The building houses mostly commercial and governmental offices, along with a large atrium with shops, an entertainment stage, and a food court.

But the highlight of the building is just an elevator ride to the 270 foot-high observation deck. Being the third tallest building in Washington, DC, it offers fantastic panoramas of the National Mall.

Opened in 1899, the Post Office Building was located between the Capitol Building and the White House, an area which later became called Federal Triangle. Around the turn-of-the-century, the neighborhood was considered very seedy and opening the new Post Office was hoped to bring revitalization to the area.

When the building was opened it boasted a few “firsts” at the time:

• largest office building in DC,
• first building in the capital to use a steel frame construction,
• first Federal building on Pennsylvania Avenue,
• DC’s largest atrium.

Unlike most iron or steel framed buildings, the five-feet-thick granite exterior walls are self-supporting, using the steel girders to support the interior floor beams.

Sadly, during the building’s opening ceremonies, the Postmaster of Washington, DC fell to his death down an open elevator shaft.

Within fifteen years, the main DC post office moved to a larger facility and the building earned the “old” status. 

The building was also not very popular with the public, due to its Romanesque revival architecture, massive arches and towers. Numerous efforts were made to have the old Post Office building torn down.  Fueled by media comments, such as the one by the The New York Times who called it “a cross between a cathedral and a cotton mill”, didn’t help the buildings reputation. The building’s style, which incorporated 11th and 12th century French, Spanish and Italian styles, was a style that fell out of public favor quickly.

The Old Post Office building was then used by numerous government agencies and was considered a prime target for demolition.  Luckily, funding was not available to tear the building down in the late 1920-and early 1930s due to the Great Depression.

After the Pennsylvania Avenue Commission was appointed by President Kennedy in 1962, the Old Post Office was once again slated to be demolished. By 1971 congressional funding had been approved and demolition permits had been issued.

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Luckily, after 70 years of being one of DC’s landmarks, the building was saved when the chairwoman of the National Endowments for the Arts (NEA), joined with a citizen’s preservationist group called “Don’t Tear It Down” to convince Congress to save the building.  In 1973, the building was added to the National Registry of Historic Places and extensively renovated in 1976.

The building is now officially called the Nancy Hanks Center, named after the NEA’s first female Chairwoman, but everyone still calls it the Old Post Office Building.

To honor America’s bicentennial in 1976, Great Britain presented a set of ten English bells to Congress, replicas of the bells in London’s Westminster Abbey. Ranging in weight from 581 to 2,953 pounds, the bells were installed in the old Post Office clock tower.  The bells are rung in honor of the opening and closing of Congress and on state occasions, including all national holidays.

The building hosts a weekly practice session of the Congressional Bells by the tower’s bell stewards, most Thursday evenings, from 7-9 p.m.

Also, free live music lunch hour performances are open top the public, ranging from local school choirs and bands to professional jazz and cultural music groups.

Try to visit on days when the sky is clear and blue for the best views and photo ops. Sunset views can also be fantastic.

The Old Post Office and Clock Tower
1100 Pennsylvania Ave. at 12th St., NW
Washington, DC 20004  (map it)
202-606-8691

Dates and Times – Monday – Saturday – 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.,  Sunday – 10:00 a.m. – 5:45 p.m. 

Admission – FREE, take the elevator at the left of the stage. look for the sign stating “Take the Tower Tour”. 

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Federal Triangle – Orange and Blue lines, then a 2-block walk or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – limited metered street and paid garage parking is available.

Images – Thanks to the many Flickr photographers used in this post – exterior,  building at night, view toward Washington Monument, view toward the Capitol Building, atrium, night view of Washington Monument, Ben Franklin, front arch, tower, 
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Post from: The DC Traveler