Pan American Union Building

Coordinates: 38°53′34″N 77°02′25″W / 38.89288°N 77.04026°W / 38.89288; -77.04026
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Pan American Union Building
Organization of American States headquarters building, with the Statue of Isabella I in front (2015)
Pan American Union Building is located in Central Washington, D.C.
Pan American Union Building
Location17th Street NW between C Street NW and Constitution Avenue, NW.
Washington, D.C.
Coordinates38°53′34″N 77°02′25″W / 38.89288°N 77.04026°W / 38.89288; -77.04026
Built1908–1910
ArchitectPaul P. Cret and Albert Kelsey
NRHP reference No.69000298, 10000625
Significant dates
Added to NRHP4 June 1969
Designated NHL13 January 2021

The Pan American Union Building is the headquarters for the Organization of American States. It is located at 17th Street N.W. between C Street N.W. and Constitution Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C.[1]

History[edit]

On the former site of the John Peter Van Ness Mansion. The cornerstone was laid on May 11, 1908, by Theodore Roosevelt, Elihu Root, and Andrew Carnegie[2] (who largely financed the building's construction), and the building was dedicated on April 26, 1910.[3]

In 1919, the initial meeting of the International Labour Organization was held in the building.[4]

Between 1921 and 1922, the building was used for committee and subcommittee hearings throughout the Washington Naval Conference while closely guarded by marines with fixed bayonets. [5]

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2021, for its architecture and its role in international diplomacy.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Pan American Union Building at archINFORM
  2. ^ "Hall of Americas for Arms Meeting" (PDF). The New York Times. August 27, 1921.
  3. ^ "Building Stones of Our Nation's Capital: Walking Tour Stops 1-6".
  4. ^ http://www.ilo.org/public/libdoc/ilo/P/09616/09616(1919-1).pdf[bare URL PDF]
  5. ^ Wright, Quincy (1922). "The Washington Conference". The American Political Science Review. 16 (2): 285–297. doi:10.2307/1943964. JSTOR 1943964. S2CID 147404493.

External links[edit]