Judiciary Square is a neighborhood in the
northwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...
quadrant of
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, the vast majority of which is occupied by various federal and municipal courthouses and office buildings. Judiciary Square is located roughly between
Pennsylvania Avenue
Pennsylvania Avenue is a primarily diagonal street in Washington, D.C. that connects the United States Capitol with the White House and then crosses northwest Washington, D.C. to Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown. Traveling through So ...
to the south,
H Street to the north, 6th Street to the west, and 3rd Street to the east. The center of the neighborhood is an actual plaza named Judiciary Square. The Square itself is bounded by 4th Street to the east, 5th Street to the west, D Street and Indiana Avenue to the south, and
F Street to the north. The neighborhood is served by the
Judiciary Square station on the
Red Line of the
Washington Metro
The Washington Metro, often abbreviated as the Metro and formally the Metrorail, is a rapid transit system serving the Washington metropolitan area of the United States. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ...
, in addition to
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA ), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional public transit agency that operates transit services in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA provides rapid transit servic ...
bus stops.
The Square was included in the 1791
L'Enfant Plan, which planned the layout of the nation's new capital. The plans were slightly altered during the following years. Development in the neighborhood was slow during the first half of the 19th-century. There were only a few shanties and a small hospital utilized by recent immigrants. When construction of the
District of Columbia City Hall
District of Columbia City Hall, also known as Old City Hall and the District of Columbia Courthouse, is a historic building at Judiciary Square in downtown Washington, D.C. facing Indiana Avenue. Originally built for the offices of the governmen ...
began in 1820, it led to an increase in development around the Square. Houses and places of worship were built, including the First Unitarian Church (now the
All Souls Church, Unitarian). Other denominations soon followed with building impressive structures, such as
Trinity Episcopal Church.
The area became a fashionable place to live, despite many lots on the northern side being undeveloped, and
Goose Creek passing through the neighborhood. Prominent residents during the 19th-century include Vice President
John C. Calhoun, statesman
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the 14th and 19th United States Secretary of State, U.S. secretary o ...
, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
Roger B. Taney
Roger Brooke Taney ( ; March 17, 1777 – October 12, 1864) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the fifth Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the United States, holding that office from 1836 until his death in 186 ...
, and architect
Charles Bulfinch
Charles Bulfinch (August 8, 1763 – April 15, 1844) was an early American architect, and has been regarded by many as the first American-born professional architect to practice.Baltzell, Edward Digby. ''Puritan Boston & Quaker Philadelphia''. Tra ...
. During the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
, the buildings and open lots around the Square were commandeered to treat wounded
Union soldiers. At the beginning of the war, the Square's hospital was destroyed in a fire, so another hospital opened on the Square. There was also a large brick jail on the Square, that probably hindered development in the vicinity. After President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
was
assassinated, local citizens raised money to install a
statue of Lincoln that became the nation's first memorial to the slain president.
Alexander "Boss" Shepherd improved many areas of the neighborhood by having the streets graded and paved, sewer lines installed, and adding landscaping, which created a park-like setting in the Square. A massive new building on the north side of the Square, the
Pension Building, was completed in 1887. By that time the residents in the neighborhood were mostly lawyers, doctors, professors, and other white-collar professions, due to the proximity of the city hall, hospital, and
Columbian College, now known as
George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
. The installation of
streetcars resulted in further development. It was around this time, several older buildings on 4 1/2 Street were demolished and replaced with
John Marshall Park. During the 20th-century, the area became less residential, especially after the construction of multiple judicial buildings. Most prominent citizens had already left the area to live in more fashionable neighborhoods. The area became mostly a neighborhood where office and judicial employees worked. With the construction of the Judiciary Square station, there was a sharp increase in commercial development. The largest project,
Capitol Crossing, began in the 21st-century.
There are many public artworks in the neighborhood, in addition to the Lincoln statue. The list includes the
Darlington Memorial Fountain,
George Gordon Meade Memorial, and ''
Chief Justice John Marshall''. Most of the neighborhood is listed as
contributing properties to the
Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site, and the Square itself is included in the historic landmark designation for the L'Enfant Plan. Additional historic buildings besides City Hall and the Pension Building include the
Adas Israel Synagogue, the
E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse,
Germuiller Row, and the
Henry Daly Building.
Location
The Judiciary Square plaza, which encompasses , is on Squares 487E, 488E, and 489E, and is bounded by 4th Street to the east, 5th Street to the west, D Street and Indiana Avenue to the south, and
F Street to the north.
The Judiciary Square neighborhood, which encompasses Squares 486, 488, 489, 490, 518, 529, 531, and 533, is roughly bounded by C Street,
Constitution Avenue
Constitution Avenue is a major east–west street in the Northwest, Washington, D.C., northwest and Northeast, Washington, D.C., northeast quadrants of the city of Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was originally known as B Street, and ...
, and
Pennsylvania Avenue
Pennsylvania Avenue is a primarily diagonal street in Washington, D.C. that connects the United States Capitol with the White House and then crosses northwest Washington, D.C. to Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown. Traveling through So ...
to the south, 3rd and 4th Street to the east, G Street to the north, and 6th Street to the west. Along the north side of the Square is the
Judiciary Square station of the
Washington Metro
The Washington Metro, often abbreviated as the Metro and formally the Metrorail, is a rapid transit system serving the Washington metropolitan area of the United States. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ...
.
[
Many of the structures in the Square are judicial buildings, owned by either the federal or local government, as was originally planned in the early history of the neighborhood. The neighborhood includes additional judicial and municipal buildings, commercial buildings, residential properties, and a church. South of the Square is John Marshall Park, which provides nearby workers a place to gather. Two buildings to the west of the park are the Embassy of Canada and the former ]Newseum
The Newseum (April 18, 1997–March 3, 2002 and April 11, 2008–December 31, 2019) was an American museum located first in Rosslyn, Virginia, and later at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, in Washington, D.C., dedicated to news and journalism that ...
, both of which are modern structures.[
Additional modern structures in the neighborhood include the Judiciary Square station entrance, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and associated National Law Enforcement Museum, the H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse, Engine Company No. 2, John Marshall Park and its statues, and the ]National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), also known as the National Academies, is a Congressional charter, congressionally chartered organization that serves as the collective scientific national academy of the Uni ...
, although it incorporates the façades of several historic buildings.[
]
History
18th century
When the decision was made to create a new capital city after the Revolutionary War, President George Washington
George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
selected engineer and architect Pierre Charles L’Enfant to design it. The L'Enfant Plan was presented in 1791, which included numerous large squares, connected by avenues. In L'Enfant's plan, the area that become Judiciary Square was Reservation 7 on land owned by David Burnes, and one of the largest out of the original 17 parcels included in his plan. It was designed to be three square blocks, in an area that would be home to the United States Supreme Court Building
The Supreme Court Building houses the Supreme Court of the United States, the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. The building serves as the official workplace of the Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice o ...
and other judicial buildings. The plan was to create a design that would form a triangle between the United States Capitol
The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the United States Congress, the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, federal g ...
, the White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
, and the Supreme Court Building.[
After L'Enfant was fired and replaced with Andrew Ellicott, there were several changes made to the Square's plans, including size of the Square, removing building sites, and adding cross-through streets. The neighborhood around the planned Square was on sloping land that gradually reached street level at Pennsylvania Avenue. Goose Creek ran diagonally through the Square in addition to another tributary of the creek entering from the north.][
Another plan for the city was completed in 1797 by James R. Dermott. Washington and President ]John Adams
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...
both selected this plan, which was more cohesive and did not include planned buildings, to be the final draft. The map includes the name, Judiciary Square, which does not appear on the L'Enfant Plan or Ellicott Plan.[
]
19th century
Development was slow around the Square. By 1802, there were six shanties occupied by Irish immigrants on the southern edge of the Square. There was also a small hospital around the Square to treat immigrants workers. That building was later converted into a poorhouse
A poorhouse or workhouse is a government-run (usually by a county or municipality) facility to support and provide housing for the dependent or needy.
Workhouses
In England, Wales and Ireland (but not in Scotland), "workhouse" has been the more ...
. The last building around the square at that time was a barn, which housed prisoners waiting to be transferred to other facilities. In 1802, the U.S. Congress
The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...
ordered local government official Daniel Brent to construct a jail, later nicknamed the McGurck Jail after a murderer was confined there until his execution, in the center of the Square. George Hadfield designed the $8,000 two-story building.[
Robert King produced a fourth version of a city map which showed Judiciary Square as rectangular. The first major building erected in the area was the ]District of Columbia City Hall
District of Columbia City Hall, also known as Old City Hall and the District of Columbia Courthouse, is a historic building at Judiciary Square in downtown Washington, D.C. facing Indiana Avenue. Originally built for the offices of the governmen ...
, designed by Hadfield, which was constructed from 1820 to the 1840s. Despite the building not being completed, the city government and circuit court for Washington County, D.C., moved into it beginning in 1822.[ After city hall came into use, there was development in the neighborhood. Architect James Hoban lived in a house on the corner of 5th and D Streets. The city's registrar, William Hewitt, built a large home near 6th and D Streets, a few doors down from architect ]Charles Bulfinch
Charles Bulfinch (August 8, 1763 – April 15, 1844) was an early American architect, and has been regarded by many as the first American-born professional architect to practice.Baltzell, Edward Digby. ''Puritan Boston & Quaker Philadelphia''. Tra ...
.[
The First Unitarian Church, designed by Bulfinch and now known as All Souls Church, Unitarian, was built in 1822 at the corner of 6th and D Streets. Other buildings constructed in the 1820s include a Masonic Temple and First Presbyterian Church, located on 4 1/2th Street, the Wesley Methodist Church, Trinity Episcopal Church, designed by ]James Renwick Jr.
James Renwick Jr. (November 11, 1818 – June 23, 1895) was an American architect known for designing churches and museums. He designed the Smithsonian Institution Building in Washington, D.C., and St. Patrick's Cathedral (Manhattan), St. Patric ...
, the American Theater, and public baths. The area's houses of worship were numerous. In addition to the aforementioned churches, German immigrants built St. Mary Mother of God Church and a synagogue for the Washington Hebrew Congregation. Years later, the Adas Israel Synagogue was built at 6th and G Streets by Eastern European and Russian Jews.[
A new jail designed by Robert Mills was built on the northeast corner of the Square in 1839, replacing the one built in 1802. The former jail was renovated into the Washington Infirmary Hospital, operated by Columbian College, now known as ]George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
. A few years later public school Fifth Street Schoolhouse was built near the hospital..[ In 1840, the Rittenhouse Academy opened at 3rd Street and Indiana Avenue, which was a sign that area residents could afford tuition.][
In the following decades, Judiciary Square had a heavily residential population. By the 1850s-1860s, its proximity to the courthouses attracted lawyers, judges, and clerks to the neighborhood, while its location between the White House and the Capitol made it ideal for government employees. Among its most prominent residents around this time were Chief Justice ]Roger B. Taney
Roger Brooke Taney ( ; March 17, 1777 – October 12, 1864) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the fifth Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the United States, holding that office from 1836 until his death in 186 ...
, Senator Thomas Hart Benton, Vice President John C. Calhoun, statesman Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the 14th and 19th United States Secretary of State, U.S. secretary o ...
, and Mayor Richard Wallach.[ There were still many empty lots on the north and east sides of the Square during this period, possibly due to the sloping terrain or proximity to the jail.][
During the ]Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
, the buildings surrounding the Square were commandeered by the federal government and used as medical facilities for wounded Union soldiers. The Washington Infirmary Hospital was also converted into a military hospital. Tragedy struck on November 3, 1861, when a fire broke out inside the hospital, resulting in several deaths. A new hospital, U.S. General Hospital, was constructed in the Square, as was the nearby Providence Hospital, which survived for almost 100 years.[ One building constructed during the war and faced the Square contained a small library, founded by Elida B. Rumsey, and her fiancé, John A Fowle. Congress allocated money for them to construct a one-story building on the Square to use as a library, which was completed on their wedding day in 1863.][
]
As the war continued in 1865, President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
was assassinated, shocking the city's residents. An association was soon formed to raise money for a monument to the slain president. On the three year anniversary of Lincoln's death, the statue of Abraham Lincoln by sculptor Lot Flannery was installed in front of City Hall, becoming the first monument in the nation honoring Lincoln.
In the years following the war, there was a large influx of people moving into the city, but many areas had not yet been graded or plotted. Alexander "Boss" Shepherd was responsible for large-scale improvements to the city. This included modernizing the Judiciary Square neighborhood with public work projects, including paved roads, adding sewer lines, and landscaping public land. Additional improvements included building a small public restroom, adding footpaths, narrowing the roads on the southern end of the Square, and adding a fountain in the Square. The school and old jail were demolished by 1878 and replaced with green space and the Goose Creek was drained. The goal was to make the Square a landscaped area similar to ones designed by Andrew Jackson Downing
Andrew Jackson Downing (October 31, 1815 – July 28, 1852) was an American landscape designer, horticulturist, writer, prominent advocate of the Gothic Revival in the United States, and editor of ''The Horticulturist'' magazine (1846–1852). ...
.[
Expansion of City Hall based on the design of Edward Clark began in 1882, the same year the cornerstone was laid for the massive Pension Building (now known as the National Building Museum), designed by Montgomery C. Meigs and located on the northern end of the Square. The building was inspired by the ]Palazzo Farnese
Palazzo Farnese () or Farnese Palace is one of the most important High Renaissance palaces in Rome. Owned by the Italian Republic, it was given to the French government in 1936 for a period of 99 years, and currently serves as the French e ...
, Palazzo della Cancelleria
The Palazzo della Cancelleria (Palace of the Chancellery, referring to the former Apostolic Chancery of the Pope) is a Renaissance palace in Rome, Italy, situated between the present Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and the Campo de' Fiori, in the rion ...
, and the Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri
The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and of the Martyrs (, ) is a Catholic titular minor basilica and former Carthusian conventual church in Rome, Italy, constructed in the ruined '' frigidarium'' and '' tepidarium'' of the Roman Baths of ...
.[ The building encompassed of the Square, and with the largest atrium in Washington, D.C., became the place where many ]United States presidential inauguration
Between seventy-three and seventy-nine days after the presidential election, the president-elect of the United States is inaugurated as president by taking the presidential oath of office. The inauguration takes place for each new president ...
balls took place.[
By the end of the 1880s, most lots around the Square were developed, with houses and offices for lawyers, doctors, and professors. Some of the earlier buildings on 4 1/2 Street were demolished to make way for John Marshall Park, which includes the sculpture '' Chief Justice John Marshall''. The population of the city nearly quadrupled between 1860 and 1900, and many of the new residents lived in older houses and alley dwellings. The neighborhood, which had been a fashionable area for a few decades, saw wealthier residents move to other areas of the city as more working-class people moved into Judiciary Square. A ]streetcar
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...
line on F Street led to rapid commercial development on the neighborhood's west side. The first apartment building constructed in the neighborhood was the Harrison Apartment Building, at the corner of 3rd and G Streets. This led to additional apartment buildings being constructed in the area. By the end of 19th century, many office buildings were constructed in the neighborhood, signaling a transformation of the surrounding area from residential to commercial.[
]
20th century
The city saw additional growth in the population and more apartment buildings were constructed in the Judiciary Square neighborhood. Most of the remaining houses built in the 19th-century were converted into boarding houses. After the city's John A. Wilson Building was constructed in 1908, the old City Hall housed the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a United States district court, federal district court in Washington, D.C. Along with the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii and ...
, and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
The District of Columbia Court of Appeals is the highest court of the District of Columbia, the capital city of the United States. The court was established in 1942 as the Municipal Court of Appeals, and it has been the court of last resort ...
moved into a new building on the Square.[
]
The old City Hall was refurbished in the 1910s and the grounds further landscaped. The statue of Lincoln was removed during renovations, but was returned after complaints from citizens. In 1923, the Washington Bar Association installed the Darlington Memorial Fountain in honor of one its members. The bronze fountain with statues, designed by C. Paul Jennewein, was placed on the southwest corner of the Square. The following year the General Jose de San Martin Memorial, by sculptor Augustin-Alexandre Dumont, was installed in the center of the Square, where it remained for several decades.[ The Albert Pike Memorial, designed by sculptor Gaetano Trentanove, was installed across the street from the Square in 1901.][
In the early decades of the 20th-century, the German immigrant population was replaced with Greek, Irish, and Italian immigrants, and the eastern side of Judiciary Square became an enclave of Italians, the equivalent of a ]Little Italy
Little Italy is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an Urban area, urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian cul ...
, though it was never called that. The Italian neighborhood rested on the eastern edge of the square proper, stretching eastward to about 2nd Street. The heart of the community was Holy Rosary Church, a chapel built at 3rd and F Streets.
By the 1920s, buildings along G Street were mostly restaurants and shops that catered to office workers.[ During the ]Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, there were often homeless people sleeping in the Square each night. Police officers would wake them up before government and commercial employees arrived for work. The rise of automobile ownership wreaked havoc to the Square. Some of the outer edges were turned into parking spaces, and when those were full, some commuters would park on the Square's sidewalks and green space.[
As part of the ]Public Works Administration
The Public Works Administration (PWA), part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by United States Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was ...
during the Great Depression, additional court buildings were constructed on the Square: the District of Columbia Recorder of Deeds Building, the Municipal Court Building, and the D.C. Juvenile Court Building. All four buildings are cohesive in design. Additional local and federal buildings constructed around this time include the Henry Daly Building, the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse, and the large US General Accounting Office Building.[
In the 1960s, due to growing traffic issues, there were plans for a Metro transit system to be built in Washington, D.C. Construction of the ]Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA ), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional public transit agency that operates transit services in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA provides rapid transit servic ...
(WMATA) headquarters on the corner of 5th and F Streets was completed in 1974. Groundbreaking for the Judiciary Square station, designed by Harry Weese
Harry Mohr Weese (June 30, 1915 – October 29, 1998) was an Americans, American architect who had an important role in 20th-century modernism and historic preservation. His brother, Ben Weese, was also a renowned architect.
Early life and educat ...
, took place in 1969. During construction, the General Jose de San Martin Memorial was moved and now stands along Virginia Avenue. The station opened in 1976.[
There was a boon in development around the neighborhood after the Metro station was announced. The United States Tax Court Building at 3rd and D Streets was completed in 1974, and the following year, the H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse opened across from the Square's southern end. The Judiciary Plaza Office Building, designed by Vlastimil Koubek and across the street from the Square, was completed in 1981. The Canadian embassy, on the southern border of the neighborhood, was built in 1989.][
There were plans to demolish the Pension Building, but due to historic preservationists, it was converted into the National Building Museum in the 1980s. In 1989, the Square was chosen to be the site where a memorial to police officers who died in the line of duty would be built. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was completed in 1991 and includes four bronze lion sculptures.][ During the 1990s, additional office buildings were constructed in the neighborhood, including the FBI District of Columbia Field Office, Koubek's One Judiciary Square, and the Judiciary Center. The building boom extended into the next decade.][
]
21st century
Construction projects in the 2000s included an $85 million renovation of the old City Hall, which included adding a modern atrium to the rear of the building and installing an underground courtroom. Outside this rear entrance is the National Law Enforcement Museum. Another museum that opened nearby was in the Keck Center, home of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, until it closed in 2017.[ The Newseum opened on Pennsylvania Avenue in 2009, but closed ten years later. It now houses the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.]
The District government finalized a deal in 2010 with the Louis Dreyfus Group
Louis Dreyfus Company B.V. (LDC) is a French merchant firm that is involved in agriculture, food processing, international shipping, and finance. The company owns and manages hedge funds, Ship management, ocean vessels, develops and operates tele ...
to construct Capitol Crossing, a mixed-use development
Mixed use is a type of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions ...
in the airspace over the Center Leg Freeway ( Interstate 395). The $1.3 billion office, residential, and retail project at the east end of the Judiciary Square neighborhood will also restore the area's original L'Enfant Plan street grid by reconnecting F and G Streets over the freeway. The project awaited final regulatory approval for several years and construction began in 2016. Part of the construction process necessitated moving the Adas Israel Synagogue, which had been moved twice decades earlier for construction projects. The original building and a modern addition are now the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum, which opened in 2023.
Historic properties
Judiciary Square itself is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
(NRHP) and District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites (DCIHS), as a part of the L'Enfant Plan, which was added to the DCIHS on March 7, 1968, and the NRHP on April 24, 1997. A large portion of the neighborhood also contains contributing properties to the Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site, listed on the NRHP on October 15, 1966, and the DCIHS on June 19, 1973.
Additional structures listed on both the NRHP and DCIHS include: the Adas Israel Synagogue, the District of Columbia City Hall
District of Columbia City Hall, also known as Old City Hall and the District of Columbia Courthouse, is a historic building at Judiciary Square in downtown Washington, D.C. facing Indiana Avenue. Originally built for the offices of the governmen ...
, which is also a National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
(NHL), the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse, Germuiller Row, the Harrison Apartment Building, the Henry Daly Building, the Moran Building, the National Building Museum (NHL), the US General Accounting Office Building, the United States Court of Military Appeals Building, and the United States Tax Court Building. The Albert Pike Memorial and George Gordon Meade Memorial are collectively listed with 16 other monuments on the NRHP and DCIHS as Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C.[
]
Public art
There are many public artwork and monuments in the Judiciary Square neighborhood. The oldest one is ''Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
'' (1868), located in front of the old City Hall. The second oldest is '' Chief Justice John Marshall'' (1883) by William Wetmore Story
William Wetmore Story (February 12, 1819 – October 7, 1895) was an American sculptor, art critic, poet, and editor.
Life and career
William Wetmore Story was the son of U.S. Supreme Court judge Joseph Story and Sarah Waldo (Wetmore) Story. ...
, sited in John Marshall Park. The Albert Pike Memorial, which no longer features the statue of Albert Pike
Albert Pike (December 29, 1809April 2, 1891) was an American author, poet, orator, editor, lawyer, jurist and Confederate States Army general who served as an List of justices of the Arkansas Supreme Court, associate justice of the Arkansas Supr ...
, was torn down by protesters after the murder of George Floyd
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old White police officer. Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk reported that he made a purchase using a c ...
due to Pike being a former general in the Confederate Army
The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...
. The 1923 Darlington Memorial Fountain, which includes two bronze statutes on top of the fountain, was installed in 1923.[
The next oldest public artwork in the neighborhood is the large George Gordon Meade Memorial, designed by Charles Grafly and erected in 1927, which stands in front of the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse. The statue of William Blackstone, designed by Paul Wayland Bartlett and installed in 1943, is also located in front of the Prettyman Courthouse.][ '' Trylon of Freedom'' by C. Paul Jennewein is the third sculpture in front of the Prettyman Courthouse and was installed in 1954.]
The abstract sculpture, '' She Who Must Be Obeyed'', is in between the Henry Daly Building and Frances Perkins Building
The Frances Perkins Building is the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the United States Department of Labor. It is located at 200 Constitution Avenue NW and sits above Interstate 395. The structure is named after Frances Perkins, the U.S. ...
. It was created by Tony Smith and installed in 1975. '' The Chess Players'' is on the east side of John Marshall Park and was installed in 1983.[ The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and its bronze lions were completed in 1991. ''Ashes to Answers'' is a 2013 statue in front of the Fire Station 2.]
Transportation
The neighborhood is served by two forms of public transit. Entrances to the Judiciary Square station on the Washington Metro
The Washington Metro, often abbreviated as the Metro and formally the Metrorail, is a rapid transit system serving the Washington metropolitan area of the United States. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ...
's Red Line are on the northern and eastern ends of the Square. The second form is Metrobus with several bus stops in the neighborhood and nearby vicinity, including ones on 6th Street, E Street, H Street, and Pennsylvania Avenue. Other forms of transportation in the neighborhood include Capital Bikeshare
Capital Bikeshare (also abbreviated CaBi) is a bicycle-sharing system that serves Washington, D.C., and certain counties of the Washington metropolitan area, larger metropolitan area. it had 700+ stations and more than 5,400 bicycles. The memb ...
stations at 4th and D Streets, and 5th and F Streets. A few blocks east of Judiciary Square is Washington Union Station
Washington Union Station, known locally as Union Station, is a major train station, transportation hub, and leisure destination in Washington, D.C. Designed by Daniel Burnham and opened in 1907, it is Amtrak's second-busiest station and North ...
, where commuters on the MARC Train and Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
arrive.
See also
* Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C.
References
External links
*
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Italian-American culture in Washington, D.C.
Neighborhoods in Northwest (Washington, D.C.)