Interstate Commerce Commission, Constitution Avenue between Twelfth and Fourteenth streets, Washington, District of Columbia, DC

Significance: The Interstate Commerce Commission building was designed by Arthur Brown as part of his architectural ensemble facing Constitution Avenue that also included the Departmental Auditorium and the former Labor Department building. The Interstate Commerce Commission building is now occupied by the Environmental Protection Agency.

There are two pediments on the Constitution Avenue facade. The first includes a male figure leaning against a horse against a backdrop of sun rays and swirling clouds that represents "Commerce and Communication." The caduceus is a symbol of Mercury, mythology's wing-footed messenger and winged genii blow the trade winds from the corners of the pediment. The second features a reclining female figure with dolphins in each corner of the pediment. The female is resting against a hippopotamus and a seahorse and is intended to evoke energy for interstate commerce.


Survey number: HABS DC-871
Building/structure dates: 1936 Initial Construction