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Tariff Building
The Tariff Commission Building was built between 1836 and 1867. It was originally the city's main post office until the "Old Post Office" was opened on Pennsylvania Avenue in 1899.
In 1845, Samuel Morse opened the first telegraph office in America in this building. The telegraph was considered a modern extension of the post office so this made some sense.
The main significance of this building, however, is that I worked here when I first moved to Washington DC. It was where the US International Trade Commission was located. They eventually had a new office built in southwest DC and the building became a storage annex for the Museum of American Art and the National Portrait Gallery. However, that didn't last for long and as of 1997, they're talking about turning the building into some sort of condominium complex. |