Federal Trade Commission Building, Government building in Federal Triangle, United States.
The Federal Trade Commission Building is a nine-story neoclassical government office building made from granite and limestone, located in the Federal Triangle of Washington, D.C. It sits at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Constitution Avenue and has a triangular footprint with a curved portico facing the corner.
The building was completed in 1938 as the last major structure added to the Federal Triangle, a group of government buildings developed during the New Deal era. The Federal Triangle project itself had been planned since the 1920s as part of a broad effort to reorganize the center of the capital.
The outer walls carry stone reliefs showing figures tied to trade and commerce, giving the building a sense of civic purpose. Two large horse-and-man sculptures by American sculptor Michael Lantz flank the main entrance on Pennsylvania Avenue.
The building sits in the heart of the Federal Triangle, within easy walking distance of several Metro stations. Because it is an active federal office building, public access is limited to the exterior, so it is worth checking current entry conditions before visiting.
When President Franklin D. Roosevelt laid the cornerstone in 1937, he used the same silver trowel that George Washington had used for the Capitol in 1793. That single tool had already been present at one of the most symbolic moments in the country's founding history.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
