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Old Executive Building


Bronze stair balusters for the State Department, south wing. (Walter Smalling, Jr.)

The State, War, and Navy Building, as it was originally known, housed the three Executive Branch Departments most intimately associated with formulating and conducting the nation's foreign policy in the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the first quarter of the twentieth century -- the period when the United States emerged as an international power. The building has housed some of the nation's most significant diplomats and politicians and has been the scene of many historic events.

The history of the OEOB began long before its foundations were laid. The first executive offices were constructed on sites flanking the White House between 1799 and 1820. A series of fires (including the burning by the British in 1814) and overcrowding conditions led to the construction of the existing Treasury Building, and in 1866, the construction of the North Wing of the Treasury Building necessitated the demolition of the State Department to the northeast of the White House. The State Department then moved to the D.C. Orphan Asylum while the War and Navy Departments continued to make do with their cramped quarters to the west of the White House.


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Historical Tour of the EEOB

Historical View - II

Historical View - III

Historical View - IV

Historical View - V

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Historical View - VIII

Historical View - IX

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