Pan American Union Building

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Pan American Union Building
Organization of American States headquarters building, with the Statue of Isabella I in front (2015)
Pan American Union Building is located in Central Washington, D.C.
Pan American Union Building
Show map of Central Washington, D.C.
Pan American Union Building is located in the District of Columbia
Pan American Union Building
Show map of the District of Columbia
Location17th Street NW between C Street and Constitution Avenue NW,
Washington, D.C.
Coordinates38°53′34″N 77°02′25″W / 38.89288°N 77.04026°W / 38.89288; -77.04026
Built1908–1910
ArchitectPaul P. Cret and Albert Kelsey
NRHP reference No.69000298, 10000625
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJune 4, 1969
Designated NHLJanuary 13, 2021

The Pan American Union Building is the headquarters for the Organization of American States. It is located at 17th Street Northwest, between C Street and Constitution Avenue, in Northwest, Washington, D.C.[1]

History

The cornerstone was laid on May 11, 1908, by Theodore Roosevelt, Elihu Root, and Andrew Carnegie (who largely financed the building's construction) on the former site of the Van Ness Mansion.[2] The building was dedicated on April 26, 1910.[3]

It was designed in the style of a Greek temple, with large exterior stairways leading to palatial bronze gates. The building's roof is covered with Ludowici tiles in a blend of reds.[4]

In 1919, the initial meeting of the International Labour Organization was held in the building.[5]

Between 1921 and 1922, the building was used for committee and subcommittee hearings throughout the Washington Naval Conference while closely guarded by marines with fixed bayonets.[6]

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2021, for its architecture and its role in international diplomacy.

References

  1. Pan American Union Building at archINFORM
  2. "Hall of Americas for Arms Meeting" (PDF). The New York Times. August 27, 1921.
  3. "Building Stones of Our Nation's Capital: Walking Tour Stops 1-6".
  4. "The renovation of the House of the Americas". Americas. Vol. 46, no. 1. 1994.
  5. "International labor conference - First annual meeting" (PDF). October 29, 1919. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 12, 2014.
  6. Wright, Quincy (1922). "The Washington Conference". The American Political Science Review. 16 (2): 285–297. doi:10.2307/1943964. JSTOR 1943964. S2CID 147404493.