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The Eisenhower Executive Office Building, D.C.
The building—originally called the State, War, and Navy Building because it housed the Departments of State, War, and the Navy—was built between 1871 and 1888 in the French Second Empire style. It was designed by Alfred B. Mullett, Supervising Architect. Patterned after French Second Empire architecture that clashed sharply with the neoclassical style of the other Federal buildings in the city, it was generally regarded with scorn and disdain, and the architect of the exterior, Alfred B. Mullett, ended his life in litigation and suicide. The OEOB was referred to by Mark Twain as "the ugliest building in America." Harry Truman called it "the greatest monstrosity in America." Historian Henry Adams called it Mullett's “architectural infant asylum.”
srce: Wikipedia
The Old Post Office Building at the corner of Clinch & Market Streets in Downtown Knoxville was built circa 1869-73 of Tennessee marble in the Renaissance Revival style. Alfred B. Mullett served as supervising architect for the design & construction. The building is three stories with fairly straight-fronted walls except for the small projection defining the entrance areas. Rusticated quoins contrast with the smooth surface of the walls. First floor openings, which are arched with keystones, are joined by a string course. Second & third story windows in the projected or entrance areas are treated with a complete entablature above each; those windows on the recessed surfaces are framed only in architraves. The roof behind the heavy cornice is not visible from the street. Originally, the building housed the post office on the first floor, with courtrooms and other federal offices on the second & third floors. There is a west wing that was added in the early 20th century. However, in 1933, the post office moved to a new, larger building and this old structure began to be used as offices for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
At the time of its construction in 1869-1873, this Old Post Office Building in Knoxville was considered one of the finest structures in East Tennessee and is now one of the few early buildings of distinction preserved in the city. In addition, on March 20, 1973, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). All the information above was found on the original documents submitted for listing consideration that are located here: npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/a72d7c90-e49a-4a86-a08...
Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11
The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/
The building—originally called the State, War, and Navy Building because it housed the Departments of State, War, and the Navy—was built between 1871 and 1888 in the French Second Empire style. It was designed by Alfred B. Mullett, Supervising Architect. Patterned after French Second Empire architecture that clashed sharply with the neoclassical style of the other Federal buildings in the city, it was generally regarded with scorn and disdain, and Mullett, the exterior architect, ended his life by suicide, while in litigation. The OEOB was referred to by Mark Twain as "the ugliest building in America." President Harry S. Truman called it "the greatest monstrosity in America." Historian Henry Adams called it Mullett's “architectural infant asylum.” While the building's exterior received substantial criticism, at first, it has since been designated as a National Historic Landmark. It was for years the world's largest office building, with 566 rooms and about ten acres of floor space. Many White House employees have their offices in the massive edifice.
The First Division Monument & Eisenhower Executive Office Building
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The First Division Monument
architects: Cass Gilbert, Cass Gilbert Jr.
sculptor: Daniel Chester French (Victory)
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Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB)
originally known as: the State, War, and Navy Building, the Old Executive Office Building
architect:Alfred B. Mullett, 1871–88
architectural style: French Second Empire
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President's Park - National Mall
State Place & 17th Street, NW
Washington, District of Columbia
Lincoln City Hall is the former seat of the Lincoln, Nebraska city government. The hall was built from 1874-1879 as the U.S. Post Office and Court House, designed by the office of the U.S. Treasury Department's architect, Alfred B. Mullett. A new post office and court house was built in 1906 and the property was transferred to the city. It was superseded as city hall in 1969 when the city government moved into the City-County Building. Although Mullett is officially listed as the architect, much of the design work may have been carried out by his assistant, William Appleton Potter, who specialized in the Gothic style
The old San Francisco Mint building, built in 1874
National Historic Landmark
National Register of Historic Places
designed by Alfred B. Mullett in a conservative Greek Revival style with a sober Doric order.
The Old U.S. Customs House and Post Office, built 1873-1884, is an outstanding, little-altered, and now-rare example of an important type of monumental public architecture that was widely utilized by the United States Government in the post-Civil War period. Designed in the French Second Empire style by Alfred Bult Mullett, Master Architect & Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury Department from 1866 to 1874, the Old Post Office is one of the two surviving examples of Mullett's six essays in the Second Empire style for major monumentally-scaled Federal buildings. (The even larger & more ornate Executive Office Building (the former State, War and Navy Building) in Washington D.C., is the only other extant example of the six huge Federal buildings designed by Mullett in the Second Empire mode.) The Old Post Office also included in its original design & construction innovative applications of technology - prompted by the Chicago fire of 1871 - that were relatively new in the 1870's. These features included the use of predominately fire-resistant construction methods & materials; a circulating hot air heating system, separate elevators for people, mail, & freight, and direct access from the main basement to an underground railway tunnel for mail service. The Old Post Office superbly illustrates the type of large-scale and ornate Federal buildings that formerly stood in Boston, Cincinnati, New York City, & Philadelphia, as well as St. Louis, from the 1870's to the 1930's, and is the last surviving example of this group.
During its period of prime historical importance, March 1881 to November 1935, the Old Post Office was utilized chiefly as a Federal Courthouse & Post Office. The main basement & first floor were occupied by the Post Office Department; the third floor contained the courtroom & offices of the U.S. District Court; and the fourth floor had the offices of miscellaneous Federal officers - custom & internal revenue service, lighthouse & steamboat inspectors, and U.S. Army Engineers. The Federal Courts met for the last time in the Old Post Office in November 1935, when they were transferred to the new Federal structure at 12th & Market Streets in St. Louis. Other Federal offices were gradually removed from the building until only the Post Office remained to occupy about three-fourths of the first floor. The Post Office was scheduled to leave this structure in July 1970, and the building was then declared surplus property. It is unknown to me at this time what the use of this building is today.
The Old U.S. Customs House and Post Office was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on November 22, 1968 and also added to the list of National Historic Landmarks (NHL) on December 30, 1970. All of the information above was found on the original documents submitted to the NRHP (along with much more infomration) and can be viewed here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/312eca96-78ae-4f45-88bd-b...
Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11
The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/
Lincoln City Hall is the former seat of the Lincoln, Nebraska city government. The hall was built from 1874-1879 as the U.S. Post Office and Court House, designed by the office of the U.S. Treasury Department's architect, Alfred B. Mullett. A new post office and court house was built in 1906 and the property was transferred to the city. It was superseded as city hall in 1969 when the city government moved into the City-County Building. Although Mullett is officially listed as the architect, much of the design work may have been carried out by his assistant, William Appleton Potter, who specialized in the Gothic style
This is the customs house in Portland, Maine taken from Fore Street toward the harbor just visible on the left. I like the effect of this wide angle lens on the clouds. Lightroom did a good job of removing the distortion of the building.
Two hundred years ago on this date 17,000 residents of the district of Maine voted to become independent from the state of Massachusetts and 7000 against separation. Maine became a free (no slavery) in March,1820 as part of the Missouri Compromise that admitted the latter as a slave state.
Located near Portland's waterfront, the U.S. Custom House is a testament to the city's maritime history. It was built to accommodate the city's growing customs business, which, by 1866, was collecting $900,000 annually in customs duties—making Portland one of the most significant seaports in the country. The building is typical of the notable designs completed under the direction of Alfred B. Mullett, Supervising Architect of the Treasury from 1865 to 1874. Constructed between 1867 and 1872, the U.S. Custom House combines elements of the Second Empire and Renaissance Revival styles. The need for the new U.S. Custom House was exacerbated by the Great Fire of July 4, 1866. The fire destroyed the Exchange Building—which had previously housed the customs office, post office and courts—as well as 1,800 other buildings in the center of the city.
Although federal funds for the construction of buildings were limited during the post-Civil War period, the importance of maintaining Portland's customs business and rebuilding the city mandated the construction of the new government facility. Plans for designing the new U.S. Custom House were completed in 1866. Mullett was commissioned to design the new building, as well as a new post office and courthouse (no longer extant). Construction took five years to complete amid delays in obtaining granite for the upper stories.
The U.S. Custom House is the best remaining example of Mullett's work in the state of Maine and continued to serve its original function until U.S. Customs and Border Protection moved out in 2012. A major renovation was completed in 2013 and the building now houses several other federal agencies. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[Wikipedia]
Lincoln City Hall is the former seat of the Lincoln, Nebraska city government. The hall was built from 1874-1879 as the U.S. Post Office and Court House, designed by the office of the U.S. Treasury Department's architect, Alfred B. Mullett. A new post office and court house was built in 1906 and the property was transferred to the city. It was superseded as city hall in 1969 when the city government moved into the City-County Building. Although Mullett is officially listed as the architect, much of the design work may have been carried out by his assistant, William Appleton Potter, who specialized in the Gothic style
Early 20th century postcard view of Pennsylvania Avenue NW from about 9th Street. For more about the twin-towered Central National Bank Building, see www.streetsofwashington.com/2010/03/mr-mulletts-bank-buil...
This Custom House is in Portland, Maine.
The U.S. Customs Service was established by the First United States Congress in 1789, making it the oldest federal agency in the country. The functions of the Customs Service are to assess and collect duties and taxes on imported goods, to control carriers of imports and exports, and to combat smuggling and revenue fraud.
Located near Portland's waterfront, the U.S. Custom House is a testament to the city's maritime history. It was built to accommodate the city's growing customs business, which, by 1866, was collecting $900,000 annually in customs duties - making Portland one of the most significant seaports in the country. The building is typical of the notable designs completed under the direction of Alfred B. Mullett, Supervising Architect of the Treasury from 1865 to 1874. Constructed between 1867 and 1872, the U.S. Custom House combines elements of the Second Empire and Renaissance Revival styles. The need for the new U.S. Custom House was exacerbated by the Great Fire of July 4, 1866. The fire destroyed the Exchange Building -- which had previously housed the customs office, post office and courts -- as well as 1,800 other buildings in the center of the city.
Although federal funds for the construction of buildings were limited during the post-Civil War period, the importance of maintaining Portland's customs business and rebuilding the city mandated the construction of the new government facility. Plans for designing the new U.S. Custom House were completed in 1866. Mullett was commissioned to design the new building, as well as a new post office and courthouse (no longer extant). Construction took five years to complete amid delays in obtaining granite for the upper stories.
The U.S. Custom House is the best remaining example of Mullett's work in the state of Maine and continues to serve its original function. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[GSA website]
This was originally the: State, War, and Navy Building
commissioned by President Ulysses S. Grant.
Built: 1871 - 1888
Architect: Alfred B. Mullett, Supervising Architect of the Department of Treasury
This was originally the: State, War, and Navy Building
commissioned by President Ulysses S. Grant.
Built: 1871 - 1888
Architect: Alfred B. Mullett, Supervising Architect of the Department of Treasury
The U.S. Custom House and Post Office at 815 Olive St. was designed by Alfred B. Mullett, William Appleton Potter, and James G. Hill, and constructed between 1873 and 1884. The principal facade is the southern, along Olive Street, which features an iron mansard dome. The Olive Street elevation's pediment is ornamented by the 1877 sculpture "America at War and America at Peace" by Daniel Chester French, his first major commission. The third floor of building was occupied by the U.S District Court until 1935. The Post Office remained until 1970, occupying the main basement and first floor. A number of Federal agencies were housed on the fourth floor. The U.S. Circuit Court met here until that court was abolished in 1912. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit convened here from 1891 until 1935
The building was transferred from the U.S. General Services Administration to the state of Missouri in 2004. It is currently a mixed-use facility serving federal, state and private purposes. The building was the downtown campus for Webster University until the campus was relocated to the adjacent Arcade Building in 2015. Soon thereafter, Lindenwood University announced it would relocate its downtown campus to Webster University's former space. The Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, also occupies the building.
Treasury Building
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC
architect 'Alfred B. Mullett'
In the front the statue of 'Albert Gallatin'
Im Vordergrund die Statue von 'Albert Gallatin'
DSC06508
The second United States Mint was completed in 1874 for the Department of the Treasury at 88 Fifth Street. Architect Alfred B. Mullett designed it in a Greek Revival style with a Doric order. The columns and most of the exterior and upper floors was constructed of sandstone. The building had a central pedimented portico flanked by projecting wings in an E-shape; it was built around a completely enclosed central courtyard that contained a well. These features saved it during the fire of 1906 that followed the San Francisco Earthquake, when the heat melted the plate glass windows and exploded sandstone and granite blocks with which it was faced. The building is based on a concrete and granite foundation, designed to thwart tunneling into its vaults. At the time of the 1906, the Mint held $300 million, fully a third of the United States' gold reserves. The mint resumed operations thereafter, continuing until 1937 at this site. It is now used as an events space.
nrhp # 78002798- The Old Opera House is located in the Shenandoah Valley in Charles Town, West Virginia, once known as the New Opera House or simply The Opera House, is a restored theater, designed by T.A. Mullett of Washington, D.C., son of architect Alfred B. Mullett. The theater opened in 1911, bringing minstrel shows, vaudeville, touring theater groups, circuses and wild west shows to Charles Town. By the 1930s a projection machine was installed, but the theater closed in 1948. It has since re-opened as a community-supported performance space.
The building consists of a two-story street front with offices on the second floor in an old apartment building, pre-dating the theater portion by about twenty years. The house and stage occupy the interior of the lot.
from Wikipedia
nrhp # 69000132- Lincoln City Hall is the former seat of the Lincoln, Nebraska city government. The hall was built from 1874-1879 as the U.S. Post Office and Court House, designed by the office of the U.S. Treasury Department's architect, Alfred B. Mullett. A new post office and court house was built in 1906 and the property was transferred to the city. It was superseded as city hall in 1969 when the city government moved into the City-County Building. Although Mullett is officially listed as the architect, much of the design work may have been carried out by his assistant, William Appleton Potter, who specialized in the Gothic style.
from Wikipedia
Mount Vernon Theater (A.B. Mullett and Co., 1910), 918 Ninth Street, NW, 11/30/1969.
HABS reported it was, "A rare surviving example of the nickelodeon, earliest type of building designed expressly for showing motion pictures." This site in 2009.
Photo by Ronald Comedy for the Historic American Buildings Survey.
"The U.S. Custom House or U.S. Customhouse is the custom house in Charleston, South Carolina. Construction began in 1852, but was interrupted in 1859 due to costs and the possibility of South Carolina's secession from the Union. After the Civil War, construction was restarted in 1870 and completed in 1879. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 9, 1974. It is also a contributing property of the Charleston Historic District.
In the tense pre-Civil War period, the federal government felt that building a new custom house in Charleston to replace the Old Custom House would be a positive sign to South Carolina. A design competition with a US$300 prize was announced. About ten architects submitted entries. The four known entrants were three Charlestonian architects: Edward Brickell White, Edward C. Jones, and Peter H. Hammarskold and one Savannah, Georgia architect, John S. Norris. Noted New York architect, James Renwick submitted a late entry, which was returned. The commission judging the entries selected the Jones design and submitted the plans to the Secretary of the Treasury in Washington, DC.
There was lobbying while the decision was being made. Robert Mills submitted plans to the Secretary. Eventually, Ammi Burnham Young was selected to produce a new design incorporating features of the four competitive entries. White was appointed the superintending architect. Jones, Hammarskold, Norris, and White were awarded US$200 for their entries.
The final plans were for a two-story, cross-shaped building with an elevated, rusticated basement. It was to be 259 ft (79 m) from west to east and 152 ft (46 m) from north to south. The west and east arms had Roman porticoes supported by Corinthian limestone columns and steps down to grade. The north and south arms were porticoes. The walls had Corinthian engaged columns between the windows. There was a dome supported by Corinthian columns. The building was to be 160 ft (49 m) above grade. Except for the change from Doric to Corinthian order and for the high dome, the building bore resemblance to the Boston Customhouse that Young had recently designed.
Land was purchased at Fitzsimons' Wharf at East Bay and Market. Construction started in 1853 under White's direction. Since the location was marshy, 7,000 piles that were 40 ft (12 m) long were driven into the sand and were cut off at grade. A grillage or network of timber was laid. and a thick bed of concrete was constructed for the foundation. The granite walls of the basement were finished by 1855. After the marble-faced walls were erected, the columns were begun in 1858.
In 1859, there was increasing concern in Congress over the possible secession of South Carolina and the costs of construction. Representative John Letcher from Virginia called for a cessation of construction. Representative William Porcher Miles defended the construction with little enthusiasm. No funds were appropriated to continue construction in 1859.
White proposed eliminating the costly dome and replacing it with skylights. With the possibility of war, Congress only appropriated funds for protecting the construction from rain.
During the war, the building was damaged by shelling. In 1870, construction resumed. The original marble came from Hastings, New York. Because that quarry was abandoned, new marble was obtained from Tuckahoe, New Jersey. Alfred B. Mullett prepared revised drawings. Alterations made at his direction included the loss of the dome, the elimination of the north and south porticoes, and changes to the west entrance. The dome in Ammi B. Young's original design was replaced in 1876 with skylights that covered a two-story, square cortile or inside patio. Fluted Corinthian columns surround the iron second floor gallery. The gallery is ornamented with fluted pilasters. The north and south porticoes were probably converted to office space at this stage.
The windows are rectangular with pediments. The portico entrance doors are also pediment-ed. The buildings were topped with an entablature with architrave and an unadorned frieze with a dentiled cornice. The building has a low roof with an open balustrade.
Construction was completed in 1879. The total cost of construction was about US$2,806,000.
It is possible that the north and south portico were enclosed to increase office space in repairs after the 1886 Charleston earthquake.
In 1906, a heating system replaced the use of stoves and coal grates. In 1910, plumbing and electrical lighting were installed.
By the 1960s, the Custom House was used by a number of federal agencies. Threatened with demolition, local preservationists with the help of Representative Mendel Rivers worked to save the building.
In 1964, "UNITED STATES CUSTOM HOUSE" was engraved in the frieze above the west portico. In 1968, over US$212,000 was spent on restoration.
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean formed by the confluence of the Ashley, Cooper, and Wando rivers. Charleston had a population of 150,277 as of the 2020 U.S. Census. The 2020 population of the Charleston metropolitan area, comprising Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties, was 799,636 residents, the third-largest in the state and the 74th-largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States.
Charleston was founded in 1670 as Charles Town, honoring King Charles II, at Albemarle Point on the west bank of the Ashley River (now Charles Towne Landing) but relocated in 1680 to its present site, which became the fifth-largest city in North America within ten years. It remained unincorporated throughout the colonial period; its government was handled directly by a colonial legislature and a governor sent by Parliament. Election districts were organized according to Anglican parishes, and some social services were managed by Anglican wardens and vestries. Charleston adopted its present spelling with its incorporation as a city in 1783. Population growth in the interior of South Carolina influenced the removal of the state government to Columbia in 1788, but Charleston remained among the ten largest cities in the United States through the 1840 census.
Charleston's significance in American history is tied to its role as a major slave trading port. Charleston slave traders like Joseph Wragg were the first to break through the monopoly of the Royal African Company and pioneered the large-scale slave trade of the 18th century; almost one half of slaves imported to the United States arrived in Charleston. In 2018, the city formally apologized for its role in the American Slave trade after CNN noted that slavery "riddles the history" of Charleston." - info from Wikipedia.
The fall of 2022 I did my 3rd major cycling tour. I began my adventure in Montreal, Canada and finished in Savannah, GA. This tour took me through the oldest parts of Quebec and the 13 original US states. During this adventure I cycled 7,126 km over the course of 2.5 months and took more than 68,000 photos. As with my previous tours, a major focus was to photograph historic architecture.
Now on Instagram.
Originally built for the State, War and Navy Departments between 1871 and 1888, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building now houses a majority of offices for White House staff.
The Eisenhower Executive Office Building is located next to the West Wing, and houses a majority of offices for White House staff. Originally built for the State, War and Navy Departments between 1871 and 1888, the EEOB is an impressive building that commands a unique position in both our national history and architectural heritage.
Designed by Supervising Architect of the Treasury Alfred Mullett, the granite, slate and cast iron exterior makes the EEOB one of America’s best examples of the French Second Empire style of architecture. It took 17 years for Mullett’s masterpiece to finally be completed.
History
Next door to the White House, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) commands a unique position in both our national history and architectural heritage. Designed by Supervising Architect of the Treasury, Alfred B. Mullett, it was built from 1871 to 1888 to house the growing staffs of the State, War, and Navy Departments, and is considered one of the best examples of French Second Empire architecture in the country. In bold contrast to many of the somber classical revival buildings in Washington, the EEOB’s flamboyant style epitomizes the optimism and exuberance of the post-Civil War period.
The State, War, and Navy Building, as it was originally known, housed the three Executive Branch Departments most intimately associated with formulating and conducting the nation’s foreign policy in the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the first quarter of the twentieth century — the period when the United States emerged as an international power. The building has housed some of the nation’s most significant diplomats and politicians and has been the scene of many historic events.
The history of the EEOB began long before its foundations were laid. The first executive offices were constructed on sites flanking the White House between 1799 and 1820. A series of fires (including those set by the British in 1814) and overcrowded conditions led to the construction of the existing Treasury Building. In 1866, the construction of the North Wing of the Treasury Building necessitated the demolition of the State Department building to the northeast of the White House. The State Department then moved to the D.C. Orphan Asylum Building while the War and Navy Departments continued to make do with their cramped quarters to the west of the White House.
In December of 1869, Congress appointed a commission to select a site and prepare plans and cost estimates for a new State Department Building. The commission was also to consider possible arrangements for the War and Navy Departments. To the horror of some who expected a Greek Revival twin of the Treasury Building to be erected on the other side of the White House, the elaborate French Second Empire style design by Alfred Mullett was selected, and construction of a building to house all three departments began in June of 1871.
Construction took 17 years as the building slowly rose wing by wing. When the EEOB was finished in 1888, it was the largest office building in Washington, with nearly 2 miles of black and white tiled corridors. Almost all of the interior detail is of cast iron or plaster; the use of wood was minimized to ensure fire safety. Eight monumental curving staircases of granite with over 4,000 individually cast bronze balusters are capped by four skylight domes and two stained glass rotundas.
Completed in 1875, the State Department’s south wing was the first to be occupied, with its elegant four-story library (completed in 1876), Diplomatic Reception Room, and Secretary’s office decorated with carved wood, Oriental rugs, and stenciled wall patterns. The Navy Department moved into the east wing in 1879, where elaborate wall and ceiling stenciling and marqetry floors decorated the office of the Secretary. The Indian Treaty Room, originally the Navy’s library and reception room, cost more per square foot than any other room in the building because of its rich marble wall panels, tiled floors, 800-pound bronze sconces, and gold leaf ornamentation. This room has been the scene of many Presidential news conferences and continues to be used for conferences and receptions attended by the President. The remaining north, west, and center wings were constructed for the War Department and took an additional 10 years to build. Notable interiors include an ornate cast-iron library, the Secretary’s suite, and the stained glass skylight over the west wing’s double staircase.
Many of our most celebrated national figures have participated in historical events that have taken place within the EEOB’s granite walls. Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson,Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush all had offices in this building before becoming President. It has housed 16 Secretaries of the Navy, 21 Secretaries of War, and 24 Secretaries of State. Winston Churchill once walked its corridors and Japanese emissaries met here with Secretary of State Cordell Hull after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. President Herbert Hoover occupied the Secretary of Navy’s office for a few months following a fire in the Oval Office on Christmas Eve 1929. In recent history, President Richard Nixon had a private office here. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was the first in a succession of Vice Presidents to the present day that have had offices in the building.
Gradually, the original tenants of the EEOB vacated the building – the Navy Department left in 1918 (except for the Secretary who stayed until 1921), followed by the War Department in 1938, and finally by the State Department in 1947. The White House began to move some of its offices across West Executive Avenue in 1939, and in 1949 the building was turned over to the Executive Office of the President and renamed the Executive Office Building. The building continues to house various agencies that comprise the Executive Office of the President, such as the White House Office, the Office of the Vice President, the Office of Management and Budget, and the National Security Council.
The French Second Empire style originated in Europe, where it first appeared during the rebuilding of Paris in the 1850s and 60s. Based upon French Renaissance prototypes, such as the Louvre Palace, the Second Empire style is characterized by the use of a steep mansard roof, central and end pavilions, and an elaborately sculptured facade. Its sophistication appealed to visiting foreigners, especially in England and America, where as early as the late 1850s, architects began adopting isolated features and, eventually, the style as a coherent whole. Alfred Mullett’s interpretation of the French Second Empire style was, however, particularly Americanized in its lack of an ornate sculptural program and its bold, linear details.
While it was only a project on the drafting table, the design of the EEOB was subject to controversy. When it was completed in 1888, the Second Empire style had fallen from favor, and Mullett’s masterpiece was perceived by capricious Victorians as only an embarrassing reminder of past whims in architectural preference. This was especially the case with the EEOB, since previous plans for a building on the same site had been in the Greek Revivial style of the Treasury Building.
In 1917, the Commission of Fine Arts requested John Russell Pope to prepare sketches of the State, War, and Navy building that incorporated Classical facades. During the same year, Washington architect Waddy B. Wood completed a drawing depicting the building remodeled to resemble the Treasury Building. This project was revived in 1930 when Congress appropriated $3 million for its construction. Wood worked for 3 years on the design to remove the granite walls and replace them with marble, but the project was shelved due to financial burdens imposed by the Great Depression. In 1957, President Eisenhower‘s Advisory Committee on Presidential Office Space recommended demolition of the Executive Office Building and construction of a modern office facility. However, the public outcry, and the overwhelming expenses associated with the demolition, saved the building.
The building has not been without detractors. It has been referred to as Mullett’s “architectural infant asylum” by writer Henry Adams. President Harry S. Truman came to the defense of the building when it was threatened by demolition in 1958. He said it was “the greatest monstrosity in America”. Noted architectural historian Henry-Russell Hitchcock, however described it as “perhaps the best extant example in America of the second empire.”
The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1969. In 1972, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites. Since 1981, the Office of Administration of the Executive Office of the President has actively pursued a rigorous program of rehabilitation of the EEOB. The entire structure has benefited from an upgraded maintenance program that has also included restoration of some of the EEOB’s most spectacular historic interiors.
In 1988, Congress enacted legislation to allow the Office of Administration to accept gifts and loans from the public on behalf of the EEOB to be used for preservation and restoration purposes. Persons interested in finding out more about the preservation program or in making a contribution should contact the Preservation Office.
www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/eisenhower-execu...
Built as the St. Marc Hotel in 1860. In 1887 the Central National Bank assumed ownership of the hotel and commissioned architect Alfred B. Mullett to design the addition on the west facade. The addition included the two corner towers.
Built in 1870-75, this Renaissance Revival structure was designed by Alfred B. Mullett. It originally served as the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of South Carolina and the city's main post office. In 1936, the building was replaced by what is today the J. Bratton Davis United States Bankruptcy Courthouse, which stands directly west of this site. This structure now houses the Columbia City Hall, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
With roughly 136,000 people at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Columbia is the second largest city in South Carolina. It serves as the capital city of the state, the seat of Richland County, and home to the University of South Carolina.
The Woolworth Building 233 Broadway, opened in 1913. Across from it was, The Old City Hall Post Office & Courthouse, designed by Alfred B. Mullett. So off-put were the people of New York City with the Post Office's appearance they nicknamed it "Mullett's Monstrosity".
This image restoration and enhancement is the product of Photoshop, Akvis Sketch, Exposure X, Topaz and Nik plugs.
The original photograph was obtained from the Library of Congress, and can be seen via this link:
From Wikipedia:
Greystone, also called the Camp House, is a prominent historic home in Knoxville, Tennessee, that houses the studios and offices of WATE-TV. It is an imposing structure, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The mansion is located at 1306 Broadway (US441).
Major Eldad Cicero Camp began constructing his home in 1885. Architect Alfred B. Mullet designed the mansion in the Richardson Romanesque style. Mullett had previously designed the Customs House building in downtown Knoxville. The home is two and a half stories, with a three-story tower in the front. The exterior of the home is sheathed in stone from a quarry in Lake City, Tennessee. The home contains elaborate hand-carved mantels from France. Each room is paneled in a different type of wood. The heads of windows include stained glass panels, and 22 different types of marble are used in the house. The site also includes a carriage house.
Major Camp was born in Ohio, served in the Union army during the Civil War, made Knoxville his home and was appointed a U.S. District Attorney by President Ulysses S. Grant.
The Camp family used the home until 1935. When Camp's heirs were no longer able to maintain the house, they sold some of the furnishings and subdivided the mansion into apartments. The condition of the building declined during its rental use, until WATE-TV purchased the building in 1965 at a cost of $75,000. Over the next two years, the mansion was restored and renovated for use by the television station. The restoration and renovation process cost $1.5 million. The first floor of the building was preserved and restored largely in its original form. A new 13,000-square-foot addition on the back of the building housed the station's studios. In April 1973, Greystone was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1802 the Washington Jockey Club lay at the rear of what is now the site of Decatur House at H Street and Jackson Place, crossing Seventeenth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue to Twentieth Street-today the Eisenhower Executive Office Building-having been completed only 4 years earlier in 1798 as the stonemasons had finished the brick and painters applied white paint to the President's House.
State, War, and Navy Building in 1917
The building—originally called the State, War, and Navy Building because it housed the Departments of State, War, and the Navy—was built between 1871 and 1888 in the French Second Empire style.
It was designed by Alfred B. Mullett, Supervising Architect. Patterned after French Second Empire architecture that clashed sharply with the neoclassical style of the other Federal buildings in the city, it was generally regarded with scorn and disdain, and Mullett, the exterior architect, ended his life by suicide, while in litigation. The OEOB was referred to by Mark Twain as "the ugliest building in America."[5] President Harry S. Truman called it "the greatest monstrosity in America."[6] Historian Henry Adams called it Mullett's “architectural infant asylum.
Much of the interior was designed by Richard von Ezdorf using fireproof cast-iron structural and decorative elements, including massive skylights above each of the major stairwells and doorknobs with cast patterns indicating which of the original three occupying departments (State, Navy, or War) occupied a particular space. The total cost to construct the building came in at $10,038,482.42 when construction ended in 1888, after 17 years. The original tenants of the building quickly outgrew it and finally vacated it completely in the late 1930s. The building gradually came to be seen as inefficient and was nearly demolished in 1957. In 1969, the building received the highest recognition possible, becoming a National Historic Landmark.
In 1981, plans began to restore all the "secretary of" suites. The main office of the Secretary of the Navy was restored in 1987 and is now used as the ceremonial office of the Vice President of the United States. Shortly after September 11, 2001, the 17th Street side of the building was vacated and has since been modernized. The building continues to house various agencies that compose the President's Executive Office, such as the Office of the Vice President, the Office of Management and Budget, and the National Security Council. Its most public function is that of the Vice President's Ceremonial Office, which is mainly used for special meetings and press conferences.
Many celebrated national figures have participated in historical events that have taken place within the Old Executive Office Building. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush all had offices in this building before becoming President. It has housed 16 Secretaries of the Navy, 21 Secretaries of War, and 24 Secretaries of State. Sir Winston Churchill once walked its corridors and Japanese emissaries met there with Secretary of State Cordell Hull after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. President Herbert Hoover occupied the Secretary of the Navy's office for a few months following a fire in the Oval Office on Christmas Eve 1929. President Eisenhower held the first televised Presidential news conference in the building's Indian Treaty Room (Room 474) on January 19, 1955.
In more recent history, Richard Nixon had a private office there during his presidency, where his secret taping system recorded some of the conversations that proved the Watergate scandal. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was the first in a succession of Vice Presidents who have had offices in the building.The first wife of a Vice President to have an office in the building was Marilyn Quayle, wife of Dan Quayle, Vice President to George H.W. Bush.[citation needed]
The Old Executive Office Building was renamed the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building when President Bill Clinton approved legislation changing the name on November 9, 1999. President George W. Bush participated in a rededication ceremony on May 7, 2002.
A small fire on December 19, 2007 damaged an office of the vice-president's staff and included the VP ceremonial office.According to media reporting, the office of the Vice President's Political Director, Amy Whitelaw, was heavily damaged in the fire.
The former 'San Francisco Mint' building on 5th Street in the neighbourhood 'South of Market' at the corner of Mission Street
Das Gebäude der ehemaligen Münze 'San Francisco Mint' in der 5th Street im Viertel 'South of Market' an der Ecke zur Mission Street
'San Francisco Mint'
88 5th Street, San Francisco, CA
architect: 'Alfred B. Mullett'
DSC02775
**Executive Office Building** - National Register of Historic Places Ref # 69000293, date listed 6/4/1969
Pennsylvania Ave. and 17th St., NW
Washington, DC (District of Columbia)
A National Historic Landmark (www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/list-of-nh...).
The Joint Committee on Landmarks has designated the Executive Office Building a Category I Landmark of great importance which contributes significantly to the cultural heritage of both the Nation and the District of Columbia. Designed by Alfred B. Mullett and erected over a 17-year period from 1871-1888, the Executive Office Building is one of the country's few remaining examples of French Renaissance Revival architecture on a monumental scale. It has been called "A horrible example of . . . American ironic," "'the greatest monstrosity in America," and "the Masterwork of the Gilded Age." For years the headquarters of the State, War and Navy Departments and more recently the home of the Bureau of the Budget and White House staff, the Executive Office Building has been associated with men, events, and decisions of incalculable historical importance to the Nation. It must be preserved. (1)
The building, originally called the State, War, and Navy Building because it housed these three departments, was built between 1871 and 1888 in the French Second Empire style.
It was designed by Alfred B. Mullett, Supervising Architect of the Department of Treasury, which had responsibility for federal buildings. Patterned after French Second Empire architecture that clashed sharply with the neoclassical style of the other Federal buildings in the city, it was generally regarded with scorn and disdain. Writer Mark Twain referred to this building as "the ugliest building in America." President Harry S. Truman called it "the greatest monstrosity in America." Historian Henry Adams called it Mullett's “architectural infant asylum.” Mullett later resigned. Beset by financial difficulties, litigation, and illness, in 1890 he committed suicide. (2)
References (1) NRHP Nomination Form s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg...
(2) Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenhower_Executive_Office_Building
The Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) — formerly known as the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB) and even earlier as the State, War, and Navy Building — is situated just west of the White House in the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C.. It is maintained by the General Services Administration and is occupied by the White House Office of Administration and Executive Office of the President. It is on 17th Street NW, between Pennsylvania Avenue and New York Avenue, and West Executive Drive. The building, built between 1871 and 1888, is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Many White House employees have their offices in the massive edifice.
State, War, and Navy Building[edit]
State, War, and Navy Building in 1917
According to the National Register of Historic Places, the building—originally called the State, War, and Navy Building because it housed the Departments of State, War, and the Navy—was built between 1871 and 1888 in the French Second Empire-style. It was designed by Alfred B. Mullett, Supervising Architect.
The Old Executive Office Building was renamed the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building when President Bill Clinton approved legislation changing the name on November 9, 1999. President George W. Bush participated in a rededication ceremony on May 7, 2002.[3]
Much of the interior was designed by Richard von Ezdorf using fireproof cast-iron structural and decorative elements, including massive skylights above each of the major stairwells and doorknobs with cast patterns indicating which of the original three occupying departments (State, Navy, or War) occupied a particular space. The original tenants of the building quickly outgrew it and finally vacated it completely in the late 1930s. The building gradually came to be seen as inefficient and was nearly demolished in 1957. In 1981, plans began to restore all the "secretary of" suites. The main office of the Secretary of the Navy was restored in 1987 and is now used as the ceremonial office of the Vice President of the United States. Shortly after 11 September 2001, the 17th Street side of the building was vacated and has since been modernized. The building continues to house various agencies that compose the President's Executive Office, such as the Office of the Vice President, the Office of Management and Budget, and the National Security Council. However, its most public purpose is that of the Vice President's Ceremonial Office, which is mainly used for special meetings and press conferences.[4]
Eisenhower Executive Office Building façade
Executive Office Building
Many celebrated national figures have participated in historical events that have taken place within the Old Executive Office Building. Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush all had offices in this building before becoming President. It has housed 16 Secretaries of the Navy, 21 Secretaries of War, and 24 Secretaries of State. Winston Churchill once walked its corridors and Japanese emissaries met there with Secretary of State Cordell Hull after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. President Herbert Hoover occupied the Secretary of the Navy's office for a few months following a fire in the Oval Office on Christmas Eve 1929. Dwight D. Eisenhower held the first televised Presidential news conference in the building's Indian Treaty Room in January 1955.[5] In recent history, Richard Nixon had a private office there during his presidency. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was the first in a succession of Vice Presidents who have had offices in the building.[4]
A small fire on December 19, 2007 damaged an office of the vice-president's staff and included the VP ceremonial office.[6][7][8] According to media reporting, the office of the Vice President's Political Director, Amy Whitelaw, was heavily damaged in the fire.[9]
The OEOB was referred to by Mark Twain as "the ugliest building in America."[10] Harry Truman called it "the greatest monstrosity in America."[11] Henry Adams called it Mullet's “architectural infant asylum.”[12]
Built in 1870-75, this Renaissance Revival structure was designed by Alfred B. Mullett. It originally served as the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of South Carolina and the city's main post office. In 1936, the building was replaced by what is today the J. Bratton Davis United States Bankruptcy Courthouse, which stands directly west of this site. This structure now houses the Columbia City Hall, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
With roughly 136,000 people at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Columbia is the second largest city in South Carolina. It serves as the capital city of the state, the seat of Richland County, and home to the University of South Carolina.
The U.S. Custom House and Post Office at 815 Olive St. was designed by Alfred B. Mullett, William Appleton Potter, and James G. Hill, and constructed between 1873 and 1884. The principal facade is the southern, along Olive Street, which features an iron mansard dome. The Olive Street elevation's pediment is ornamented by the 1877 sculpture "America at War and America at Peace" by Daniel Chester French, his first major commission. The third floor of building was occupied by the U.S District Court until 1935. The Post Office remained until 1970, occupying the main basement and first floor. A number of Federal agencies were housed on the fourth floor. The U.S. Circuit Court met here until that court was abolished in 1912. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit convened here from 1891 until 1935
The building was transferred from the U.S. General Services Administration to the state of Missouri in 2004. It is currently a mixed-use facility serving federal, state and private purposes. The building was the downtown campus for Webster University until the campus was relocated to the adjacent Arcade Building in 2015. Soon thereafter, Lindenwood University announced it would relocate its downtown campus to Webster University's former space. The Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, also occupies the building.
The Central National Bank building was construted 1860, although the west front was renovated in 1887 by architect Alfred B. Mullett. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places #95000526.
Construction began 1869, demolished in 1939,
the site was used to extend City Hall Park to the south.
This post office was commonly called "Mullett's Monstrosity"
Card from the New York Life Insurance Company,
collection of the New York Public Library
The former 'San Francisco Mint' building on 5th Street in the neighbourhood 'South of Market'
Das Gebäude der ehemaligen Münze 'San Francisco Mint' in der 5th Street im Viertel 'South of Market'
'San Francisco Mint'
88 5th Street, San Francisco, CA
architect: 'Alfred B. Mullett'
DSC04244
"The United States Custom House is a historic custom house at 312 Fore Street in downtown Portland, Maine. It was built from 1867–1872 to house offices of the United States Customs Service, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Located near Portland's waterfront, the U.S. Custom House is a testament to the city's maritime history. It was built to accommodate the city's growing customs business, which, by 1866, was collecting $900,000 annually in customs duties—making Portland one of the most significant seaports in the country. The building is typical of the notable designs completed under the direction of Alfred B. Mullett, Supervising Architect of the Treasury from 1865 to 1874. Constructed between 1867 and 1872, the U.S. Custom House combines elements of the Second Empire and Renaissance Revival styles. The need for the new U.S. Custom House was exacerbated by the Great Fire of July 4, 1866. The fire destroyed the Exchange Building—which had previously housed the customs office, post office and courts—as well as 1,800 other buildings in the center of the city.
Although federal funds for the construction of buildings were limited during the post-Civil War period, the importance of maintaining Portland's customs business and rebuilding the city mandated the construction of the new government facility. Plans for designing the new U.S. Custom House were completed in 1866. Mullett was commissioned to design the new building, as well as a new post office and courthouse (no longer extant). Construction took five years to complete amid delays in obtaining granite for the upper stories.
The U.S. Custom House is the best remaining example of Mullett's work in the state of Maine and continued to serve its original function until U.S. Customs and Border Protection moved out in 2012. A major renovation was completed in 2013 and the building now houses several other federal agencies. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Portland's economy relies mostly on the service sector and tourism. The Old Port is known for its nightlife and 19th-century architecture. Marine industry plays an important role in the city's economy, with an active waterfront that supports fishing and commercial shipping. The Port of Portland is the second-largest tonnage seaport in New England.
The city seal depicts a phoenix rising from ashes, a reference to recovery from four devastating fires. Portland was named after the English Isle of Portland, Dorset. In turn, the city of Portland, Oregon was named after Portland, Maine. The word Portland is derived from the Old English word Portlanda, which means "land surrounding a harbor". The Greater Portland area has emerged as an important center for the creative economy, which is also bringing gentrification." - info from Wikipedia.
The fall of 2022 I did my 3rd major cycling tour. I began my adventure in Montreal, Canada and finished in Savannah, GA. This tour took me through the oldest parts of Quebec and the 13 original US states. During this adventure I cycled 7,126 km over the course of 2.5 months and took more than 68,000 photos. As with my previous tours, a major focus was to photograph historic architecture.
Now on Instagram.
Lincoln City Hall is the former seat of the Lincoln, Nebraska city government. The hall was built from 1874-1879 as the U.S. Post Office and Court House, designed by the office of the U.S. Treasury Department's architect, Alfred B. Mullett. A new post office and court house was built in 1906 and the property was transferred to the city. It was superseded as city hall in 1969 when the city government moved into the City-County Building. Although Mullett is officially listed as the architect, much of the design work may have been carried out by his assistant, William Appleton Potter, who specialized in the Gothic style
The Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) — formerly known as the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB) and even earlier as the State, War, and Navy Building — is situated just west of the White House in the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C.. It is maintained by the General Services Administration and is occupied by the White House Office of Administration and Executive Office of the President. It is on 17th Street NW, between Pennsylvania Avenue and New York Avenue, and West Executive Drive. The building, built between 1871 and 1888, is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Many White House employees have their offices in the massive edifice.
State, War, and Navy Building[edit]
State, War, and Navy Building in 1917
According to the National Register of Historic Places, the building—originally called the State, War, and Navy Building because it housed the Departments of State, War, and the Navy—was built between 1871 and 1888 in the French Second Empire-style. It was designed by Alfred B. Mullett, Supervising Architect.
The Old Executive Office Building was renamed the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building when President Bill Clinton approved legislation changing the name on November 9, 1999. President George W. Bush participated in a rededication ceremony on May 7, 2002.[3]
Much of the interior was designed by Richard von Ezdorf using fireproof cast-iron structural and decorative elements, including massive skylights above each of the major stairwells and doorknobs with cast patterns indicating which of the original three occupying departments (State, Navy, or War) occupied a particular space. The original tenants of the building quickly outgrew it and finally vacated it completely in the late 1930s. The building gradually came to be seen as inefficient and was nearly demolished in 1957. In 1981, plans began to restore all the "secretary of" suites. The main office of the Secretary of the Navy was restored in 1987 and is now used as the ceremonial office of the Vice President of the United States. Shortly after 11 September 2001, the 17th Street side of the building was vacated and has since been modernized. The building continues to house various agencies that compose the President's Executive Office, such as the Office of the Vice President, the Office of Management and Budget, and the National Security Council. However, its most public purpose is that of the Vice President's Ceremonial Office, which is mainly used for special meetings and press conferences.[4]
Eisenhower Executive Office Building façade
Executive Office Building
Many celebrated national figures have participated in historical events that have taken place within the Old Executive Office Building. Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush all had offices in this building before becoming President. It has housed 16 Secretaries of the Navy, 21 Secretaries of War, and 24 Secretaries of State. Winston Churchill once walked its corridors and Japanese emissaries met there with Secretary of State Cordell Hull after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. President Herbert Hoover occupied the Secretary of the Navy's office for a few months following a fire in the Oval Office on Christmas Eve 1929. Dwight D. Eisenhower held the first televised Presidential news conference in the building's Indian Treaty Room in January 1955.[5] In recent history, Richard Nixon had a private office there during his presidency. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was the first in a succession of Vice Presidents who have had offices in the building.[4]
A small fire on December 19, 2007 damaged an office of the vice-president's staff and included the VP ceremonial office.[6][7][8] According to media reporting, the office of the Vice President's Political Director, Amy Whitelaw, was heavily damaged in the fire.[9]
The OEOB was referred to by Mark Twain as "the ugliest building in America."[10] Harry Truman called it "the greatest monstrosity in America."[11] Henry Adams called it Mullet's “architectural infant asylum.”[12]
St. Louis, MO (est. 1764. pop. ~300K)
• US Customs House & Post Office, later known as the Old Post Office (OPO) • when owned by the US General Services Administration (GSA), was ranked 6th most historic & 7th most architecturally significant bldg. of over 2200 GSA buildings • courtroom & Library designated “Level 1,” reserved for only the most historically significant spaces such as the Statue of Liberty, Old Courthouse (St. Louis) & Rotunda, Washington, D.C.
• French Second Empire ("General Grant Style") design [photo] by Alfred B. Mullett (1834-1890), Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury • supervised construction 5 buildings similar to this one in Washington, D.C., Boston, New York, Philadelphia & Cincinnati, of which only this & the Washington, D.C. Eisenhower Executive Office Bldg. remain • the other 4 were demolished between 1936-1942 • Mullett's Portland ME Customs House [photo] has also survived
• when construction began in 1873, workers digging the foundation struck quicksand • drove pine support beams deep into the bedrock, packed 500 bales of cotton around them & covered them w/ 4 ft. of limestone concrete slabs • on March 15, 1884, General William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891) presided over dedication of the bldg. which at that time housed federal courts & up to $4MM in gold bullion
• 1st floor façade is Iron Mountain Red Granite from Iron Mt. • façade of the upper three levels is Grey Hurricane Island Granite from Maine • below the dome is a replica of the sculpture “Peace and Vigilance” by Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), who also sculpted the famous Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial • the original sculpture was restored & relocated to the building's 1st floor in 1991 • sculpture aka “America at War and Peace, & ” “Peace, Vigilance and the American Eagle"
• in 1978-1982, federal government renovated the bldg. for federal offices • in 1912 main post office moved out • in1990’s most federal offices moved out, bldg. designated “surplus property” by federal govt. • possible demolition announced, 1964 • transferred to the state of Missouri, 2004
• United States Customhouse & Post Office, National Register # 68000053, 1968
• designated National Historic Landmark, 1970
• designated a City Landmark, 1971
The Central National Bank building was construted 1860, although the west front was renovated in 1887 by architect Alfred B. Mullett. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places #95000526.
The Customhouse and Post Office was designed by Alfred Mullett in 1873. It is one of two surviving Federal buildings by Mullett. The other one is the Old Executive Office Building next to the White House. You can't see it from this perspective, but there is a large domed portion on the other side of the building.
This building's adaptive reuse was part of a huge controversy between the Landmarks Association of St Louis and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Basically the developers interested in the adaptive reuse of the Old Post Office wanted to demolish the historic Century Building for a parking structure (which is what eventually happened). The National Trust sided with the developers horror, and the Century Building came tumbling down.
The Customhouse and Post Office (Old Post Office) is on the National Register #68000053, and it is also a National Historic Landmark.
Built in 1870-1874, this Renaissance Revival-style building was designed by Alfred B. Mullett to serve as a United States Post Office and Federal Courthouse for the city of Columbia, South Carolina. The Post Office moved out of the building in favor of a newer building closer to the State House in 1921, after which the building became fully occupied by federal offices and the United States Courthouse until the adjacent Federal Building and United States Courthouse was completed in 1937. After the federal government offices and courts moved out of the building, it was sold to the city of Columbia, and was repurposed as Columbia City Hall. The building features a limestone-clad exterior, a hipped roof, bracketed eaves with dentils, two-over-two double-hung windows, a rusticated base, arched bays at the first floor, pediments above the second-story windows, oxeye windows below the front and rear gables, and rusticated piers at the corners of the building. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and today, remains in use as Columbia City Hall.
The U.S. Customs Service was established by the First United States Congress in 1789, making it the oldest federal agency in the country. The functions of the Customs Service are to assess and collect duties and taxes on imported goods, to control carriers of imports and exports, and to combat smuggling and revenue fraud.
Located near Portland's waterfront, the U.S. Custom House is a testament to the city's maritime history. It was built to accommodate the city's growing customs business, which, by 1866, was collecting $900,000 annually in customs duties - making Portland one of the most significant seaports in the country. The building is typical of the notable designs completed under the direction of Alfred B. Mullett, Supervising Architect of the Treasury from 1865 to 1874. Constructed between 1867 and 1872, the U.S. Custom House combines elements of the Second Empire and Renaissance Revival styles. The need for the new U.S. Custom House was exacerbated by the Great Fire of July 4, 1866. The fire destroyed the Exchange Building -- which had previously housed the customs office, post office and courts -- as well as 1,800 other buildings in the center of the city.
Although federal funds for the construction of buildings were limited during the post-Civil War period, the importance of maintaining Portland's customs business and rebuilding the city mandated the construction of the new government facility. Plans for designing the new U.S. Custom House were completed in 1866. Mullett was commissioned to design the new building, as well as a new post office and courthouse (no longer extant). Construction took five years to complete amid delays in obtaining granite for the upper stories.
The U.S. Custom House is the best remaining example of Mullett's work in the state of Maine and continues to serve its original function. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
St. Louis, MO (est. 1764. pop. ~300K)
• US Customs House & Post Office, later known as the Old Post Office (OPO) • when owned by the US General Services Administration (GSA), was ranked 6th most historic & 7th most architecturally significant bldg. of over 2200 GSA buildings • courtroom & Library designated “Level 1,” reserved for only the most historically significant spaces such as the Statue of Liberty, Old Courthouse (St. Louis) & Rotunda, Washington, D.C.
• French Second Empire ("General Grant Style") design [photo] by Alfred B. Mullett (1834-1890), Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury • supervised construction 5 buildings similar to this one in Washington, D.C., Boston, New York, Philadelphia & Cincinnati, of which only this & the Washington, D.C. Eisenhower Executive Office Bldg. remain • the other 4 were demolished between 1936-1942 • Mullett's Portland ME Customs House [photo] has also survived
• when construction began in 1873, workers digging the foundation struck quicksand • drove pine support beams deep into the bedrock, packed 500 bales of cotton around them & covered them w/ 4 ft. of limestone concrete slabs • on March 15, 1884, General William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891) presided over dedication of the bldg. which at that time housed federal courts & up to $4MM in gold bullion
• 1st floor façade is Iron Mountain Red Granite from Iron Mt. • façade of the upper three levels is Grey Hurricane Island Granite from Maine • below the dome is a replica of the sculpture “Peace and Vigilance” by Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), who also sculpted the famous Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial • the original sculpture was restored & relocated to the building's 1st floor in 1991 • sculpture aka “America at War and Peace, & ” “Peace, Vigilance and the American Eagle"
• in 1978-1982, federal government renovated the bldg. for federal offices • in 1912 main post office moved out • in1990’s most federal offices moved out, bldg. designated “surplus property” by federal govt. • possible demolition announced, 1964 • transferred to the state of Missouri, 2004
• United States Customhouse & Post Office, National Register # 68000053, 1968
• designated National Historic Landmark, 1970
• designated a City Landmark, 1971
St. Louis, MO (est. 1764. pop. ~300K)
• US Customs House & Post Office, later known as the Old Post Office (OPO) • when owned by the US General Services Administration (GSA), was ranked 6th most historic & 7th most architecturally significant bldg. of over 2200 GSA buildings • courtroom & Library designated “Level 1,” reserved for only the most historically significant spaces such as the Statue of Liberty, Old Courthouse (St. Louis) & Rotunda, Washington, D.C.
• French Second Empire ("General Grant Style") design by Alfred B. Mullett (1834-1890), Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury • supervised construction 5 buildings similar to this one in Washington, D.C., Boston, New York, Philadelphia & Cincinnati, of which only this & the Washington, D.C. Eisenhower Executive Office Bldg. remain • the other 4 were demolished between 1936-1942 • Mullett's Portland ME Customs House [photo] has also survived
• when construction began in 1873, workers digging the foundation struck quicksand • drove pine support beams deep into the bedrock, packed 500 bales of cotton around them & covered them w/ 4 ft. of limestone concrete slabs • on March 15, 1884, General William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891) presided over dedication of the bldg. which at that time housed federal courts & up to $4MM in gold bullion
• 1st floor façade is Iron Mountain Red Granite from Iron Mt. • façade of the upper three levels is Grey Hurricane Island Granite from Maine • below the dome is a replica of the sculpture “Peace and Vigilance” by Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), who also sculpted the famous Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial • the original sculpture was restored & relocated to the building's 1st floor in 1991 • sculpture aka “America at War and Peace, & ” “Peace, Vigilance and the American Eagle"
• in 1978-1982, federal government renovated the bldg. for federal offices • in 1912 main post office moved out • in1990’s most federal offices moved out, bldg. designated “surplus property” by federal govt. • possible demolition announced, 1964 • transferred to the state of Missouri, 2004
• United States Customhouse & Post Office, National Register # 68000053, 1968
• designated National Historic Landmark, 1970
• designated a City Landmark, 1971
Built in 1874, this Renaissance Revival and Italianate-style building was designed by Alfred B. Mullett to serve as the main US Post Office and Custom House for Knoxville before the present United States Post Office and Federal Courthouse was completed in 1934, with the building then becoming home to offices for TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) from 1936 until 1976, when the present TVA Building was completed on Summit Hill Drive. The building then became home to the East Tennessee History Center, which has offices, archives, collections, and museum exhibit space inside the building. The building features a stone exterior with a hipped roof with gable ends at the central bays of the front and side facades, a cornice with brackets and modillions, decorative window headers with brackets, quoins, arched window openings on the first floor, two-over-two and one-over-one windows, a light court at the original rear facade of the building, and a simplified but harmonious three-bay rear addition added in the 1910 to expand the building’s floor area. To the east of the rear addition is a wing designed by Barber McMurry in 2004, which is a postmodern neotraditional interpretation of the building’s design to the rear of the original building, extending to Gay Street. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Collection: A. D. White Architectural Photographs, Cornell University Library
Accession Number: 15/5/3090.00249
Title: Post Office and Treasury
Architect: Alfred Bult Mullett (English, 1834-1890)
Building Date: ca. 1880
Location: North and Central America: United States; Massachusetts, Boston
Materials: albumen print
Image: 8 1/8 x 12 in.; 20.6375 x 30.48 cm
Provenance: Transfer from the College of Architecture, Art and Planning
Persistent URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1813.001/5sf8
There are no known U.S. copyright restrictions on this image. The digital file is owned by the Cornell University Library which is making it freely available with the request that, when possible, the Library be credited as its source.
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