J. Edgar Hoover Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids J. Edgar Hoover Building |
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The J. Edgar Hoover Building in October 2005.
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Brutalist |
| Address | 935 Pennsylvania Avenue NW |
| Town or city | Washington, D.C. |
| Country | United States of America |
| Coordinates | 38°53′42.7″N 77°1′30.0″W / 38.895194°N 77.025000°W |
| Current tenants | Federal Bureau of Investigation |
| Construction started | March 1965 |
| Completed | September 1975 |
| Inaugurated | September 30, 1975 |
| Landlord | General Services Administration |
| Height | 160 feet (49 m) (E Street NW side) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 11 (E Street NW side) 8 (Pennsylvania Avenue NW side) |
| Floor area | 2,800,876 square feet (260,209.9 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | Charles F. Murphy and Associates |
The J. Edgar Hoover Building is a large office building in Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It is the main office, or headquarters, for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The FBI is a government agency that investigates crimes and protects the country.
Planning for this building started in 1962. Construction began in March 1965 and finished in September 1975. President Gerald Ford officially opened the building on September 30, 1975. The building cost about $126 million to build.
The building is named after J. Edgar Hoover, who was the Director of the FBI for many years. President Richard Nixon officially named the building after him in 1972.
The J. Edgar Hoover Building has a lot of space inside, about 2,800,876 square feet (260,209.9 m2). It has special features like secure elevators and hallways. These keep public tours separate from the FBI's work areas. The building has three floors underground, including a parking garage. It is 8 stories tall on the Pennsylvania Avenue side and 11 stories tall on the E Street side.
Contents
Building Design and Construction
Why the Building Was Needed
Since 1935, the FBI's main offices were in the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building. But the FBI grew, and its offices were spread out in 16 different places across Washington, D.C. This made it hard for them to work together.
In 1962, the government suggested building a new headquarters for the FBI. They wanted to put it on Pennsylvania Avenue. This area was run-down at the time. President John F. Kennedy wanted to make Pennsylvania Avenue look better. So, building the FBI headquarters there was part of a bigger plan to improve the area.
In 1963, the government chose a site for the new building. It was two city blocks between Pennsylvania Avenue, 9th Street, E Street, and 10th Street. More than 100 small shops had to move from this area.
How the Building Was Designed
The government wanted the new FBI building to look different from other big, boxy government buildings. They hoped it would have small shops on the ground floor. But the FBI wanted a very secure building. They wanted it to be bomb-proof on the lower floors. They also wanted only a few, very secure entrances.
The architects, Charles F. Murphy and Associates, had to balance these different ideas. They designed a building with an eight-story section on Pennsylvania Avenue. A taller, 12-story section was planned for the E Street side. These two parts would be connected by wings, creating an open courtyard in the middle.
The design was approved in 1964. It featured a style called Brutalism. This style uses raw, unfinished concrete to create strong, dramatic shapes. The building's exterior would be made of buff-colored concrete.
Building It: Funding and Delays
Even though the design was approved, getting money to build the FBI headquarters was hard. Congress had to approve the funds each year. In 1965, the first request for money was denied. This meant only the land could be cleared and the foundation started.
By 1970, the cost of the building had grown a lot, from $60 million to over $100 million. This was due to inflation and delays. The main construction work on the upper parts of the building finally began in May 1971.
The building was almost finished in 1974. FBI staff started moving in that year. The Director of the FBI moved into his office in May 1975. The entire building was completed in September 1975.
Naming the Building
Even before it was finished, many people thought the new FBI building would be named after J. Edgar Hoover. He had been the FBI Director for a very long time.
J. Edgar Hoover passed away on May 2, 1972. The very next day, the United States Senate voted to ask that the building be named after him. President Richard Nixon also ordered that it be called the J. Edgar Hoover Building.
These actions were not official laws. So, on October 14, 1972, the United States Congress passed a law to formally name the building the J. Edgar Hoover Building. President Nixon signed this law on October 21, 1972.
Building Features and Style
The J. Edgar Hoover Building has a lot of different spaces inside. It includes:
- An amphitheater for presentations.
- A large auditorium with 162 seats.
- A repair shop for cars.
- A two-story basketball court.
- A cafeteria on the eighth floor with a roof garden.
- Classrooms for training.
- A secure room for secret codes (cryptographic vault).
- Labs for developing photos and movies.
- Exercise rooms.
- A film library.
- A firing range for practice.
- Many lab spaces (about 80,000 square feet (7,400 m2)).
- A medical clinic.
- A printing plant.
- A special range for testing weapons.
- A large theater with 700 seats.
The building has three floors underground. A very thick, strong concrete slab is under the second floor. This helps protect the building from explosions on the street. A dry ditch, like a moat, runs along the E Street side for security.
The building has two separate elevator systems. One is for the public, and one is for FBI staff. There are also separate hallways in some parts. This keeps the public away from sensitive work areas. Some public hallways have glass walls. These let visitors see FBI employees at work.
The J. Edgar Hoover Building is built in the Brutalist style. This style uses raw, unfinished concrete. The concrete surfaces show marks from the wooden molds used to pour them. The outside of the building is made of buff-colored concrete. The original plan was to cover the concrete with polished panels, but this was never done. The windows are tinted bronze.
Artwork at the Building
The building's courtyard has a sculpture called Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity. It was created by Frederick Charles Shrady. The sculpture was paid for by former FBI agents and was dedicated in 1979.
The bronze sculpture is about 15 feet 7 inches (4.75 m) wide. It shows three figures. These figures represent the FBI's core values: Fidelity (loyalty), Bravery (courage), and Integrity (honesty). The figures are placed in front of a large American flag that looks like it's waving.
Problems and Future Plans
Building Issues and Security
When the building opened in 1975, the public observation deck on the second floor was closed for security. Public tours of the building were also stopped after the September 11 attacks. They have not started again.
Around 2001, problems with the building started to appear. An expert found that the building was getting old and needed a lot of repairs. Things like the heating, cooling, and elevators were wearing out. The building was rated in "poor condition."
In 2006, pieces of concrete started falling from the outside of the building onto the sidewalk. Safety nets had to be put up around the upper floors to catch any more falling pieces. This cost a lot of money. Experts said that renovating the building would be very expensive and would disrupt the FBI's work too much. They suggested building a new headquarters.
In 2011, a government report found more major problems. Water was leaking from the courtyard, damaging the concrete ceiling of the parking garage below. The garage was in "severe" condition, with concrete pieces in danger of falling. The building's basement also flooded when it rained.
The report also pointed out security risks. The Hoover Building is very close to busy city streets. Also, the FBI has grown a lot since the 9/11 attacks. It now has offices in 21 other locations around D.C. Many of these are in buildings shared with other businesses. This makes it harder for the FBI to keep everyone safe.
Looking for a New Home
The government looked at four options for the J. Edgar Hoover Building:
- Do nothing.
- Renovate the building, which would take 14 years and cost $1.7 billion.
- Tear down the building and rebuild on the same spot, taking nine years and costing $850 million.
- Build a new headquarters somewhere else, taking seven years and costing $1.2 billion.
The FBI decided that its top goal was to move out of the J. Edgar Hoover Building. They wanted a new, larger headquarters. This would bring all FBI staff together, help them work better, and save money on maintenance.
In 2012, the government started looking for private companies to trade the Hoover Building for a larger piece of land outside the city. The idea was that the company would pay cash for the Hoover Building. This money would help the FBI build its new headquarters.
The FBI said its new headquarters needed to be at least 2.1 million square feet (200,000 m2) in size. It also needed about 40 to 55 acres (160,000 to 220,000 m2) of land and space for 11,000 employees. It also needed to be close to a Metro station and a major highway.
Many areas around Washington, D.C., wanted to host the new FBI headquarters. These included parts of Maryland and Virginia. Even Washington, D.C., itself suggested a site.
In 2014, the government announced that the new FBI headquarters would likely move to a suburban campus. Possible locations were in Greenbelt or Landover, Maryland, or Springfield, Virginia.
However, in July 2017, the government announced that the plans to move the FBI headquarters were stopped. This was because there wasn't enough money to build a new building.
See also
In Spanish: Edificio J. Edgar Hoover para niños
