bonanza." ''Washington Post.'' June 10, 1989.</ref> The design committee picked the $738.3 million design submitted by [[Pei Cobb Freed & Partners]] in October 1989.<ref name="Ballooning" /><ref>Wheeler, Linda. "Federal Triangle Developer Picked." ''Washington Post.'' October 19, 1989.</ref> A consortium led by New York developer [[William Zeckendorf Jr.]] was chosen to build and operate the building and lease it to the government.<ref name="Flourish" /> One of the firms which had lost this contract subsequently challenged the bidding process.<ref>"Development Company Challenges Award of Federal Triangle Contract." ''Washington Post.'' March 3, 1990.</ref>