United States Department of Agriculture South Building, Government office building in Southwest Washington, D.C., United States
The United States Department of Agriculture South Building is a seven-story government office building on Independence Avenue in Southwest Washington, D.C. It is made up of twelve north-south wings linked by a central Headhouse and Tailhouse, with limestone facing the National Mall and brick on the remaining sides.
Construction started in 1930, during the Great Depression, and the building was finished in 1936. At that point it held the title of the largest office building in the world, a record it kept until the Pentagon was completed.
The exterior features relief panels carved by sculptor Edwin Morris, showing animals such as turkeys, eagles, horses, bulls, and rams. These carvings are easy to spot along the facade and connect the building's purpose to the natural world in a direct, visual way.
Two enclosed pedestrian bridges on the third floor connect this building to the USDA Administration Building next door, so moving between the two is sheltered from the weather. The building sits right along the National Mall, which makes it straightforward to find from outside.
The building contains around 4,500 rooms, and first-time visitors often find the connected wings disorienting, since the interior reads more like a small city block than a single office. Its stripped classicism style, which strips away most ornament while keeping a formal shape, was a deliberate choice that set it apart from earlier federal buildings in the city.
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