Existing comment:
Construction, 1836-68:
The Patent Office Building was constructed wing by wing on two city blocks over the 32-year period beginning in 1836. The spacious top-floor halls were designed for the display of patent models in cases almost nine feet high. Architect Robert Mills, who also designed the Washington Monument, supervised the construction from 1836 to 1851. He was followed by architect Thomas U. Walter, designer of the dome of the United States Capitol.
When completed in 1868, the Patent Office was the largest office building in the United States, occupying 333,000 square feet and constructed at a cost of $2,347,000. By 1870 the third-floor galleries displayed 200,000 patent models and formed a continuous interlocking exhibition space one-quarter mile in circumference. As many as 100,000 visitors a year came to view the patent models and historic curiosities on display in the building. |