Editing Federal Triangle (section)

==Genesis and design==
===Plan===
[[File:James McMillan.jpg|thumb|[[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] [[James McMillan (politician)|James McMillan]], who led the commission that authored the [[McMillan Plan]], published in 1902, which provided guidance for the development of [[Washington, D.C.]]]]
[[File:Aerial Photograph of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC including the District Building and the Post Office Building, 1923.jpg|thumb|A 1923 photograph of Federal Triangle, including [[Pennsylvania Avenue]] (on left), the [[John A. Wilson Building|District Building]] (in foreground), the [[Old Post Office Pavilion|Post Office building]], and [[Center Market, Washington, D.C.|Center Market]] (in background)]]
The Senate Park Commission, also known as the [[McMillan Commission]], was formed by the [[United States Congress]] in 1900 to reconcile competing visions for the development of [[Washington, D.C.]], and especially the [[National Mall]] and nearby areas.<ref name="Peterson">Peterson, Jon A. ''The Birth of City Planning in the United States, 1840–1917.'' Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003. {{ISBN|0-8018-7210-3}}</ref> The commission's plan for development, the [[McMillan Plan]], proposed to replace the residences and other buildings on [[President's Park#Lafayette Park|Lafayette Square]] with tall, [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]] office buildings with facades of white [[marble]] for [[Executive (government)|executive branch]] offices.<ref name="Peterson" /><ref name="Luria">Luria, Sarah. ''Capital Speculations: Writing and Building Washington.'' Durham, N.H.: University of New Hampshire Press, 2006. {{ISBN|1-58465-502-X}}</ref> Demolition proceeded on some nearby buildings: notably, the [[Hay–Adams Hotel|Hay-Adams Houses]], Corcoran House, and a portion of the [[Decatur House]] grounds.<ref name="Luria" /><ref name="Goode">Goode, James W. ''Capital Losses: A Cultural History of Washington's Destroyed Buildings.'' 2d ed. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books, 2003. {{ISBN|1-58834-105-4}}.</ref> But the rapid expansion in the size and number of executive-branch agencies in the 1910s, 1920s, and 1930s made the McMillan Plan's development of Lafayette Square impractical,<ref name="Luria" /><ref name="Bednar">Bednar, Michael J. ''L'Enfant's Legacy: Public Open Spaces in Washington.'' Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. {{ISBN|0-8018-8318-0}}</ref> and Congressional and local support for the project waned.<ref name="Luria" /><ref name="Bednar" /> 

Over the next few years, the president and Congress established several agencies to supervise the approval, design, and construction of new buildings in the District of Columbia: The [[United States Commission of Fine Arts|Commission of Fine Arts]] in 1910 to approve designs, the Public Buildings Commission in 1916 to make recommendations about the housing of federal agencies and offices, and the [[National Capital Planning Commission|National Capital Parks and Planning Commission]] in 1924 to oversee planning.<ref name="Cannadine">Cannadine, David. ''Mellon: An American Life.'' Reprint ed. New York: Random House, Inc., 2008. {{ISBN|0-307-38679-1}}</ref> In the mid-1910s, Congress appropriated and the government spent $7 million to acquire land on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 14th and 15th Streets NW and several blocks south.<ref name="Wide" /> No demolition or construction took place during that period, and the government merely collected rent from the tenants in the area.<ref name="Wide" /> In 1924, the Public Buildings Commission recommended that a new series of federal office buildings be built near the [[White House]].<ref name="Worthy">Gutheim, Frederick Albert and Lee, Antoinette Josephine. ''Worthy of the Nation: Washington, DC, From L'Enfant to the National Capital Planning Commission.'' 2d ed. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. {{ISBN|0-8018-8328-8}}</ref> The plan called for a complex of buildings to be built at [[Murder Bay]], a muddy, flood-prone, malaria-ridden, poverty-stricken region lacking in paved roads, sewer system, and running water and almost exclusively home to numerous [[brothel]]s and an extensive criminal underclass.<ref name="Worthy" /><ref name="Spot">Evelyn, Douglas E.; Dickson, Paul; Ackerman, S.J. ''On This Spot: Pinpointing the Past in Washington, D.C.'' 3d rev. ed. Washington, D.C.: Capital Books, 2008. {{ISBN|1-933102-70-5}}</ref><ref name="Dinginess" /><ref>Lewis, Nancy. "If Only the Soil Could Talk: Dig May Reveal Way of Life in Murder Bay." ''Washington Post.'' September 20, 1988.</ref>

===1926===
[[File:Grand Central Palace - Central Market.jpg|thumb|Center Market in the 1920s]]
Federal Triangle, as the area would be renamed, had its genesis in 1926.  An attempt to provide $50 million to fund, among other things, a national archives building and develop federal offices along Pennsylvania Avenue NW was proposed in 1925.<ref>"New Grandeur to Come to Washington." ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]].'' February 8, 1925.</ref> The effort saw success in 1926 with the passage by the [[United States Congress]] of the [[Public Buildings Act]], which authorized<ref>Authorization legislation establishes a program that will later spend the money, but may not provide any funding. An appropriation is needed to actually fund the program. See: Rieselbach, Leroy N. ''Congressional Politics: The Evolving Legislative System.'' 2d ed. New York: Westview Press, 1995. {{ISBN|0-8133-2458-0}}</ref> the construction not only of the Federal Triangle complex of buildings but also a new [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] building opposite the [[United States Capitol]], a major extension of the [[United States Government Printing Office|U.S. Government Printing Office]] building on [[North Capitol Street]], and significant widening of B Street NW on the north side of the National Mall (eventually renamed [[Constitution Avenue]]).<ref name="Cannadine" /><ref name="Wentzel">Goode, James. "Introduction: The Creation of Monumental Washington in the 1930s." In [[Volkmar Wentzel|Wentzel, Volkmar Kurt]] and Goode, James. ''Washington by Night: Vintage Photographs From the 30s.'' Reprint ed. James Goode, ed. Golden, Colo.: Fulcrum Publishing, 1998. {{ISBN|1-55591-410-1}}</ref><ref name="BuildingMeasure">$165,000,000 Public Building Measure Signed By Coolidge." ''[[The Washington Post|Washington Post]].'' May 26, 1926.</ref> However, appropriations were to be made annually, leaving control of the project firmly in Congressional hands.<ref name="Cannadine" /><ref name="BuildingMeasure" /> Congress [[Appropriation (law)|appropriated]] $50 million, including $10 million annually for five years, for construction of these projects in 1927, with half the funds to be spent solely on Federal Triangle.<ref name="Whitaker">Whitaker, Charles B. "Building for the Glory of Washington." ''New York Times.'' March 6, 1927.</ref><ref name="Wide">"Wide Federal Plan for Buildings Told." ''New York Times.'' June 6, 1926.</ref><ref name="Worthy" /><ref name="Developing">"Developing the Federal City." ''New York Times.'' November 19, 1926.</ref> A second appropriation bill provided $25 million for buying up all additional privately held land in Federal Triangle.<ref name="Whitaker" /><ref name="MellonTells">"Mellon Tells Aim in Capital Plans." ''New York Times.'' October 19, 1928.</ref> On June 5, 1926, the Treasury Department, which had been given authority over the implementation of the building program, announced the Federal Triangle projects (among others) which would move forward and their anticipated cost:<ref name="Wide" /><ref name="Plan">"Plan 4 Federal Buildings." ''New York Times.'' July 8, 1926.</ref><ref name="BuildingsProvided">"$33,725,000 in New Federal Buildings Provided For City." ''Washington Post.'' June 6, 1926.</ref>
:*A National Archives building, with total cost of land and construction to be $6.9 million, including $1 million appropriated in fiscal 1927.<ref>Just days earlier, the Commission of Fine Arts and Public Building Commission pegged the cost of the proposed Archives building at $2 million. See: "Archives Building to Cost $2,000,000 Decide Upon Here." ''Washington Post.'' May 29, 1926.</ref>
:*A new [[Internal Revenue Service|Internal Revenue Bureau]] building, with total cost of land and construction to be $7.95 million, including $1.7 million appropriated in fiscal 1927.
:*A new Department of Commerce building, with total cost of construction to be $10 million, including $600,000 appropriated in fiscal 1927.
Treasury officials said the Archives building was their top priority, followed by the Internal Revenue building, two [[United States Department of Agriculture|Department of Agriculture]] projects, and the Commerce building last.<ref name="BuildingsProvided" /> At that time, no provision was made to construct a new building for the Department of Justice and no sites were named for construction of the three announced buildings.<ref name="Wide" /> Preliminary plans for the Commerce building were presented to the Commission on Fine Arts and Public Building Commission in mid-June.<ref>"Commerce Building Plans Are Outlined to Fine Arts Body." ''Washington Post.'' June 18, 1926.</ref> On July 7, the Treasury Department and Commission of Fine Arts announced sites and sizes for the three previously announced structures.  The Department of Commerce building would contain 1 million square feet (93,000 square metres) of office space and be sited on the south side of B Street NW (now Constitution Avenue NW) on the National Mall.<ref name="Plan" /><ref name="FourSites">"4 Sites Selected for U.S. Buildings in Local Program." ''Washington Post.'' July 8, 1926.</ref> The Internal Revenue building would contain 650,000 square feet (60,450 square metres) of office space and take up two whole city blocks between 10th and 12th Streets NW and B and C Streets NW (cutting off 11th Street NW).<ref name="Plan" /><ref name="FourSites" /> The National Archives would contain 2.3 million square feet (213,900 square metres) of office space, and take up one city block between 12th and 13th Streets NW and B and C Streets NW (cutting off the last block of Ohio Avenue NW).<ref name="Plan" /><ref name="FourSites" /><ref>Treasury officials had tentatively announced this site for the Archives building on June 1, 1926. The July 7 announcement appears to have made this selection final. See: "Prospective Archives Location Is Reported." ''Washington Post.'' June 2, 1926.</ref> The government owned three of the four plots needed for the Internal Revenue site, but none of the land beneath the proposed Archives building.<ref name="FourSites" /> Purchasing both sites, officials estimated, would cost $700,000 each.<ref name="FourSites" />  Treasury officials also proposed at this time adding a Justice building on Pennsylvania Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets NW, and a Labor building (facing 15th Street) between 14th and 15th Streets NW and D Street NW and Ohio Avenue NW.<ref name="FourSites" /> Preliminary plans for these buildings were expected to be presented in three months.<ref name="FourSites" />

The purchase of land delayed the construction program considerably over the next several years. [[Center Market, Washington, D.C.|Center Market]], designed by [[architect]] [[Adolf Cluss]] and built in 1872, was the largest of the District of Columbia's markets, serving tens of thousands of people a day at a time when [[general store]]s and [[greengrocer]]s were uncommon in the city.<ref name="Goode" /> It was also a hub for transportation in the District of Columbia, as the city's [[tram|trolley]] lines converged there.<ref name="Goode" /> At the time it was built, it was the largest food market in the United States—with space for more than a thousand vendors, the city's first [[Refrigeration|cold-storage]] vaults, its own ice storage facility, and its own [[Artesian aquifer|artesian]] [[water well|well]].<ref name="Goode" /> Center Market, however, occupied two blocks between 7th and 9th Streets NW on the north side of B Street NW.<ref name="Goode" /> As early as August 1926, planners recognized that relocating Center Market and purchasing land from owners eagerly seeking inflated prices from the federal government would delay the Federal Triangle project significantly.<ref>"U.S. Building Program Here Is Being Delayed." ''Washington Post.'' August 18, 1926.</ref> Early negotiations with private landowners in the area collapsed early on when owners demanded exorbitant prices for their properties, and the city and federal government began [[Eminent domain|condemnation]] proceedings in late August 1926 against owners on B Street NW between 10th and 13th Streets.<ref>"U.S. Building Sites Adjacent to Mall to Be Condemned." ''Washington Post.'' August 22, 1926.</ref> Federal legislation authorizing expanded, faster condemnation powers for the Federal Triangle areas was sought in November 1926, and passed a month later.<ref name="LandPurchase" /><ref>"Bill for Purchase of Mall Triangle Passed by Senate." ''Washington Post.'' December 16, 1926.</ref> Condemnation (under the old eminent domain law) of the final block necessary for the Internal Revenue building began in January 1927.<ref>"Move Made For Block For Bureau of Revenue." ''Washington Post.'' January 16, 1927.</ref> The Commission of Fine Arts placed a ban on all non-federal construction in the area in February 1927.<ref>"Commission Halts District Building Plans in Triangle." ''Washington Post.'' February 27, 1927.</ref> The relocation of Center Market began in July 1927.<ref>"Building Officials Consider New Site for Center Market." ''Washington Post.'' July 15, 1927.</ref> The final lot for the Internal Revenue site was not condemned and purchased until October 1927.<ref>"Price Ratified for Site Of Revenue Building." ''Washington Post.'' October 15, 1927.</ref> Negotiations for the privately owned land at the Archives site began in late November 1927.<ref>"Treasury Negotiations Begun For Two Tracts." ''Washington Post.'' November 26, 1927.</ref> Funds were furnished in February 1928 to buy the Southern Railway building at the southwest corner of 13th Street NW and Pennsvylania Avenue NW, which already housed a number of federal agencies (it was purchased in 1929).<ref name="Goode" /><ref>"Fund to Purchase Southern Railway Building Provided." ''Washington Post.'' February 8, 1928; "$2,680,000 Voted to Buy Southern Railroad Building." ''Washington Post.'' February 16, 1928.</ref> After six months, D.C. city officials finally began to consider a new location for Center Market.<ref>"City Heads Asked to Change Choice for Market Site." ''Washington Post.'' February 11, 1928; "Group Considers Site for Building." ''Washington Post.'' July 19, 1930.</ref> The new 1926 federal condemnation law was first used in October 1929 to condemn a set of parcels on the south side of D Street NW between 13th and 13½ Streets NW.<ref>"New Condemnation Statute Is Invoked." ''Washington Post.'' October 15, 1929.</ref> A second set of parcels (Pennsylvania Avenue NW and B, 12th, and 13th Streets NW) was condemned under the new law in December 1930.<ref name="CourtSignsOrder">"Court Signs Order For Triangle Land." ''Washington Post.'' December 6, 1930.</ref> The first land for the National Archives (later the Justice Department) building site was not acquired until July 1930 even though the site had been selected for development in November 1926.<ref>"Federal Triangle Site Is Acquired by Sale." ''Washington Post.'' July 20, 1930.</ref> Center Market was not relocated until early 1931, more than four years after the process began.<ref>Odlin, William S. "Center Market Passes Into History." ''Washington Post.'' January 4, 1931.</ref> Additional land for the Justice and Post Office buildings was condemned in March and December 1931.<ref>"Juries Cut Figures For Building Sites." ''Washington Post.'' March 18, 1931; "U.S. Acts to Get Lots For Justice Building." ''Washington Post.'' March 25, 1931; "Government Gets Land in Mall Area." ''Washington Post.'' December 2, 1931.</ref> Another major effort had to be made to condemn and remove railroad tracks from Federal Triangle, which had converged on the Center Market site.  Although the Treasury Department had ordered the tracks lifted by April 1, 1931, this effort did not begin in earnest until early 1931.<ref name="Writ">"Writ to Be Asked to Balk Removal of Tracks By U.S." ''Washington Post.'' February 26, 1931.</ref><ref>"Officials Have Parley On Rail Condemnation." ''Washington Post.'' January 16, 1931.</ref> Negotiations over the price of the land and equipment broke down in February 1931,<ref name="Writ" /> and the tracks had still not been removed by January 1932.<ref>"Tracks in Triangle Area Impede Work, Mellon Points Out." ''Washington Post.'' January 12, 1932.</ref> Delay occurred in obtaining the Post Office land as well. Several parcels of land were not condemned until July 1, 1931<ref>"Mall Area Titles Acquired By U.S." ''Washington Post.'' July 1, 1931.</ref>—a single day before demolition on adjacent parcels of land began.<ref name="Heurfurth" /> The land for the Apex Building site was finally obtained through condemnation in July 1931.<ref>"Avenue Block Price Is Set At $877,824." ''Washington Post.'' July 18, 1931.</ref>

The initial Federal Triangle building plan was significantly revised by the Public Buildings Commission in November 1926.<ref name="Pick">"Pick Capital Sites for New Buildings." ''New York Times.'' November 18, 1926.</ref> President [[Calvin Coolidge]] refused in September to permit the Commerce building to be placed on the Mall.<ref>"Government Buildings." ''Washington Post.'' September 12, 1926.</ref> A few weeks later, the Commission of Fine Arts decided that the Commerce building should be relocated to 14th and 15th Streets NW, extending from D Street NW to B Street NW (cutting off Ohio Avenue NW and C Street NW).<ref>"Department of Commerce Site." ''Washington Post.'' September 18, 1926.</ref> The National Capital Parks and Planning Commission established a committee (composed of [[William Adams Delano]], [[Milton Bennett Medary]], and [[Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.]]) to study the street plan in the Federal Triangle area and recommend appropriate closures or alterations (if any).<ref>"Committee to Study Closing of Streets." ''Washington Post.''September 21, 1926.</ref> While the Public Buildings Commission studied the Commerce site (and even considered halving the size of the building so that two structures could be built along 15th Street),<ref>"Building Body to Study Commerce Structure." ''Washington Post.'' September 22, 1926; "Commerce Building Site May Be Divided." ''Washington Post.'' October 4, 1926.</ref> plans for the Archives building were approved<ref>"Experts Approve Plans for Archives Building." ''Washington Post.'' September 25, 1926.</ref> and a contract signed for razing of the Internal Revenue site.<ref name="TwoContracts">"Two Contracts Let Under $50,000,000 Building Program." ''Washington Post.'' October 8, 1926.</ref> After these deliberations, the Public Buildings Commission announced on November 17, 1926, that several new buildings would be added and new sites for proposed buildings announced, including:<ref name="Pick" /><ref name="Whitaker" /><ref name="LandPurchase">"Pennsylvania Avenue Land Purchase Will Be Asked." ''Washington Post.'' November 18, 1926.</ref>
:*A new Department of Justice building, to be located between Pennsylvania Avenue NW and D Street NW, and 14th and 15th Streets NW.
:*A new "General Supply" building, to be located between 14th and 13th Streets NW between D and C Streets NW.
:*A new Independent Offices building, to be located between 12th and 13th Streets NW and B and C Streets NW (cutting off the last block of Ohio Avenue NW; this was the original proposed site of the National Archives in June 1926).
:*A new Department of Labor building, to be located between 13th and 14th Streets NW and B and C Streets NW.
:*A new [[Government Accountability Office|General Accounting Office]] building, to be located between 9th and 10th Streets NW and B and C Streets NW.
:*Moving the Department of Commerce site from the National Mall to between 14th and 15th Streets NW between C and B Streets NW.
:*Moving the National Archives site northward to between 12th and 13th Streets NW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW and C Streets NW (cutting off D Street NW).
:*Retaining the previously announced site of the Internal Revenue building.
The Public Buildings Commission also announced it would build an 1,800-car parking lot next to the Department of Commerce building, and would proceed with construction of the Commerce and Archives first (as they were the top priority).<ref name="Pick" /><ref name="Developing" /> Three months later, the estimates for construction of the Commerce building was increased to $16 million from $10 million and for the Internal Revenue building to $10.5 million from $2.5 million.<ref>"$2,275,000 Is Asked For Building Work In City Next Year." ''Washington Post.'' February 19, 1927.</ref> Work on the Commerce building site was expected to begin by March 31, 1927.<ref name="DateSet">"Date Set For Start On New U.S. Building." ''Washington Post.'' March 4, 1927.</ref> Government officials, other experts, and the press believed that the demolition of the District Building and Old Post Office Pavilion and the closure of many streets in the area would occur.<ref name="Whitaker" />

===1927===
[[File:John-russell-pope-LC-nodate.jpg|thumb|[[John Russell Pope]], one of the key architects of Federal Triangle]]
Work on all buildings was postponed in May 1927. On May 6, an ''ad hoc'' committee composed of Olmsted; Medary; Charles Moore, chair of the Commission on Fine Arts; and Louis E. Simon, Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury, recommended relocating the Justice building from 15th Street NW to a lot further east so that traffic congestion at 15th and Pennsylvania might be alleviated.<ref name="PlannersSuggest">"Planners Suggest Justice building Location Change." ''Washington Post.'' May 7, 1927.</ref> This ''ad hoc'' committee met again three days later to not only consider the Justice building relocation but also to consider a plan to create a single building ringing Federal Triangle rather than six to eight individual structures.<ref>"Mall Building Plans To Be Discussed Today." ''Washington Post.'' May 10, 1927.</ref> The Public Buildings Commission considered the same plan on May 16.<ref name="CommissionToday">"Commission Today to Discuss Moving of Justice Office." ''Washington Post.'' May 17, 1927.</ref> The Commission on Fine Arts approved relocating the Justice building the following day.<ref>"Action Postponed By Buildings Group on Triangle Plan." ''Washington Post.'' May 18, 1927.</ref> However, disagreements among the three planning bodies proved so fundamental that a new Board of Architectural Consultants was created on May 19, 1927, to advise the groups on the development of Federal Triangle.<ref>"Architects Chosen to Advise on Plans for Mall Triangle." ''Washington Post.'' May 20, 1927.</ref> The Board consisted of the Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury (Louis E. Simon) and six private architects, including Louis Ayres, [[Edward H. Bennett]], Arthur Brown Jr., [[William Adams Delano]], [[Milton Bennett Medary]], and [[John Russell Pope]].<ref name="Worthy" /><ref name="Wentzel" /> 

The Board of Architectural Consultants first met on May 23, at which time it considered a plan to create a single building ringing Federal Triangle rather than six to eight individual structures.<ref>"Architects Considering Public Buildings Plan." ''Washington Post.'' May 24, 1927.</ref> As the Board of Architectural Consultants began its deliberations, the Commission on Fine Arts approved a plan to locate the Justice building on the north side of B Street NW between 7th and 9th Streets NW (where Center Market stood).<ref>"Justice Structure Is Planned On Site of Center Market." ''Washington Post.'' May 29, 1927.</ref> About two weeks later, the Public Buildings Commission approved the single structure plan.<ref name="TwoGroups">"Federal Building In 2 Groups, Third Mall Plan Reveals." ''Washington Post.'' June 17, 1927.</ref> This plan envisioned a central plaza (defined by 13th, 14th, B, and D Streets NW) surrounded by a [[traffic circle]], with the buildings lining the exterior of the traffic circle.<ref name="TwoGroups" /> Few streets would be closed; rather, arches would connect each building to its neighbors (with only 12th Street NW remaining unbridged).<ref name="TwoGroups" />

The final design of Federal Triangle began to come together in June 1927. The Board of Architectural Consultants approved the construction of the Commerce and Internal Revenue structures as stand-alone buildings on the sites last proposed in late June.<ref>"Federal Building Plans Announced By Treasury." ''Washington Post.'' June 21, 1927.</ref> In July, the Board proposed eight buildings, sited as follows:<ref name="StudiedByBoard">"Triangle Sites Studied By Architectural Board." ''Washington Post.'' July 12, 1927.</ref>
:*Archives (surrounded by Interstate Commerce on the north, east, and south)
:*Commerce (west side of 15th Street NW between B and D Streets NW)
:*General Accounting (13th, 14th, B, and C Streets NW)
:*Independent Offices (6th, 7th, and B Streets NW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW)
:*Internal Revenue (B, 10th, 12th, and C Streets NW)
:*Interstate Commerce (9th, 10th, and B Streets NW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW)
:*Justice (7th, 9th, and B Streets NW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW)
:*Labor (B, 13th, 14th, and C Streets NW)
The Board did not address the future of the District Building, Old Post Office Pavilion, or Southern Railway Building, but had tentatively agreed to continue with the "Louvre plan" of a ring of buildings joined by arches.<ref name="StudiedByBoard" />

The first design contract for any of the buildings in Federal Triangle was statutorily required by Congress in 1926 as part of the ''Public Buildings Act''. A new headquarters for the Department of Commerce had been proposed in 1912 and a contract for the design work awarded to the architectural firm of [[York and Sawyer]].<ref name="Whitaker" /> Although this building was never built, Congress honored the contract and named the firm again as the Commerce building's designer.<ref name="Whitaker" /> By March 1927, government officials had already decided that the Commerce building should be 1,000 feet (305 metres) long—making it the then-largest building in the District of Columbia.<ref name="Whitaker" /><ref name="PlansCapitol">"Plans Capitol Buildings." ''New York Times.'' September 29, 1927.</ref>  The May 1927 work moratorium, however, put these plans on hold. In September 1927, the design of the Internal Revenue building was handed over to Louis Simon at the Treasury Department, and the Commission of Fine Arts met to discuss proposed plans for both the Commerce and Internal Revenue buildings.<ref name="PlansCapitol" /><ref>"Plans to Be Considered For Commerce Edifice." ''Washington Post.'' September 28, 1927.</ref> At the same time, the commission received bids on demolition of existing structures in the Triangle.<ref name="PlansCapitol" /><ref name="TheCommerce">"The Commerce Building." ''Washington Post.'' September 18, 1927.</ref>

After review by the Board of Architectural Consultants, the Public Buildings Commission gave final design approval on November 1, 1927, to the Commerce and Internal Revenue buildings.<ref name="FinalIndorsement">"Final Indorsement Given Plans of Two Federal Buildings." ''Washington Post.'' November 2, 1927.</ref> The previous sizes of both buildings was reaffirmed, as was the "Louvre plan" for a unified ring of buildings surrounding a traffic circle and plaza.<ref name="FinalIndorsement" /> The Commission on Fine Arts adopted a requirement that the planned Federal Triangle buildings have a "uniform appearance" and height (six stories), limiting the Board's deliberations.<ref>"Unity Is Planned for Pennsylvania Avenue Buildings." ''Washington Post.'' November 25, 1927.</ref> Secretary Mellon imposed a requirement that all the buildings be built in the Neoclassical architectural style.<ref>"Mellon Indorses Building Program of Classic Style." ''Washington Post.'' December 11, 1927.</ref> By mid-December 1927, the design of the Archives building had been approved, and the Board of Architectural Consultants was meeting again to study once more the general layout of the Federal Triangle.<ref>"Architects to Study Plans for Triangle." ''Washington Post.'' December 14, 1927.</ref>

===1928===
By March 1928, newspapers had reported that the Commerce and Internal Revenue buildings would be constructed first, followed by the Archives, then Justice, and then a newly added Post Office building.<ref name="Speers" /><ref name="MellonTells" /> Plans continued for the demolition of the District Building and [[Southern Railway (U.S.)|Southern Railway]] headquarters (although the latter would be the last to be razed, as it would be used as temporary office space for displaced federal workers).<ref name="Speers" /> Although the Commerce building plans (a {{convert|1051|ft|m|adj=mid|-long|disp=sqbr}} building with {{convert|1000000|sqft|m2|disp=sqbr}} of office space, the largest office building in the world) had stabilized by March 1928,<ref name="HooverHails">"Hoover Hails Our National Projects." ''New York Times.'' June 11, 1929.</ref><ref name="Speers" /><ref name="McCormick" /> some designers suggested that both 15th and 14th Streets NW be submerged in tunnels beneath the structure.<ref name="Speers" /> About the same time, the Internal Revenue building's square footage was reduced by almost a quarter to 500,000 square feet (46,500 square metres).<ref name="Speers" /> In July, Congress appropriated $210,000 for design work for the Independent Offices, Interstate Commerce, Justice, and Labor buildings, and Secretary Mellon altered the work schedule yet again to focus on these structures.<ref>"Mellon to Start Plans for 4 More Federal Buildings." ''Washington Post.'' July 11, 1928.</ref> The Board of Architectural Consultants met to consider ways in which the construction program might be sped up, and devised plans to have four approved buildings (Commerce, Internal Revenue, Justice and Labor) completed by 1932.<ref>"Federal Building Program Expected to Be Speeded Up." ''Washington Post.'' July 16, 1928; "Five Mall Buildings To Be Ready by 1932." ''Washington Post.'' July 24, 1928.</ref> By October 1928, the Board of Architectural Consultants had agreed with prior decisions that no office building should be constructed on the National Mall, and that this space should be reserved for museums.<ref name="MellonTells" />

Plans for the eastern apex of Federal Triangle, however, were complicated by an ongoing effort to create a George Washington Memorial.  A George Washington Memorial Association was organized in 1898 to establish in the District of Columbia a university bearing Washington's name.<ref name="GWMemorial">[http://siarchives.si.edu/findingaids/FARU7471.htm "George Washington Memorial Association, Records, 1890–1922." Record Unit 7471. Finding Aids to Personal Papers and Special Collections in the Smithsonian Institution Archives. Smithsonian Institution.]</ref> Efforts to do so were unsuccessful, but in 1904 the Association signed an agreement with D.C.-based [[George Washington University|Columbian University]] to change its name to George Washington University and build a large memorial hall on the university's campus.<ref name="GWMemorial" /><ref>"Now George Washington University." ''New York Times.'' February 23, 1905.</ref> Plans for the memorial hall did not move forward, however, so the Association joined with the [[Smithsonian Institution]] to build a similar structure on the former site of the [[Baltimore and Potomac Railroad]]'s Pennsylvania Station.<ref name="GWMemorial" /><ref name="Erected">"$2,000,000 Auditorium to Be Erected as George Washington Memorial." ''New York Times.'' May 10, 1914.</ref> A design competition was held in 1914, and architects chosen.<ref name="Erected" /> The cornerstone was laid in 1921,<ref>"Harding Sees Ideals in Washington Will." ''New York Times.'' November 15, 1921.</ref> and some of the foundation and a marble stairway built on a plot of land across B Street NW (where the [[National Gallery of Art]] sits today) in 1924.<ref name="Dinginess">"Present Building Program to Wipe Out Dinginess of Mall." ''Washington Post.'' December 6, 1927.</ref><ref name="GWMemorial" /> In 1929, even as the Federal Triangle project was moving forward, the George Washington Memorial Association was conducting fund-raising for the construction of the building at the proposed National Archives site.<ref>"New Washington Memorial Appeal." ''New York Times.'' February 17, 1929.</ref> Press reports, however, indicated that the building had already been displaced from the Apex building site.<ref name="McCormick" /> The fund-raising effort eventually failed, and the foundation and stairs were razed in 1937 to make way for the National Gallery of Art.<ref name="GWMemorial" />

===1929–1931===
[[File:FederalTriangle 1851.jpg|thumb|Map of [[Washington, D.C.]], published in 1851 but still extant as of 1926, showing the area around Federal Triangle as originally planned and built in accordance with the [[L'Enfant Plan]]]]
Architectural models of the proposed Federal Triangle development were unveiled in late April 1929.<ref name="Beautified">"Beautified Capital Shown By Models." ''New York Times.'' April 28, 1929.</ref> Design work on the Independent Offices, Justice, and Labor buildings also began at that time.<ref name="Beautified" /> After these models were unveiled, however, the Board once more made changes to the Federal Triangle construction plan to reflect the March and April changes made by Hoover and Mellon. Now only seven large structures were planned, and assigned to the following board members for design:<ref name="Cannadine" /><ref name="Worthy" /><ref>The Independent Offices building was now called the Apex Building, the Labor and ICC buildings were now joined by a Departmental Auditorium, and the General Accounting building had been replaced by the Post Office building. The cost of the Departmental Auditorium was estimated at $2 million. See: "Hoover Urges Funds For Six New Buildings." ''Washington Post.'' April 23, 1930.</ref>
:*Apex Building (formerly the Independent Offices building, and now assigned to house the [[United States Coast Guard]]) - Bennett
:*Commerce Department building - Ayers (of the firm [[York and Sawyer]])
:*Internal Revenue Service building - Simon
:*Justice Department building - Medary
:*Labor Department/Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) building, and Departmental Auditorium - Brown
:*National Archives building - Pope
:*Post Office Department building - Delano

Two major changes to the complex came in early 1930. The Board and other planning groups had long agreed to site the Justice Department building on the block bounded by 7th, 9th, and B Streets NW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. But this plan changed in March 1930. Architect John Russell Pope made a proposal to have the Justice and Archives switch sites so that the Justice building would have more space.<ref name="Cannadine" /> Although the change would entail major design alterations in both buildings, Secretary Mellon favored the idea.  The Commission on Fine Arts approved the plan,<ref name="Cannadine" /> and Mellon met with the Board of Architectural Consultants in late March 1930 to discuss the idea.<ref>"Mellon to Discuss Changing of Sites." ''Washington Post.'' March 28, 1930.</ref> Although this initial meeting left the issue unresolved,<ref>"Site of New Justice Building Undecided." ''Washington Post.'' March 29, 1930.</ref> the Board later agreed to Mellon's wishes in April and the two buildings switched plots.<ref name="Cannadine" /><ref name="HooverUrges">"Hoover Urges Funds For Six New Buildings." ''Washington Post.'' April 23, 1930.</ref> At the end of April, President Hoover asked Congress to appropriate $10.3 million (the most yet) to build a new Post Office Department building between 12th and 13th Streets NW, from Pennsylvania Avenue NW south to C Street NW.<ref name="HooverUrges" />

Parking and traffic issues proved immensely vexing for the planners of Federal Triangle.<ref name="Whitaker" /> The original [[L'Enfant Plan]] setting out the streets of Washington, D.C., still existed in the Federal Triangle area.<ref name="Worthy" /> Both C Street NW and D Street NW still ran from 15th Street NW to 15th Street NE.  Ohio Avenue NW ran in a northwest–southeast line from the intersection of D and 15th Streets NW to the intersection of B and 12th Streets NW (soon to be renamed as Constitution Avenue NW and 12th Street NW). Louisiana Avenue NW still ran in a southwest–northeast direction from 10th and B Streets NW to 7th and D Streets NW (along what is currently the diagonal portion Indiana Avenue NW). The McMillan Plan was developed before the widespread use of the automobile, and now the Board of Architectural Consultants had to decide how to accommodate the "horseless carriage" while also making Federal Triangle pedestrian-friendly.<ref name="Worthy" /> The Board began studying traffic issues in late 1927.<ref name="FinalIndorsement" /> A major study of parking needs and solutions was conducted in 1931, and traffic and parking patterns assessed again after the Department of Commerce building opened in early 1932.<ref>"Study of Triangle Parking Needs Near." ''Washington Post.'' December 30, 1931.</ref> To achieve some of the traffic and parking goals, the east–west streets and diagonal avenues were eliminated, leaving only the north–south streets through the area, and 12th and 9th Streets NW were submerged in tunnels beneath the National Mall.<ref name="Worthy" /><ref>"State Names For Streets Slated Today." ''Washington Post.'' January 30, 1936.</ref> In the first major change to the Board's "final" plans, the Grand Plaza was abandoned in favor of a parking lot.<ref name="Worthy" /> The Board considered a number of other solutions to the need to accommodate the more than 7,500 cars expected to arrive every day (including an underground bus terminal and underground parking garage under the Grand Plaza), but in the end only approved a small number of underground parking spaces beneath the Apex Building.<ref name="Worthy" /><ref>"Underground Terminal Suggested for Buses." ''Washington Post.'' October 13, 1927; "Groups Study Car Parking In Triangle." ''Washington Post.'' October 24, 1936.</ref>

===Design influences===
[[File:Napoleon Apt Louvre Paris 2008oct08.jpg|thumb|[[Louvre Palace]] in [[Paris]] served as an inspiration for the Federal Triangle complex.]]
The design of Federal Triangle was significantly influenced by the [[Louvre]]-[[Tuileries Palace]] complex in [[France]] and the concentration of government buildings in [[Whitehall]] in the [[United Kingdom]].<ref name="Worthy" /><ref name="Wentzel" /><ref name="PlannersSuggest" /><ref name="CommissionToday" /> But planning for the complex was also deeply influenced by the [[City Beautiful movement]] and the idea of creating a [[civic center]] to achieve efficiency in administration as well as reinforce the public's perception of government as authoritative and permanent.<ref name="Worthy" /> For the architectural style of the buildings, the Board relied heavily on the McMillan Plan's recommendation of the Neoclassical style.<ref name="Worthy" /> Both the Board and [[United States Secretary of the Treasury|Treasury Secretary]] [[Andrew W. Mellon]] rejected the [[Modern architecture|Modern]] style then heavily in vogue.<ref name="Worthy" /> Rather than a mass of tall, imposing buildings, two unifying open spaces (intended for ceremonial use, and under discussion by the Board at least by March 1928) would be utilized.<ref name="Speers" /> The first would be a Circular Plaza (inspired by the [[Place Vendôme]])<ref name="McCormick" /> bisected by 12th Street NW, and which would require the demolition of the [[Old Post Office Pavilion]].<ref name="Speers" /><ref name="Wentzel" /> The second would be a rectangular Grand Plaza on the east side of 14th Street NW between the proposed [[United States Department of Commerce|Department of Commerce]] building (west side of 14th Street NW) and the proposed [[United States Postal Service|Post Office Department]] building (east side of 13th Street NW).<ref name="Speers" /><ref name="Wentzel" /> The construction of the Grand Plaza would have required the demolition of the [[John A. Wilson Building|District Building]].<ref name="Wentzel" />

The Board received significant input from the Commission of Fine Arts (which strongly advocated implementation of the McMillan Plan), National Capital Parks and Planning Commission, and the [[Greater Washington Board of Trade|Washington Board of Trade]].<ref name="Wentzel" /> One guiding principle for the project was that office space for at least 25,000 federal workers must be included.<ref name="Wentzel" /> Another was that, although the buildings would be modern steel frame structures, they would each be the same height and faced with [[limestone]].<ref name="Worthy" /> The National Capital Parks and Planning Commission had the least influence over the overall design of the project, primarily because it had only recently been formed.<ref name="Worthy" />

Although the Board unveiled its proposed design for the project in 1929, the design still lacked a unifying architectural look.<ref name="Cannadine" /> Subsequently, John Russell Pope was asked in September 1929 to bring a more uniform style to the buildings.<ref name="Cannadine" /> Nonetheless, within this more uniform approach, a variety of styles could be used, and were: [[Renaissance architecture|Italian Renaissance]] for the Department of Commerce building, [[Corinthian order|Corinthian]] for the [[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives]] building, and [[Ionic order|Ionic]] for the Post Office Department.<ref name="Worthy" /> Meanwhile, the Board worked with sculptors, painters, and others to design more than 100 statues, fountains, bronze doors, murals, plaques, and panels (both interior and exterior) throughout the complex.<ref name="Wentzel" /> Modern architectural styles were not completely ignored in the design effort, however; most of the doors and grillwork throughout the Federal Triangle complex were [[Art Deco]] in style.<ref name="Worthy" />