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Chamber of Commerce Building

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1929, Cass Gilbert. 1615 H St. NW
  • Chamber of Commerce Building (Nation's Business)

Begun a year after completion of the Treasury Annex (see WH13) in 1928, the Chamber of Commerce Building employs the same general arrangement as the earlier building. It also occupies a corner site (in this case an irregular one) and has two identical facades. Yet one building is mundane and the other admirable. The architectural success of the Chamber of Commerce is due to its more finely tuned proportions, more direct relationship to the ground, and more refined details. Engaged giant Corinthian columns provide the vertical frame for the three stories with a simple Greek key frieze and recessed panels dividing the stories horizontally. The low relief of the carving is echoed in the shallowly channeled rusticated basement.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Pamela Scott and Antoinette J. Lee
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Data

Timeline

  • 1929

    Built

What's Nearby

Decatur House, National Trust for Historic Preservation
Office Building
Jackson Place
Saint John's Church Parish House
Saint John's Church

Citation

Pamela Scott and Antoinette J. Lee, "Chamber of Commerce Building", [Washington, District of Columbia], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/DC-01-WH09.

Print Source

Buildings of the District of Columbia, Pamela Scott and Antoinette J. Lee. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993, 161-162.

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