# Richards Building

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Headquarters of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1871 to 1929

Richards Building The Richards Building in 1923 Location within Central Washington, D.C. General information Architectural style Rundbogenstil Location 205 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, D.C., United States Coordinates 38°53′12″N 77°00′30″W / 38.8868°N 77.0082°W / 38.8868; -77.0082 Completed 1871 Demolished 1929 Design and construction Architect Adolf Cluss

The **Richards Building** was the headquarters of the [United States Coast and Geodetic Survey](/source/United_States_Coast_and_Geodetic_Survey) from 1871 to 1929. It was located in [Washington, D.C.](/source/Washington%2C_D.C.), on a block immediately south of the [United States Capitol](/source/United_States_Capitol). It was demolished in 1929 to construct the [Longworth House Office Building](/source/Longworth_House_Office_Building).[1]

## Architecture

The building was designed by [Adolf Cluss](/source/Adolf_Cluss). It consisted of two connected units, a Main Building to the east facing New Jersey Avenue, and a Back Building facing [South Capitol Street](/source/South_Capitol_Street). The exterior of the Main Building was in the *[Rundbogenstil](/source/Rundbogenstil)* style, with red brick walls, brown stone trim, and a red, blue, and green patterned slate roof.[1] It was designed with abundant windows and an innovative ventilation system.[2]

## History

The Richards Building around 1902.  The Back Building is visible to the left of the Main Building, and the [Butler Building](/source/Butler_Building) and [United States Capitol](/source/United_States_Capitol) are to the right and behind it.

The building was constructed by A. and T. A. Richards in 1871 and rented to the United States Coast Survey, which was renamed the [United States Coast and Geodetic Survey](/source/United_States_Coast_and_Geodetic_Survey) in 1878.[3][4] The builders structured the building in the form of a hotel with many small rooms, so it could be used as such if the government did not renew its initial 10-year lease. This caused difficulties, as the layout was not well suited to functions such as use as a [printing](/source/Printing) and [lithographic](/source/Lithography) plant and [machine](/source/Machine_shop) and [carpenter](/source/Carpentry) shop.[3]

The building was not considered to be sufficiently [fire-proof](/source/Fireproofing), so when the neighboring [Butler Building](/source/Butler_Building) was constructed as a residence in 1873, the superintendent of the U.S. Coast Survey requested that a portion of that building be constructed to be fire-proof so that it could be rented as storage for valuable and irreplaceable survey records, maps, and [engraving](/source/Engraving) plates.[5]

The [United States Government](/source/United_States_Government) purchased the Richards Building outright in 1891.[4] By 1916, the building was considered so inadequate that [United States Secretary of Commerce](/source/United_States_Secretary_of_Commerce) [William C. Redfield](/source/William_C._Redfield) reported to the [United States Congress](/source/United_States_Congress) that, "were there such a function as a public [incendiary](/source/Structure_fire), these buildings are among the first that should receive his official attention."[6] In 1929, the Coast and Geodetic Survey moved to the [Department of Commerce Building](/source/Herbert_C._Hoover_Building), and the Richards Building was demolished to construct the [Longworth House Office Building](/source/Longworth_House_Office_Building).[1]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_1-2) ["United States Coast Survey"](http://www.adolf-cluss.org/index.php?sub=3.5.99). *Adolf Cluss Virtual Exhibition*. Retrieved December 14, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Cloud, John (2007). ["Benjamin Peirce and "The Science of Necessary Conclusions" (1867–1874)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170916163007/https://www.lib.noaa.gov/noaainfo/heritage/coastandgeodeticsurvey/index.html). [*Science on the Edge: The Story of the Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1867–1970*](https://www.lib.noaa.gov/noaainfo/heritage/coastandgeodeticsurvey/index.html). U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. pp. 13–17. Archived from [the original](ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/docs.lib/htdocs/rescue/coastandgeodeticsurvey/Peircechapter.pdf) (PDF) on September 16, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2020.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:4_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:4_3-1) [*Annual Report of the Superintendent, United States Coast and Geodetic Survey*](https://books.google.com/books?id=9kIbAAAAMAAJ&pg=IA3). U.S. Government Printing Office. 1916. p. 15.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:3_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:3_4-1) [*Annual Report of the Superintendent, United States Coast and Geodetic Survey*](https://books.google.com/books?id=XqQ3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA17). U.S. Government Printing Office. 1919. pp. 17–19.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [*Congressional Record, Forty-Third Congress, Third Session*](https://books.google.com/books?id=K6RmAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA1814). U.S. Government Printing Office. 1875. p. 1814.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [*The Abridgment, 1915, Containing the Annual Message of the President of the United States to the Two Houses of Congress*](https://books.google.com/books?id=wQhZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1645). 1916. pp. 1645–1646.

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