Herbert C. Hoover Building

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.

Location: Washington, D.C.

Inception: 1927

Architects: Louis Ayres, York and Sawyer

Official opening: 1932

Architectural style: Greek Revival architecture, neoclassicism

Floors above the ground: 7

Floors below the ground: 1

Part of: Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site

Address: 1401 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20230

GPS coordinates: 38.89417,-77.03278

Latest update: December 22, 2025 16:25