District of Columbia City Hall - History

History

The government of the City of Washington held a competition for the design of a new municipal building in 1818. George Hadfield, a former superintendent during the construction of the United States Capitol, submitted a design for a new city hall but it was judged to be too costly. Hadfield eventually won the competition in 1820 with a revised version of his original plan and construction began in August. The offices of the city government moved into the building in 1822. However, a lack of funds and other problems hindered construction and the building would not be completed in its entirety until 1849.

To raise funds needed to finish the building, the city leased out space during construction to other federal government offices. Tenants included the U.S. Circuit Court and the Recorder of Deeds office, headed by Frederick Douglass. Following the passage of the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act in 1862, the Old City Hall was used to process payments to slaveholders.

The federal government rented additional space in 1863 during the American Civil War and later purchased the building to house the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. In 1868, a statue of President Abraham Lincoln was erected on the south side of the building, which became the first public monument in his honor. The offices of the D.C. government moved to the new District Building in 1908 and the Old City Hall was left to house the federal courts until they vacated the property in 1910.

In 1916, Congress approved funds for the complete renovation of the courthouse. The extensive work stripped the building to its brick framing and replaced the stucco exterior with limestone blocks on a granite base. The building was rededicated as the U.S. Courthouse in 1922. The federal courts moved to the new E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse in 1952 and the Old City Hall eventually became the headquarters of the U.S. Selective Service System. The building was named a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and was returned to the District government two years later for use by the local courts.