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NCR-1227 (REV.5-90)

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HISTORiC

STRUCTURES

REPORT

INTERNAL

REVENUE

SERVICE

BUILDING

. WASHINGTON, D.C.

Historic structures Analysis and Report

INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE BUILDING

1111 Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C.

for the

General Services Administration

National Capital Region

Project No. RFTP/IFB/GS-03B-98361/99038

March 1981

Building Conservation Technology, Inc.

1555 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20036

PREFACE

The following Historic Structures Report was prepared for the U.S. General Services Administration, National Capital Region, Region 11, for the purpose of providing guidelines for current and future modifications of the Internal Revenue Service Building at Constitution Avenue and 12th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. in such a way as to preserve the historic integrity of the structure and for further documenting the development, architectural resources, and present condition.

The contents of the report are in response to the contract scope of work comprising a discussion of the Federal Triangle development and the Internal Revenue Service's construction and development; a description of the IRS Building and a statement of significance; an inventory of significant spaces and details;

materials conservation analysis; mortar analysis; paint analysis;

and exterior masonry and metals cleaning analysis, which served as a basis for the criteria for restoration and reuse; and procedures for conserving existing historic fabric, restoring significant elements in areas of high importance, and inserting new systems without compromising the integrity of the historic areas. This work is complete, with the exception of a follow-up report on the masonry cleaning tests, to be prepared in April, 1981 after the panels have been subjected to a complete weathering cycle.

The initial work was conducted on-site between December 1979 and June 1980 and the report was prepared by Sarah M. Sweetser, Pamela W. Hawkes, Mary L. Oehrlein, and Mary Jane Wells of Building Conservation Technology, Inc. Section II, 0, Structural Survey, was prepared by the Office of James Madison Cutts, Structural Engineers, Washington, D.C.

i

TABLE OF CONTENTS'

Preface i

I. CONSTRUCTION HISTORY AND DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

A. Introduction B. Design Development C. Site Preparation D. Exterior Masonry E. Roofing F. Exterior Metal Details G. Interior Finishes H. Mechanical Systems I. Special Furnishings J. Completion of Construction K. The Extension L. Alterations

II. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION

III.

A.

B.

C.

D.

Introduction Exterior Interior Structural Survey

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

IV. INVENTORY OF SIGNIFICANT ARCHITECTURAL SPACES AND DETAILS

A.

B.

C.

Areas to be Completely Restored Areas which may be Rehabilitated While Retaining

Significant Details Areas Suitable for Renovation

V. CRITERIA FOR RESTORATION AND REUSE

A.

B.

Exterior Interior

VI. MATERIALS CONSERVATION ANALYSIS

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F •

General Conservation Statement Clay Tile Slate Shingles Granite Limestone Marble

G. Brick H. . Copper I. Bronze J. Iron K. Steel L. Interior Marble M. Mankato Stone N. Woodwork

o. plasterwork

VII. EXTERIOR MASONRY AND METALS CLEANING ANALYSIS

A. Description of Stains and Soiling B. Masonry Cleaning C. Metals Cleaning D. On-Site Testing Program E. On-Si te Masonry Cleaning Testing

VIII. MORTAR ANALYSIS

IX. PAINT ANALYSIS

A.

B.

C.

Methodology Data Recommendations for Repainting

X. OUTLINE SPECIFICATIONS

XI.

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

H.

I.

J.

K.

L.

M.

N.

O.

P.

Q.

Brickwork Stone Repair and Repointing Dormer and Marquee Copper Iron and Steel Repair and Painting Clay Roofing Tiles Slate Promenade Tile Ridge Copper Bronze plaster Repair Interior Stone Repair and Cleaning Gilded Lettering Interior Paint and Finishes Lighting Fixtures Interior Leaders Bird Deterrent System Gutters and Flashing

BIBLIOGRAPHY

iii

XII. APPENDICES

A.

B.

C.

Inventory of Contractors and Major Suppliers

E. M. Winkler, "The Lightness (Reflectance) of Stone in the Stone Industry," APT Journal, Vol. XI, No.2, 1979, pp. 7-16.

Specification for Decorations and Decorative Painting in the Bureau of Interna~ Revenue, Washington, D.C., December 28, 1931.

iv

I CONSTRUCTION HISTOR)t' and DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

I. CONSTRUCTION HISTORY

Introduction

The Internal Revenue Service Building was the first of the 20th century U.s. Government structures built within the area of land between Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues and 15th Street known as the Federal Triangle. Its construction between 1928 and 1936 marked in limestone and marble the resolve of the Federal government to make a permanent home for its scattered offices on a radically new, larger scale in the heart of downtown Washington, D.C. When the main section of the building was occu pied in June of 1930, it contained 1,104,000 square feet or about one-eighth of the total gross floor area for all 47 existing Federal buildings in the District. l The plans to create a monu mental Federal presence, as envisioned by the McHillan plan of 1902 and adapted by the Public Buildings Commission in 1917, were thus well on the way to reality (Fig. 1) .

Design Development

First Designs

The earliest designs for the IRS Building have not been found, but it is obvious from the correspondance between Edward Bennett and Louis Simon that there was a design prepared as early as November of 1926, before the well known master plan for the Federal Triangle buildings was formulated. Simon, later to become the Supervising Architect from 1933 to 1939, was then superintendent of the architectural section of the Office of the Supervising Architect Of the Treasury under James wetmore. 2

Bennett, an eminent Chicago architect, was Consulting Architect of the Treasury and served as chairman on the Board of Architectural Consultants appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury in 1926.

Their discussion indicates that the early design of the IRS Building, guided only by the fashion for public buildings of that time, was classical in character, mentioning "se~ental versus arched window heads" in the 18th century manner. In January of 1927, Simon submitted to Bennett another set of drawings including a front elevation which showed end and central pavilions, a pediment, segmental arched window heads, keystones, and an attic story with pilaster treatment. Although these elements all appear on buildings later built within the Federal Triangle, they are not part of the existing Revenue design. Simon also described place ment of the building on the lot to provide for maximum coverage of the ground while allowing for the widening of lOth, Band C Streets. There was also consideration at this early date for the "sub-surface storage of automobiles"--an underground parking garage. 4 Bennett's response to Simon's design in January of 1927 indicates that the building had gone through several earlier studies. He mentions the building having a two story base and agrees that segmental arched windows would be appropriate here and at the General Accounting Office as well. Bennett specifi cally mentions decorative sculpture in stone and bronze and suggests that it be designed in the "style of the French 18th century, keeping the elements large and sculpturesque, in the modern manner."S

Federal Triangle Master Plan

The finished design of this early scheme for the IRS Building, "to be of the same height as the National Museum and classical in character," was submitted to the Fine Arts Commission in April of 1927. 6 By the next day, the Commission notified the Secretary of the Treasury that they desired "giving the Triangle a treatment similar to the Louvre in Paris, with colonades, open courts, and arched driveways, and an extended facade for units of a very large building, rather than many individual buildings . .,7 It was further stated that the purpose of the Congress ••• had been not only to clean up the south side of Pennsylvania Avenue, but also to develop between that avenue and the mall a series of notable buildings which. . • shall represent the dignity and power of the nation. In regard to the treatment of the Triangle itself, East and West streets may be dis regarded as open streets. . . provision for the necessary passage of vehicles and pedestrians may be secured, as in the case of the Louvre and other buildings in Paris, by carrying passages through the buildings themselves.

This will enable buildings to be created of a size commensurate with the dignity of the government and its functions. TFese buildings should have ample open courts treated so as to give two fronts to the buildings, an interior fr6nt and an exterior front. The courts should not be used for the parking of automobiles. 8

In early May, the Fine Arts Commission sent a response to Simon on the first design submitted for the IRS Building.

Predictably, it stated that the "time has corne to study the Triangle as a whole, to fix the cornice lines, the courts and 9 other such details before work on anyone building shall begin."

However, in addition, it recommended that the "facade as drawn was much too elaborate. • . that in carrying out the scheme for building in the Triangle, there should be a distinct line of demarkation between the monumental buildings of the first class, to be occupied by heads of Departments, and subordinate build ings to be occupied by bureaus."lO Thus, the new design guide lines dictated a new design from Simon with less pretentious detailing than had been previously planned by he and Bennett, as well as a postponement of construction.

According to the "Unified Architectural Composition Plan" publicized by the commission of Fine Arts in July of 1927, the Internal Revenue Service Building was to form half of a "Great Circle," measuring 500 feet in diameter at the intersection of

12th Street and the former C Street. Open arcades would skirt the circle on the ground floor levels of the Internal Revenue Service and Post Office Department Buildings opposite. The other facades of the buildings along Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues would carry the seven story cornice line and red pantile roof of the rest of the complex. Only on the Great Circle would the roofing design and material be changed to dark gray slate mansards emulating the Place de la Vend~me in Paris.

As voiced by the Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew w.

Mellon, the benefits of the large scale plan were that: (1) the grouping of the new buildings placed them in such relation to each other that the transaction of public business would be facilitated; (2) in reclaiming the south side of Pennsylvania Avenue, the opportunity was presented to dignify that thorough-fare as an important artery between the Capitol and the White House, and by the rehabilitation of B Street, a second important line of circulation was created connecting the Capitol with the Lincoln Memorial and the bridge to Arlington; (3) the proposed grouping gave recognition to the plan of L'Enfant. Mellon further stated that the "new fangled notions in architecture will not be 11 allowed to sway the character of the great monumental structures."

Final Plans

By September of 1927, Simon had developed a new set of plans and submitted them to the Commission of Fine Arts for review. The Board of Architectural Consultants had agreed on a 97~ foot cornice line and a base of 42 feet to remain consistent throughout the area.

The Revenue Building design, a monumental structure and very similar to the new Department of Commerce Building, was approved. Because the IRS Building was used only by a bureau rather than as a depart mental headquarters, the sculptural bronzes and stonework originally planned by Simon would not be included and, unlike its highly decorated neighbors, the IRS Building was to be unadorned. The large row of columns along the Constitution Avenue facade were envisioned as helping to break the monotony of the wall plane. In execution, the colonade design provided space for a narrow promen ade which offered a spectacular view of the mall area.

The IRS Building was to have an irregularly shaped plan, with monumental facades paralleling the Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues and 10th Street, and a portion of the 12th Street facade curved to. accommodate the "Great Circle." Only part of the semi circle would be built in the first section of the Revenue Building to be erected. The rest of the design would have to wait: first, for the remainder of the property to be acquired along Pennsylvania Avenue, and second, for the seemingly inevitable demolition of the Old Post Office building at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 12th Street. At that time, the Pennsylvania Avenue elevation would be completed to match the design along 10th Street and Constitution Avenue and the second half of the semi-circle with flanking pavilion would close off the "Great Circle."

Site Preparation

Acquisition

The site for the building was acquired through the Public Buildings Act of 1926, which authorized construction funding for the Federal Triangle. The original plan covered the entire block between 10th and 12th Streets, B Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, but several problems led to the decision to begin con struction of the structure on the south half of that site only.

Founded in 1792, the IRS had been a minor branch of the Treasury until the Income Tax was instituted in 1913. By the 1920's, most of the 6,000 employees of the Bureau of Internal Revenue were housed in temporary wood frame and stucco "fire traps" built along Band ISth Streets. The working conditions 12 were considered "absolutely appalling" by the press of the day, and it was generally recognized that new, more permanent quarters were needed.

As important as the regard for the human condition was concern for the safety of the tax records. In the temporary structures, there was a constant threat of fire which could easily destroy the country's revenue accounts. Illustrative of this danger at that time, the Secretary of the Public Building Commission reported that "even with prohibitions against smoking and great care to avoid fire risks, 603 fires have started in the last eight years /1923-1931/, and but for the special vigil~nce of the guards, anyone of these might have proved disastrous.,,13 In July of 1926, a month after the Public Building Act was signed, the decision was made to proceed as soon as possible with the construction of both the IRS Building and the Department of Commerce Building in order to speed the resolution of dangerous conditions which threatened both clerks and records in the temporary buildings. 14

Planning and construction of the new building was expedited by the fact that several years earlier, the government had purchased the south part of the lot, extending along B Street from lOth to 12th Streets and the site of the Farmer's Market, as well as Square 324, behind the Old Post Office, for a postal bag repair shop which had never been built. Square 350, which was to be taken over by condemnation in 1926, bounded by 10th, 11th, "little B" and C Streets was occupied by delapidated row wholesale houses which dealt "principally in seeds, grains, fertilizers, chicken and other produce."lS The northwest corner site, where the Victorian Post Office stood, could be cleared about ten years after the construction of new office space, but until then, the offices in ~e "Gibraltar of ugliness" were too valuable a commodity. 1

The northeast corner block, square 349, had not been acquired by the time construction of the main building began. Two popular establishments were situated on the block, and their acquisition and demolition had to be handled with diplomatic skill in order to maintain popular support for the Federal Triangle project.

One of these was Harvey's Restaurant, a four story building with a cast iron facade built in 1866. Originally called "Harvey's Ladies' and Gentlemen's Oyster Saloon," the restaurant served the political and literary leaders of the nation, including every president from Grant to FDR, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman and Thomas Nast. 17 The Presidents' Theater next door was the site of the earliest playhouse in the city, and hosted inaugural balls for John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison and James K. Polk. 18

Farmer's Market

Reclamation of the land occupied by the Farmer's Market since 1870 also became more difficult than expected. The resistance was not based on local objections to the Federal Triangle scheme, for the District Commissioner stated that "we are just as anxious as anyone to see these new model, modern workshops for the govern ment go up."19 However, as a letter dated July 28, 1926 to the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia from their corporate coUnsel pointed out, the market was "patronized largely by householders and retail dealers in the city, and /was/ a well known municipal institution.,,20 The District challenged the right of the federal government to take back the property without finan cial retribution for the cost of moving the market place, charging that the Public Buildings Act of May 25, 1926 specified only the taking of lands belonging to the government that were conveniently located and available for the purpose of the new office structures.

A further stipulation was that the Secretary of the Treasury could only acquire a new site by "purchase, condemnation, or exchange."

In a well-publicized battle, the D.C. government based its case on the word "exchange." 21

At first, the federal government denied the financial respon sibility for the market relocation and would only pay for the demolition and removal of the market sheds. However, when it appeared that the market dispute could continue indefinitely and hold up the entire project, the Treasury Department acquiesced and paid $2,500 for the removal, marking and storage of the western half of the sheds on the grounds of Gallinger Hospital in Anacostia.

Acting Supervising Architect of the Treasury, James Wetmore explained in a letter to the District Commissioners dated March 10, 1928: "As it is the intention to re-erect these sheds, they shall be carefully dismantled: the separate parts marked, and a diagram prepared showing the original placing of the parts.,,22 The site for the market wagons was relocated to the south side of B Street between 6th and 12th Streets, N.W.

Clearing Begun

Even while the market site was in question, Signey L. Hech inger was hired to demolish the structures on the block behind the Old Post Office. By December 31, 1926, Square 324 was leveled.

In July of 1926, the owners of the buildings in Square 350 were alerted to the government plans for acquisition, but made no response. Condemnation proceedings were first discussed between the Treasury and Justice Departments in September of 1926, but were not formally initiated until January of 1927. 23 The condemnation of the land was finalized in October of 1927 and with title to the land assured, ground was broken one month later on square 324, though the sites of the market and Square 350 had yet to be cleared.

Excavations and Foundations

While obtaining the land to build the massive structure had been legally complex, the start of excavations opened new areas of concern. On November 22, 1927, one day after digging had begun, the Evening Star reported: "Excavations in the Internal Revenue Building site just south of the Post Office Department Building have struck water ..• the steam shovel •.• after going down only a few feet has already opened two or three sources of running water."

Pumps were brought in to keep the hole cleared, and the excavation was made deeper along the 11th Street edge "in order that other water found in the square ..• will run to this lowest point. ,,24 At first, it was suspected that the water came from an old water main. Unfortunately, that was not the case, and as the excavation progressed, the water problem increased. To further aggravate the problem, the spring and summer of 1928 were especially wet so that by August, the excavation was flooded and construction halted. Ten pumps worked to reduce the water level, which, after an especially h~a~Sdownpour, measured over 20 feet deep in an elevator p~t.

By the end of August, more "Artesian wells of good clear water" had been exposed and the engineers were puzzled as to the water's origins. 26 Designs for the piles driven for the foundations had to be adjusted to compensate for the greater depth to solid ground.

A less serious, but archeologically interesting, encumbrance, was the discovery of wood pilings at the west end of the excavations near 11th and C Streets. These had been part of a wharf that had stood along the Tiber Creek, long since filled in.27 The pilings were "8 by 12 inches in diameter, 8 to 12 feet long;" and they had been driven closely together to extend over a length of 400 feet. 28

Since they interfered with footings for the new structure, they were removed and destroyed.

By early September, 5,500 out of the total 8,000 piles had been hammered into place by the Raymond Concrete Pile Company.

Several concrete piles had been ruined by wells, water percolating up through the freshly poured concrete, washing the cement out of the bottom of the pile, and thereby weakening the structure.

Despite these adversities, the piles were driven within the expected time period. New wells were capped as they were encoun tered. Though there had been a shortage of drinking water in the city throughout its history, the water from the wells below the IRS Building was quickly dismissed as unfit for use. possible contamination from construction or the unknown source of the water was one consideration. The other was the added expense of pumping equipment. 30 So the water source was sealed off below the new structure.

Besides the ten water pumps., equipment on the site included six pile drivers, four steam shovels, seven concrete mixers and a huge fleet of trucks. 3l The latter was another source of complaints, this time from citizen and business groups. The construction site was active for long hours with trucks hauling the soil away at a rapid pace. Their route passed through resi dential neighborhoods of Capitol Hill near Lincoln Park on the way to a landfill area along the Anacostia River. By the end of a hot July, protests arose from the Lincoln Park Citizens Associa tion, "claiming that they are being kept indoors during the present hot weather with windows tightly closed to avoid clouds of dust, that they cannot hear each other talk from 4 o'clock in the morn ing until long after dark, and that their houses are being shaken to pieces and their furniture ruined by the dirt.,,32 Likewise, a delegation of business men from the area near the excavations also complained about the "dust nuisance.,,33 One of the residents had counted more than one truck a minute either leaving or return ing, this starting as early as four o'clock in the morning. The ambitious plan for construction of the new Federal City could not continue without consideration for public opinion and support, and by the first of August, truck traffic was restricted to the hours between 7 a.m. arid 7 p.m.

The concrete foundations were laid between June and November of 1928 by the F. W. Mark Construction Company of Philadelphia at a cost of $607,000 (Figs. 2 and 3).

A $5199,000 contract for construction of the superstructure was awarded to the James Baird Company, Inc. of Washington and New York on January 21, 1929. Work began eIght days later. The structural steel was erected between March and July of that year.

Exterior Masonry

There was some problem in obtaining the proper marble for the exterior columns and pilasters (Fig. 4). The plans and specifica tions had called for a clear faced Tennessee Tavernelle marble, which has a pink cast and is noted for its low porosity and high compressive strength. But, due to the size of the blocks needed for the column drums, it was doubtful whether the marble could be obtained without some ve~n1ng. Consequently, in April of 1929, it was decided to obtain the marble from two separate companies, the Gray Knox Marble Company and the Georgia Marble Company, both located near Knoxville, Tennessee. In addition, the Gray Knox Company provided the 16 pilasters on lath street, four pilasters on Constitution Avenue, 14 columns on Constitution Avenue and four along lath street and the marble trim for the nine exterior entrances. To fill their large order, the company found it neces sary to use two quarries to match the color and quality required by the architects. 34 Marble was also supplied by the Georgia Company Quarry in Nelson, Georgia for use in 14 columns on the south elevation, which would be mixed with the other marble in a symmetrical arrangement. The eight columns in the circular portion of the building near 12th and C Streets are also of Georgia marble, as is all the marble window trim and pilaster~ in the 12th Street pavilion and in the arcade on the circle. 3

The Gray Knox Company had difficulty in obtaining sound marble in the sizes and colors needed for the column drums. As late as July 20, 1929, the weekly report noted:

the prospect for obtaining stock from the Gray Knox Quarries becomes more discouraging each day. All Tennessee marbie-men are optimists and always filled with the hope of encountering a ledge of sound marble:

a possibility, but from present indications and past experience, the changes for finding sufficient sound marble to complete the contract on time, seem very remote. 36

Within a week, however, the optimism paid off as a large ledge of sound stone, 55 feet long, 18 feet wide and 12 feet high was channeled at the Anderson Quarry for the Gray Knox company.37 In August, the ledge, estimated at 100,000 cubic feet, was broken loose. 38 By mid-October, sufficient good marble had been quarried to complete the columns, and on October 21, 1929, Engineer Gray reported to the Supervising Architect that the final shipment of the Gray Knox marble had been made.

For the most part, the marble was all "machined," that is, sections were run through planers, carborundum lathes, or other machines to cut to size and shape. The flutes in the column drums were cut by machine, an operation which required constant monitoring to control the quality.39 In fact, the Supervising

Architect's office detailed Edward D. Gray, a construction engineer, to Knoxville to oversee the operations and to make weekly reports to the Washington office on the progress of ~he marble work. Handwork was only used in fitting the blocks together, applying the sand finish, or carving, which is not extensive on the Doric and Ionic column and pilaster capital designs used on the IRS Building. 40 Hand carving of a four panel leaf ornament in the soffit of the abacus of the Doric columns along Constitution Avenue was omitted and plain panels made. 41

The marble for the entrance and window trim was given a honed or smooth finish to match the limestone facings, except for the windows at the third and fourth floors on the circle and the pavilion, which were finished to match the columns and pilasters. 42 Approval was originally given to a steel shot finish submitted by the Gray Knox Company, but it proved to be impossible mechanically to apply the finish to curved fluting, and, the shot rusted and stained the marble an ugly brown color. The final solution was a sand-blast finish which gave the desired effect from a distance. 43

During construction, it was decided to use Vermont Verde Antique marble instead of cardiff green44 for the spandrel panels in the courtyards as had been indicated on the construction drawings.

Limestone supplied by the Indiana Limestone Company, Bedford, Indiana was used for all other work on the street facades of the building and on the circle, including the main cornice and modillions (Fig. 5). Varigated limestone was originally intended for use throughout, but was discovered to create a checkerboard appearance when used in large expanses, particularly in the archi trave lintel course above the long row of columns on the south elevation. It was therefore decided to use select gray for all the work where big sizes occurred, including the soffit of the ceiling over the colonade. 45 The only sculptural detail in lime stone on the exterior of the building are the eagles surrounding the cartouche at the main entrance on Constitution Avenue (Fig. 3) ..

These were carved by the Indiana Limestone Company.

The dressed surface of the stone to be used around the entrances was given a picked or hammer point finish (Fig. 6). The stone was all steam cleaned during construction to enhance the color and texture, as recommended by the manufacturer. 46 The only other departure from the original specifications for limestone was the substitution of a brick for concrete backing for the cornice, with alternating depths of face stones. This keying of the masonry units was thought to provide a more stable architectural element for the long expanses of the cornice. 47

Roofing

All of the buildings in the Federal Triangle have the 'same type of roof, clay pan and cover tile. 48 The only exception is found on the upper roof and mansards of the buildings which comprise the IIGigat Circle.". Here, black, unfading Pennsylvania slate was used.

As specified, the slate of the upper roof slope was set in "Barretts-Elastigum," a mastic over an asphalt membrane. As early as June of 1930, during the first summer after completion, the combination of radiant heat, the absorptive ability of the black slate and the plasticity of the mastic caused the slates to slip out of place. With a slope of 3~ inches to the foot, this slippage was enough to cause buckling of the slate in the rows near the eaves and gaps near the ridges of up to 3 inches. To remedy this situation, practically every piece of slate had to be liftes and reanchored with a copper strip nailed to the roof decking. 5

The roof was insulated with a material called "Insulite," which was placed between the ceiling beams and fastened to the concrete roof deck with 16 penny nails when a temperature reading was taken in August of 1930 to test the effectiveness of the material, the outside temperature was 103 degrees, the slate roof was 134 degrees, and the attic was found to be 92 degrees. 51

Promenades

Roofing material was needed for the promenade behind the colonnade on the third floor and around the seventh floor.

Originally, the specifications called for an asphalt membrane over the concrete slab placed under promenade tiles. The flash ing material was changed during construction to 4 pound sheet lead, which also was carried through the walls below the columns and balustrade to act as a damp course protecting the parapet wall from vertical moisture penetration. The material was then covered with 6 by 9 by 1 inch gray flint promenade tile manufac tured by the Ludowici-Celadon Company.52

Drainage System

The flashing on the pitched roofing surfaces was sheet copper. Above the seventh floor, the rain water drainage was collected in interior copper gutters which connected to pipes that drained across the attic floor to the wall lines of the corridor partitions. The downspouts dropped through chases in these partitions to the third floor ceiling, where they connected with horizontal runs in the floor space of the third floor corridor ceilings that connected to larger drains to the basement. 53

Sheet lead was used on the entire upper surface of the main cornice in place of the originally specified plaster bitumastic

10 ..

membrane. This surface drained inward to downspouts along the balustrade parapet wall, which connected to pipes within the chase around the sixth floor, and from there to the interior down spout system.

Exterior Metal Details

Bronze

The exterior entrance doors were made of polished bronze while the door frames and transoms were given a "reddish brown color medium statuary finish.,,55

Interior Finishes

While the exterior of the Internal Revenue Service Building was designed to blend with the monumentality of the others in the Federal Triangle, the emphasis of the interior was on practical office space. There were very few original decorated ceremonial spaces within the IRS Building, and even fewer survive unchanged.

The main lobby in the center of the Constitution Avenue facade was the most elegant of the building's interiors. Finished with several types of marble and stone, an ornate coffered and polychromed ceiling and bronze doors, the space set a tone of grandeur that corresponded more closely with the new concept of Constitution Avenue outside as a ceremonial way than with the actual character of the office building inside.

Interior rooms were designed for ultimate flexibility and minimal upkeep, key words in modern office design (Fig. 7 ). The rooms had no cornices or other types of decorative trim, so that partitions could be easily moved without concern for patching or replacing decorative moldings. Crucial to the success of the plan was the use of floor-to-ceiling movable metal partitions to divide the large expanses of floor space on either side of the central corridors. The goal of the design was flexibility, anticipating the growth and changes that would affect the Bureau throughout the life of the building.

Floors

Flooring used in the building varied in terms of materials and design. The entrance and elevator lobbies were floored in different types of marble with a constrasting color for the base boards and borders. In the public 'corridors, the floor was furnished in Tennessee terrazzo set within brass strips and bordered by McMullen light gray marble.

Special uses called for special flooring. In the seventh floor Court Room, the flooring was cork tile set in a checker board pattern of light and dark brown trimmed with bands of cardiff green honed Champlain black marble (Fig. 8). Bathroom floors were 3 by 3 in~h gray tile with the same size black tile used as a border. Stairs had slate treads set within the iron frames. Six by 6 inch quarry tile was used in the pump room in the basement and in the cafeteria and kitchen rooms on the seventh floor, including the "dishwashing room, salad room, bake shop, colored dining room ';;'nd soda fountain room.,,56 Mastic floors were originally specified for these rooms, but it was later felt that the material would not be able to stand up to constant "mop and water." All floor tile, terrazzo and slate were supplied by the American Mosaic Company of Washington, D.C.

All the office space was originally designed to have wood floors,57 but cost and maintenance considerations led the archi tects to select a mastic composition laid on cement, called "Masticomp." To allow easy cleaning of the flooring, all radiators which were not placed behind screens were hung on the wall, eliminating feet which would obstruct the floor mops. The only wood flooring installed in the building was put in the Commissioner's office, a checkerboard parquet design.

Within the first month of the building's occupation, problems with the flooring were encountered. As reported by the Inspection Engineer:

I

Every object bearing on the floor, with a base of less than l~ inch digs into the floor and under office chairs the floor has the appearance of streets of cobble stones in miniature form. In a few cases, the rollers have pulled the 1/8" mastic surface into bubble form.

The ~ee~S on high heel shoes form half moons in the mastl.c.

To protect the flooring, rubber tips and casters were therefore put on all the chairs, and only rubber tiSgd trucks were used to move heavy equipment through the offices.

Walls

The main entrance vestibule and lobby in the center of the south side of the building was lined with walls of gray mankato stone, a limestone with a porous surface similar to Travertine marble. Originally intended to be polished, the architects decided during construction to have it finished with a honed surface ~8ich diminished the appearance of the holes in the surface. The stairs flanking the lobby were of the McMullen light gray marble which was also used for the wainscoting there, throughout the first floor hallways and at the other elevator lobbies. The 10th Street lobby and outer vestibule and the secondary entrances at the south corners of the building had the McMullen light gray marble for the entire wall surface.

The original Commissioner's office had mahogany paneling around the room to the height of the window sills. IThe upper walls were plaster with a moulded plaster cornice. 6

The eight Hearing Rooms and the Court Room also had panel ing of mahogany with beaded edged flush panels in wainscoting that extended from the green marble baseboards to the cornice level (Fig. 9). The plans had called for mahogany finished Rakuda or American black walnut, but this was changed during 62 construction to African mahogany to be given a walnut finish.

The Court Room on the seventh floor had a molded wood cornice, IO~ inches in height at the top of the paneling. A screen of eight columns separated by curtains was set out from the wall about four feet behind the Judge's bench.

Permanent interior walls were masonry, terra cotta tile covered with wire mesh lath and plaster. The typical wall treat ment was plaster above the baseboard without any decorative treatment, cornice or ceili~: ornament.

The use of the 400 metal partitions throughout the office spaces was a new innovation and viewed as a valuable fireproof measure (Fig. 10). They had steel frames with either solid metal or glazed panels. The glass could be clear or frosted, depend ing upon the needs of a particular office. The partitions had slate baseboards to match those used on the permanent walls of the offices. Most of the partitions had doors for interoffice access. In most cases, the steel was grained to imitate either mahogany or walnut, 'though in some offices the finish was a flat color.

Several rooms, singled out for privacy or for the accommoda tion of noisy machinery had walls and ceilings especially treated to minimize the sound level. The eight Hearing Rooms were given acoustical plaster ceilings, while the rooms along the south end of the 10th Street side of the first floor had acoustical plaster walls (Fig. 11). The telegraph room on the fourth floor along the north side of Court A had normal plaster on the walls below sill level, separated by a parting bead from the acoustical plaster on the upper walls and ceiling. Two large rooms on the third floor whose exact uses are unknown (bays originally numbered 3117 to 3121) had ~ inch acoustical tile applied to the upper walls and ceiling starting at the point five feet above the floor. The dishwashing room on the seventh floor was gound proofed with 3/4 inch tile on the upper walls and ceiling. 3

The walls in the toilet rooms were covered with 6 by 6 inch tiles to a height of 6 feet, above which the walls were plastered.

The stalls were divided by wall-hung marble partitions, closed off with paneled wood doors (Fig. ,12).

Ornamental Plaster

The main lobby ceiling, 75 feet by 32 feet, contains 276 elaborate coffers with rosettes. The coffer panels inset with waterleaf mOldings were surrounded by banding with molded inset panels. The entire ceiling was surrounded by a 6 inch dentiled cornice. The lobby corridors, stairwells and vestibule had flat ceilings with molded plaster cornices.

Doors

The doors throughout the interior of the building were of a single large panel design set in metal frames with metal trim and transom frames. Most of the doors were mahogany with either solid wood or glazed panels, which were plate pattern glass, polished on the hall face with pressed pattern design on the room side. Doors with glazing had transoms glazed to match. The wood was given a walnut finish and all the metal trim was grained to match the wood. Hollow metal doors were used for the toilet rooms, service areas and closets and the stairways. These were also painted to imitate walnut. The stairway doors had clear wire glass panels above solid metal panels. All the others were solid metal panels. The only doors not trimmed in metal were the inside of the toilet rooms where McMullen light gray marble, matching the stall partitions was used. The service doors in the basement were manufactured by the Dahlstrom Metallic Door Company.

Originally, the solid wood transoms above the doors into the Hearing Rooms on the second floor were fixed, but within the first year of occupancy, the need for better ventilation caused the transoms to be made operable. However, in the request for the change from the Secretary of the U.S. Board of Tax Appeals, it was mentioned that:

We will have to also consider the matter of sound coming from the Hearing Rooms into the corridor. Some of the petitioners before the Board have a habit of raising their voices during the progress of a sharply contested case, and it is, of course, necessary that this b64 considered in revising any system of ventilation.

During construction, it was suggested that a door be cut from. the east side of the cafeteria on the seventh floor into the hall near the entrance to the court room, to provide a second entrance.

However, complaints from the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals regarding the potential disturbance of the traffic and cooking smells caused cancellation of these plans, at that time. 55

Windows

All the exterior steel window frames and sash were supplied by the Campbell metal window company. On the interior, they were each equipped with sash poles and hangers, by Smythe and Company~6

The typical interior sill was also steel with a curved deflector on the underside and a support for hanging the radiators.

Windshields of wood and glass were installed on 2700 offic~ window sills. 67 These permitted the windows to be opened for ventilation without creating drafts across the desk tops.

In September of 1930, as the kitchen and cafeteria spaces were being finished, it was decided to furnish fly screens on the entrance doors on the west side, and rolling screens on all the windows. W. J. Beamer of Greensboro, North Carolina, was awarded the contract for $1,188 to buil~ the screens, the doors to have mahogany frames 2 inches thick. 8

Awnings had been used on government buildings since the mid- 19th century to provide shade from the summer sun. This system proved uneconomical, as the cloth awnings required regular upkeep and were particularly susceptible to fires caused by people throwing matches and other smoking materials out the windows. In 1927, over 700 awnings had to be repaired by the government's shops.69 In 1930, twenty awning fires were calculated to have 70 disrupted numerous employees for an average of 15 minutes each.

The superintendent of the Maintenance Division thus advocated the use of venetian blinds which:

are greatly superior to any other type of shading for use in Federal building ... The best shade is of a type which will obviate the use of awnings on account of the heavy expense for renewals, repairs and maintenance. The vene tian blinds are made of cedar or bass wood slats about 2-3/8 inches wide, which can be adjusted to various angles. . . to entirely exclude direct sunlight, but leave openings sufficiently wide for the admission of light and air ... the light is reflected ... affording a soft diffffed lighting effect which is very satisfactory in offices.

He further indicated the impracticality of narrow slat shades:

"when lowered will not entirely exclude the sunlight. . . but the openings between the strips are so narrow that it will greatly retard circulation of air. "72

Unfortunately, his logic did not prevail when the building was constructed. The Supervising Architect of the Treasury's office advised the use of narrow slat wood shades which had been tested on some windows in the Interior Department. Their advan tage was they rolled on spring rollers, had guides at each side to prevent ~pping in the wind, and cost half the price of vene-tian blinds. Shades for the 3000 windows were originally installed, made by the Woodwebb Shade Manufacturers, Inc. of Washington, New Jersey.74

Paint painting for the the structural steel, oil, and turpentine.

IIGOheen's7~arbOnizing red lead.

IRS Building began with the shop coat for composed of red lead (95% grade), linseed Paint applied to the steelwork on-site was Coating," used in lieu of another coat of

During construction, all metal doors, frames and transom stiles through the building were grained to match the walnut wood doors. Some of the metal office partitions and sheet metal shelving in the Library were also covered with walnut gra1n1ng.

The doors themselves, as well as the mahogany wainscoting, were stained with a mahogany or walnut finish and varnished.

The original room numbering and lettering was applied in gold leaf directly on the wood or metal surfaces. Because the original scheme had caused considerable confusion, in 1931, all the rooms were renumbered in gold leaf at a cost of $11,000.

A note in the Supervising Architect's files in this remarks, "I am in favor of renumbering, not because I think the scheme is 76 better, but because the Internal Revenue can no longer blame us."

Office partitions not grained were painted a flat color.

Metallic fixtures such as the radiators, radiator shields and the window frames and sills, were given three coats of paint, the radiators themselves finished with a hard enamel paint manufac tured by the Benjamin Moore and Company.

In common painting practice, plaster is allowed to cure for a period of one year before being painted. However, the Commissioner was anxious to have his suite of rooms completed by the time the building opened. Against the advise of the Supervising Architect's office, the rooms in the southwest corner of the third floor were painted in May of 1930. 77 The remainder of the wall painting was not advertised for bids until March of 1931.

Several rooms received special paint treatments. The two dark rooms located within Room 7335 8 the Photostat Room, were given three layers of black paint. 7 While most of the rOOmS were to be painted with a mixture of lead, oil, turpentine and oil dryers, the specifications called for painting the Telephone switchboard Room, Room 2326, with lead and oil paint only, as it was thought that the vapors from the turpentine and oil dryers were corrosive to the telephone equipment.79 The basement areas, ceilings, walls and columns were to be coated with two applications of cold water paint.

On May 11, 1931, a $78,869 painting contract was awarded to the Alliance Construction Company of New York City, also known as the Alliance Sand Blasting Corporation. The specifications called for three coats of oil based paint on top of a sizing coat to be applied to all the plaster in the building, excluding the ornamental plaster ceiling in the main lobby on Constitution Avenue. The acoustical plaster, such as used on the ceiling of the Hearing Rooms, was to be treated with specially prepared paint, to promote its soundproofing properties~O

There had been a great deal of local interest in the paint ing contract on this building, since the Depression had created a large surplus of unemployed, skilled workers in the city. The D.C. Committee on Employment wrote the Supervising Architect in January of 1931 asking when the building would be painted, and promoting the Painters Union Local 368. 81 The people of Washing ton needed work, and a project the size of the Revenue Building was of obvious interest. This interest did not stop when the final contract was awarded to an out-of-town company. Within three months after the contract was awarded, the Alliance Con struction Company was accused of violating the Bacon-Davis Act by paying less than the prevailing rate of wages on a Government job, and working the men longer than eight hours a day. There was also unofficial speculation that the painters were newly arrived immigrants, fresh from the docks of New York. The Alliance Company answered that they were paying $8 per day, or 60¢ more than the prevailing open shop rate in Washington, and that their painters had to work after hours when painting offices where people worked during the day.82 Nonetheless, the local painter's union held to their claim that the local union wage of $11 per day was the prevailing scale, and this interpretation was upheld by Secretary of Labor William N. Doak. This interpretation of the Bacon-Davis Act established a precedent which formed the basis for similar claims by local unions throughout the country.83

The only spaces not included in the general painting contract for the plasterwork in the IRS Building were the entrance vesti bules, lobbies and major elevator lobbies on Constitution Avenue, 10th and 12th Street and the Circle. In December of 1931, $36,000 was budgeted for the painting in these spaces. There were no murals planned for the building, but some decorative painting. The ceiling of the main entrance lobby on Constitution Avenue had textured glaze over the gold, more intricate marbling with several tones of over-glazing, and decorative ornamental painting over the gold surfaces on the bandings between the coffers. The plaster wall and ceiling surfaces at the second floor lobby visible from the main entrance received an additional coat of colorless waterproof varnish, probably to heighten its reflectance. 84All of the decorative painting was completed by the end of 1932.

Mechanical Systems

Lighting

The exterior lighting fixtures included the large bronze lantern hanging in the…