Herbert C. Hoover Building, Government building in Federal Triangle, Washington, D.C.
The Herbert C. Hoover Building spans three city blocks and displays twenty-four fluted columns in Doric colonnade formation on its eastern facade. The structure holds over 3,300 rooms across seven floors, providing approximately 1.8 million square feet (167,000 square meters) of workspace for the Department of Commerce.
Construction started in 1927, and President Herbert Hoover laid the cornerstone in 1929 using the same shovel George Washington had used for the Capitol Building. Work continued for several years, and the structure was finally ready for federal government use in the early 1930s.
The Malcolm Baldrige Great Hall once served as a Patent Search Room and now houses the White House Visitor Center inside the Department of Commerce headquarters. Visitors use this hall to learn about the presidential residence before continuing their tour of Washington.
The building sits centrally in the Federal Triangle and can be reached through several entrances, with the main colonnade entrance being the most recognizable. Some areas are open to the public, but most rooms serve as federal offices, so visitors should plan ahead for access.
The structure rests on 13,500 concrete piles above an ancient riverbed of Tiber Creek, which connected to the Potomac River in the early 19th century. The piles had to be driven deep into the ground to support the weight of the multi-story building on the wet and unstable soil.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
