Government Buildings Archives - Page 32 of 35

Springfield High School, Springfield, Mass

April 18, 2019December 31, 2013 by Derek Strahan

Springfield’s old high school, located on State Street, sometime in the 1870s or 1880s. Photo courtesy of New York Public Library.

The scene in 2019:

Built in 1874, the building in the top photo was once Springfield’s high school building. It was used as the high school until 1898, when the older part (left-hand side) of Classical High School was completed. After that, the building was used as a grammar school until 1922, when it was demolished to allow for the expansion of Classical High School. It was used as a high school until 1986, and has since been converted into condominiums.

Ellis Island, New York

January 23, 2016December 31, 2013 by Derek Strahan

Ellis Island, as it appeared around 1905. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The view in 2012:

Opened in 1892, Ellis Island served as an immigration center until 1954, and during that time about 12 immigrants were processed there. The first building burned in a 1897 fire, and the present building was opened in 1900. The island itself was significantly expanded both before and after the 1905 photo, which was the subject of a border dispute between New York and New Jersey. The Supreme Court ruled that only the original part of the island is New York, and the artificial fill is New Jersey, meaning that the New York section is completely surrounded by New Jersey.

Lincoln Memorial from the Washington Monument, Washington DC

August 5, 2021December 29, 2013 by Derek Strahan

The view of the Lincoln Memorial on May 30, 1922, the day that it was dedicated, from the Washington Monument. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Harris & Ewing Collection.

The scene in 2021:

Both the Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool are iconic images of Washington DC, but in 1922 they were brand new features on previously swampy, vacant land. Today they remain largely the same, but the surrounding area has changed. Across the river, the city of Arlington has been built up, and two bridges are now visible in the scene, connecting it to Washington, D.C. In D.C. itself, one obvious difference is the Main Navy and Munitions Buildings, which are on the right-hand side of the photo. The “temporary” buildings were built in 1918, but they remained in use until 1970, when they were demolished and replaced with the Constitution Gardens as seen in the 2006 photo.

Lincoln Memorial Dedication, Washington DC

January 23, 2016December 29, 2013 by Derek Strahan

The view from the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial on May 30, 1922. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, National Photo Company Collection.

The same view in 2006:

The dedication of the Lincoln Memorial attracted quite a crowd, which contrasts with the dreary, deserted view of the same scene 84 years later. Other than the people, though, the scene remains similar. The Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool are still there, although the Main Navy and Munitions Buildings, barely visible beyond the trees to the left in 1922, are long gone now.

Old Executive Building, Washington DC

January 23, 2016December 29, 2013 by Derek Strahan

The Old Executive Office Building around 1909. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, National Photo Company Collection.

In 2012:

Originally built as the State, War, and Navy Building, and completed in 1888, it remains much the same as it was around 1909, despite having changed its function. Today, it is used by various executive departments, including the Office of the Vice President, as it is located directly adjacent to the White House (the white house is immediately to the left of the photos)

However, probably the most unusual thing in either photo is the presence of a cow in the 1909 photo. It is, in fact, a real cow, and was actually kept for agricultural purposes by none other than William Howard Taft. In the days before refrigeration, the best way to ensure an ample supply of fresh milk was by actually keeping a cow on the White House grounds. Named Pauline Wayne, the cow provided milk for the Taft family for about a year and a half, and was the last cow to reside at the White House [insert joke about President Taft’s weight here].

Old Capitol Prison, Washington DC

December 30, 2016December 28, 2013 by Derek Strahan

The Old Capitol Prison, around 1863. Photo by Mathew Brady, courtesy of the National Archives.

The building around 1866. Photo by William R. Pywell, courtesy of the Library of Congress, Civil War Collection.

Between 1910 and 1920. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The same location in 2012:

Clearly, much has changed in 147 years at the corner of 1st St. NE and A St. NE. The building in the first two photos (which is actually the same building in the third photo) is the Old Capitol Prison. As its name suggests, the building once served as the temporary United States Capitol. After the Capitol was burned in the War of 1812, this building was hastily built to serve as the Capitol until the repairs could be completed.

After Congress and the Supreme Court returned to the Capitol in 1819, the building was used as a private school and later as a boarding house. It was in this boarding house that former Vice President John C. Calhoun died in 1850; years earlier he had served as a Representative from South Carolina in the same building. During the Civil War, the building was used as a prison, and in 1867 it was sold and converted into rowhouses, as seen in the third photo. In 1929, it was demolished to allow for the construction of the US Supreme Court building, which, as seen in the 2012 photo, remains on the site today.