Editing Federal Triangle (section)

===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>