The John A. Wilson District Building, popularly known simply as the Wilson Building, houses the municipal offices and chambers of the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

and the

Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

of the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

. Originally called the District Building, it was renamed in 1994 to commemorate former Council Chair John A. Wilson. Completed in 1908, during the administration of 26th President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

, the building is a contributing structure to the

Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site is a National Historic Site in the city of Washington, D.C. Established on September 30, 1965, the site is roughly bounded by Constitution Avenue, 15th Street NW, F Street NW, and 3rd Street NW. The hi ...

History

The original site of the John A. Wilson Building was a streetcar power station that a fire had destroyed in 1897. With the "Public Building Act" of 1902, the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

authorized $550,000 for the purchase of the property and an additional $1.5 million (later increased to $2 million) for the construction of a new District municipal building. Previously, the D.C. government had been housed in the old

District of Columbia City Hall District of Columbia City Hall, also known as "Old City Hall" and the "District of Columbia Courthouse", is a historic building at Judiciary Square in downtown Washington, D.C. facing Indiana Avenue. Originally built for the offices of the govern ...

, a historic neoclassical styled structure on Indiana Avenue, constructed 1822–1849 by George Hadfield. A competition for the design of the new District Building called for "classic design in the manner of the English Renaissance". The

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

firm of

Cope and Stewardson Cope and Stewardson (1885–1912) was a Philadelphia architecture firm founded by Walter Cope and John Stewardson, and best known for its Collegiate Gothic building and campus designs. Cope and Stewardson established the firm in 1885, and were jo ...

won the contract, and construction started in 1904. The building was dedicated on July 4, 1908 by

Henry MacFarland Henry Brown Floyd MacFarland (February 11, 1861 – October 14, 1921) was an American politician who served as a member and president of the D.C. Board of Commissioners. Early life Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 11, 186 ...

, President of the Board of Commissioners. While the building has continuously served as the municipal offices of the District's local government, the

United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, a ...

housed 200 visiting servicemen there during World War II. In 1977, twelve gunmen took about 150 people hostage at three sites around the District of Columbia. During the crisis, later known as the

1977 Hanafi Siege The 1977 Hanafi Siege occurred on March 9–11, 1977 when three buildings in Washington, D.C. were seized by 12 Hanafi Movement gunmen. The gunmen were led by Hamaas Abdul Khaalis, who wanted to bring attention to the murder of his family in 1 ...

, two of those gunmen held about a dozen hostages inside the council chambers on the fifth floor of the District Building. Then-councilman Marion Barry was hit by a stray bullet during the commotion, which left two others dead, including DC Protective Services Police Officer Wesley Cantrell. The press room at the Wilson Building is named in memory of Maurice Williams, a 24-year-old reporter killed during the attack. In 1995, two-thirds of the Wilson Building was leased to the

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

for a period of 20 years due to the district's inability to pay for needed repairs; during that time, the district paid approximately $8 million per year to the

General Services Administration The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. gover ...

to lease back the space. The district government was able to regain use of the entire building after the

approved funds for major renovations. The offices of Mayor Anthony Williams and DC Council were temporarily relocated to

One Judiciary Square One Judiciary Square is a highrise office building at 441 Fourth Street NW in the Judiciary Square neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Designed by architect Vlastimil Koubek, the building is tall and has approximately 10 floors. Its construction ende ...

Exterior

The District Building was designed in the American Beaux Arts classical revival style and takes up the entire block between 14th and 13 1/2th Streets NW, south of Pennsylvania Avenue across from

Freedom Plaza Freedom Plaza, originally known as Western Plaza, is an open plaza in Northwest Washington, D.C., United States, located near 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, adjacent to Pershing Park. The plaza features an inlay that partially depicts ...

. The base of the building is made of grey granite from Maine, while the upper four stories are constructed of white marble from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. The main entrance to the building features an eagle with outstretched wings surrounded by two sculptures representing "Justice" and "Law." The fifth (attic) story features alternating male and female sculptures of heroic figures that represent: sculpture, painting, architecture, music, commerce, engineering, agriculture, and statesmanship. In January 2005, the statue of Alexander Robey Shepherd, Governor of the District of Columbia from 1873 to 1874, was restored to its original location in front of the Wilson Building at the northwest corner. It had been removed in 1979 during the first year of Mayor Marion Barry's administration.

Current use

Following the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, the appointed Mayor-Commissioner form of government was replaced by a locally elected

Mayor of the District of Columbia The mayor of the District of Columbia is the head of the executive branch of the government of the District of Columbia, in the United States. The mayor has the duty to enforce district laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed ...

and

Council of the District of Columbia The Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch of the local government of the District of Columbia, the capital of the United States. As permitted in the United States Constitution, the district is not part of any U.S. state ...

who maintain their offices within the Wilson Building. The D.C. Council chamber, committee rooms, and legislative staff offices are also in the building. In October 2006, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities opened the City Hall Arts Collection. Art pieces from a diverse group of D.C.-area artists are on public display throughout the building. Works include a glass casting by

Michael Janis Michael Janis (born 1959) is an American artist currently residing in Washington, DC where he is one of the directors of the Washington Glass School. He is known for his work on glass using the exceptionally difficult sgraffito technique on glass ...

of the

Washington Glass School The Washington Glass School was founded in 2001 by Washington, DC area artists Tim Tate and Erwin Timmers. The school teaches classes on how to make kiln cast, fused, and cold worked glass sculptures and art. It is the second largest warm glas ...

; paintings by

Felrath Hines Samuel Felrath Hines Jr. (November 9, 1913 – October 3, 1993) was an African American visual artist and art conservator. Hines served as a conservator at several institutions, including the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D. ...

(former chief conservator of the Hirshhorn Museum),

Sylvia Snowden Sylvia Snowden (born 1942) is an African American abstract painter who works with acrylics, oil pastels, and mixed media to create textured works that convey the "feel of paint". Many museums have hosted her art in exhibits, while several have a ...

, and Mark Cameron Boyd; photographs by

Alexandra Silverthorne Alexandra Silverthorne (born 1980) is a Washington, D.C.-based artist and photographer. Her work focuses on spatial theory and exploration. She has been an adjunct professor at American University for Film and Media Arts as well as the University ...

, Harlee Little, and Max Hirshfeld; and sculpture by Jae Ko. The portrait of John A. Wilson on display at the main entrance is by renowned portrait painter

Simmie Knox Simmie Lee Knox (born August 18, 1935) is an American painter who painted the official White House portrait of former United States President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton. He was the first black American artist to receive a presiden ...

Notes

{{National Register of Historic Places Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Beaux-Arts architecture in Washington, D.C. Government buildings completed in 1908 Government of the District of Columbia Historic district contributing properties in Washington, D.C. Federal Triangle

History

Exterior

Current use

See also

Notes