6 Buildings To Check Out Along Pennsylvania Avenue During The Inauguration Parade
As millions gather to watch President-elect Donald Trump’s swearing in as the 45th President of the United States, check out several of the historic, captivating and noteworthy buildings you’re likely to see during the parade along Pennsylvania Avenue, which connects the Capitol to the White House.
U.S. Capitol
East Capitol Street
Not quite on Pennsylvania Avenue, this is where the festivities begin. Before the parade, Trump will be sworn in at the U.S. Capitol, which is part of the Capitol Hill complex — a collection of a dozen buildings that has housed the offices of every state senator and representative that has served since the 1800s. Development on the complex began in the early 1790s and it is home to the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court and the district courts.
Trump International Hotel
1100 Pennsylvania Ave
The Trump Organization redeveloped the historic Old Post Office Building roughly six years ago, resulting in the luxury Trump International Hotel. The $200M redevelopment of the Old Post Office Pavilion on Pennsylvania Avenue NW opened in September and is one of the conflict of interest concerns with Trump. Upon being sworn in, he will effectively become the Old Post Office Building's landlord and tenant and will breach the contract he signed when he leased the building from the General Services Administration.
J. Edgar Hoover Building
935 Pennsylvania Ave
This low-rise office building, which boasts 1.77M SF of rentable space, is the FBI headquarters, though that may not be the case for long. The FBI has been looking into moving headquarters for some time now, and the General Services Administration has hired an official to oversee the FBI HQ Project that has been in the works since 2013. In April, the GSA launched a final search for a developer willing to construct a new FBI HQ in exchange for the aging J. Edgar Hoover Building and up to $1.8B in cash. In October, the Fed announced the choices for the new building had been narrowed down to locations in Greenbelt, Md., Landover, Md., and Springfield, Va. The wait remains.
Market Square
701 and 801 Pennsylvania Ave
What started out as a small center atop the Archives/Navy Memorial Metro station 25 years ago is now a pioneering mixed-use development that encompasses office, retail and residential space within two buildings at 701 and 801 Penn Ave. Market Square recently completed the first phase of a $15M facelift designed by Gensler in hopes of keeping up with tenant and renter needs and demand.
National Archives Building
700 Pennsylvania Ave NW
The National Archives building is where several of the nation’s original documents are stored, including the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights — each of which have been stored there in airtight cases since September 2003 and are on display for visitors. The property has undergone several renovations since its completion in the 1930s — one upgrade was brought about by a flood in June 2006 that flooded the building's transformer vault and basement, causing major damage.
The Newseum
555 Pennsylvania Ave
Originally in Arlington, Va., this museum relocated to downtown DC in March 2002. The museum opened to much fanfare in April 2008 and is known for its state-of-the-art building design, which features a 75-foot pink marble tablet with the First Amendment etched into it facing Pennsylvania Avenue. The $450M project provides a view into the “news history” of our country and the complex includes condos, a restaurant and a 500-plus-seat gym.
