Departmental Auditorium, Constitution Avenue between Twelfth and Fourteenth Streets, Washington, District of Columbia, DC

Significance: The Departmental Auditorium is part of a three-building ensemble facing the National Mall. The building was renamed in 1987 in honor of Andrew W. Mellon, who oversaw the development of the Federal Triangle complex while serving as Secretary of the Treasury from 1921 to 1932.
Architect Arthur Brown, Jr., gave the Auditorium a monumental Doric temple front to serve as the central focus of his three-part building group. Like other buildings in the Federal Triangle, Brown's trio of buildings is constructed of steel frames clad in Indiana limestone. Red terra-cotta tiles roof the seven-story auditorium building. Colonnades resting on arched portals connect the auditorium to the twin office buildings designed for the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Department of Labor. The three units encompass nearly six acres and extend 1,000 feet along Constitution Avenue.
Six colossal fluted Roman Doric columns rise 62 feet 6 inches above the base to create the auditorium's portico. The columns are matched by fluted Doric pilasters set against the smooth limestone back wall. This wall has a large niche above which is a historical bas-relief. Flanking the niche are doors providing access to the portico. Crowning the portico, the central pediment displays Edgar Walter's "Columbia," a richly carved allegorical sculpture group symbolizing the country, national defense, and national resources.
The grandeur of the building's exterior is matched by its interior. At the heart of the building is the large meeting room, four stories in height that seats 2,500. Fluted Doric columns surround the room, which is embellished with limestone pilasters, gilded relief carvings, and polished oak. The walls and columns consist mostly of acoustical stone, the lower portions remaining relatively plain, pierced only by doors and vents with ornamental grilles. Colossal luminaries, made of brass and burnished aluminum, are suspended from the ceiling.
Survey number: HABS DC-869
Building/structure dates: 1928-1934 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 2002-2003 Subsequent Work