Henry Daly Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Henry J. Daly Building |
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Henry J. Daly Building (Indiana Avenue entrance)
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Classical Moderne |
| Location | 300 Indiana Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. |
| Coordinates | 38°53′39″N 77°00′59″W / 38.8942°N 77.0165°W |
| Completed | 1941 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Nathan C. Wyeth and the D.C. Office of the Municipal Architect |
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District of Columbia Municipal Center and Plaza
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| NRHP reference No. | 100004189 |
| Added to NRHP | July 19, 2019 |
The Henry J. Daly Building is a large government building in Washington, D.C.. It is located in the Judiciary Square neighborhood. This building is owned by the government of the District of Columbia.
It opened in 1941 and has been home to many city offices. Before this building, city offices were spread out. Today, the building is mainly used by the Metropolitan Police Department. Other city offices also have space here.
Contents
A Look Back: How the Building Came to Be
In 1791, Pierre Charles L'Enfant designed the city of Washington. He planned for Judiciary Square to be where federal courts would be. But over time, it became home to both federal and local government offices.
By the early 1900s, many government offices were crowded. Both federal and city workers needed more space. The federal government decided to build a large complex called Federal Triangle. This project helped bring many federal offices together.
People then wanted a similar solution for city offices. In 1926, Congress agreed to create a central place for city courts. These plans grew to include other city services, like the police department. This was especially important as the city grew.
Planning the Municipal Center Campus
Bringing so many city services together needed many new buildings. Albert I. Harris, the city's architect, started planning in 1926. However, there were many challenges. These included arguments over money, where to build, and how the new buildings would look.
The Great Depression also caused financial problems. Harris and his team kept working on the designs. When Harris passed away in 1934, Nathan C. Wyeth took over as Municipal Architect. Wyeth was an experienced architect and had worked closely with Harris.
It's hard to say who designed each part of the building. Most plans were credited to "the Office of the Municipal Architect." But Wyeth was very important in shaping the overall plan. Other architects and staff also played a key role.
Building the Daly Building
The project was slow, but things finally moved forward. Between 1936 and 1938, Congress provided money. Loans from the Public Works Administration also helped. Construction of the Daly Building began in 1938.
A newspaper reporter wrote that people were surprised and happy. They had waited a long time for the building to start. The building was finished by 1941.
Original plans called for more buildings around the Daly Building. This would have created a full campus. However, most of these other buildings were never built. Some land meant for other city buildings was used for different purposes later.
Life in the Daly Building: Past and Present
The first city workers moved into the Daly Building on May 19, 1941. But they could only use half of it. The other half was temporarily used by the federal government during World War II.
Early city offices in the building included the Police Department and the Traffic Department. Today, the building still hosts the Metropolitan Police Department. The Department of Motor Vehicles is also located there.
Over the years, the building wasn't always popular with citizens. Many people only went there for the Department of Motor Vehicles. A newspaper article in 1983 described it as a place of "bureaucratic runarounds." One person even called the large building "the pinnacle of bureaucracy." In 2016, Mayor Muriel Bowser said it was "probably the worst building" in the city's collection. She talked about plans to update it.
Art and Design: A Closer Look
The Daly Building is an example of the Classical Moderne style. This style was popular for public buildings during the New Deal era. It features a stepped shape, like a pyramid, and uses simple, classic designs.
Even though the building looks simple from the outside, it has a lot of public art. You can see stone carvings, called bas reliefs, near the plaza staircase. These were created by artists Lee Lawrie and John Gregory.
Inside, there are colorful murals made from ceramic tiles. These were done by Hildreth Meière and Waylande Gregory. On the C Street lobby floor, there's a large tile mosaic. It shows a map of the District of Columbia. This map was made by Eric Menke using thousands of tiny colored stones.
On the Indiana Avenue side, there is the Police Memorial Fountain. John Joseph Earley built it in 1942 using Italian marble. This fountain honors all District police officers who have died while on duty.
Why the Daly Building is Important
The Daly Building is important for several reasons. It shows how cities grew and how government services expanded. It also represents the New Deal in Washington, D.C. The Public Works Administration helped fund its construction. The building's style is typical of public buildings from that time.
Locally, the building represents the city's journey to gain more control over its own government. Bringing city services together was a step towards the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973. This act gave D.C. more power to govern itself.
In 2018, the Daly Building was officially named a historic landmark in the District of Columbia.
 | John T. Biggers |
 | Thomas Blackshear |
 | Mark Bradford |
 | Beverly Buchanan |
