The Department of Agriculture Building was the original headquarters of the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, ...

located on the

National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institut ...

between 12th and 14th Street SW in

Washington, D.C. ) , 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, ...

after its creation in 1862. It was first occupied in 1868. However, it was not compatible with the McMillan Plan and was subsequently demolished in 1930.

History

On May 15, 1862, during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Congress approved the creation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The President appointed a ''Commissioner of Agriculture'' without

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

status. President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

appointed the agriculturalist

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a "natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...

to be the first commissioner. A building was needed to house the employees. On March 20, 1867, the local newspapers announced that the design for the building had been prepared by Adolf Cluss and Mr. Kammerhueber and had been accepted by Commissioner Newton. It was to be constructed on the land of Reservation No. 2 (between 14th and 12th Street SW) between the Washington Memorial Grounds and the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

on the

. $100,000 had been appropriated the year before by Congress for this project. It was to be 172 feet by 61 1/2 feet, two stories high with a basement and be fire-proof. It would be made of pressed bricks with a sandstone base. Construction for the new building started on 2 August 1867. On August 16, 1867, it is announced that the excavation of the foundation is complete and that the building should be completed by the Spring of 1868. By June 18, 1868, the building was finished and the interior was being completed. Terracing in the "German Style" was also going to take place in front of the building with over 3,000 different forest and fruit trees to be planted throughout the grounds though it seems the funds had come short by that time and it was hoped that Congress would be able to provide the additional amount.Evening Star - June 18, 1868 - page 4 - column 4 On September 1, 1868, the building was ready to be occupied by the Department moved into the new building.''Designing The Nation's Capital: The 1901 Plan for Washington, D.C'' - Dana G. Dalrymple - https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/ncr/designing-capital/sec5.html On the west side of the building a conservatory was built in the same alignment along with other smaller buildings on the south. The areas on the north and south of the building were landscaped into a Victorian garden and arboretum between 1867 and 1879 and crops were being planted on the south side. After the Washington City Canal was filled in 1871, the propagating garden closed. In exchanged, four acres previously used by the canal were acquired. File:Exterior view of of the old Department of Agriculture Building - Flickr - USDAgov.jpg, Exterior view of the building around 1900 File:Panoramic view of Washington, D.C.6a36324v.jpg, Side view of the building and the gardens. The Washington Memorial is under construction. File:Department of Agriculture- Exterior view of the old and new buildings (3360758266).jpg, The old building (left) and the new one (right). The Smithsonian Castle tower is visible in the middle. File:National Mall circa 1901 - Washington DC.jpg, The Department of Agriculture on the Mall around 1901 File:Exterior view of the old Agriculture building (3360757286).jpg, Front view of the building around 1900 File:National Mall circa 1908 - Washington DC.jpg, View of the Department of Agriculture around 1908 File:Exterior view of the old Agriculture building (3359940031).jpg, The Building with the Conservatory around 1900 File:View of the uncompleted Washington Monument, taken from the roof of the Main building of the Department of... - NARA - 516531.jpg, Details of the roofline around 1880. The Washington Memorial is under construction.

References

{{authority control Buildings of the United States government in Washington, D.C. United States Department of Agriculture facilities Government buildings completed in 1868 National Mall Demolished buildings and structures in Washington, D.C. Buildings and structures demolished in 1930