Old City Hall (District of Columbia Court of Appeals), Washington, DC: style and history

George Hadfield, who had supervised construction of the U.S. Capitol from 1795 to 1798, won an 1820 competition to design the District's new government building after his costlier first submission was rejected in 1818. Offices moved in in 1822, though funding shortfalls slowed the work. The building went on to serve as a federal courthouse, hosting the trials of three men accused of assassinating presidents, before its 1960 designation as a National Historic Landmark; it now houses the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

the building

Trials of assassins. As a federal courthouse at Judiciary Square, the building was the scene of several notable criminal trials, including those of three men accused of assassinating presidents.

the style

Neoclassical (c. 1750–1850): Buildings modeled closely on Greek and Roman temples: grand columned porches, domes, and plain, symmetrical walls.

the architect

George Hadfield had supervised construction of the U.S. Capitol from 1795 to 1798 before winning the 1820 competition for this building with a revised version of an earlier, rejected design.

significance

Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960, the building is also individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated DC Historic Landmark #L_0270.

nearby

Henry J. Daly Building 500 ft · Art Deco · 1941
United States Tax Court 0.1 mi · Mid-Century Modern
National Building Museum 0.2 mi · Art Nouveau · 1887
Canadian Chancery 0.2 mi · Contemporary Modern · 1986
E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse 0.2 mi · Stripped Classicism · 1949
Central National Bank 0.2 mi · Victorian · 1860

All 315 buildings in Washington, DC