The
John A. Wilson Building, popularly known simply as the
Wilson Building, is the building in downtown
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
that houses the offices and chambers of the
CouncilThe Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch of the local government of Washington, D.C. Because the United States Constitution places the District of Columbia under the sole control of Congress, all acts of the council are subject to congressional override, and thus the...
and the
Mayor of the District of Columbia. The building is located at 1350
Pennsylvania AvenuePennsylvania Avenue is a street in Washington, D.C. joining the White House and the United States Capitol. Called "America's Main Street", it is the location of official parades and processions, as well as protest marches and civilian protests...
, NW, near the southeast corner of the Avenue's intersection with
14th Street, NWFourteenth Street is a street in Northwest and Southwest Washington, D.C., located 1¼ mi. west of the U.S. Capitol. It runs from the 14th Street Bridge north to Eastern Avenue....
. It was constructed in 1904–1908 and originally named as the
District Building.
The building was one site where hostages were held in the
1977 Hanafi Muslim SiegeThe 1977 Hanafi Siege refers to an incident that occurred March 9–11, 1977, in which three buildings in Washington, D.C. were seized by 12 gunmen. They were held responsible for taking 149 hostages and the death of two people. After a 39-hour standoff all hostages were released from the District...
.
The
John A. Wilson Building, popularly known simply as the
Wilson Building, is the building in downtown
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
that houses the offices and chambers of the
CouncilThe Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch of the local government of Washington, D.C. Because the United States Constitution places the District of Columbia under the sole control of Congress, all acts of the council are subject to congressional override, and thus the...
and the
Mayor of the District of Columbia. The building is located at 1350
Pennsylvania AvenuePennsylvania Avenue is a street in Washington, D.C. joining the White House and the United States Capitol. Called "America's Main Street", it is the location of official parades and processions, as well as protest marches and civilian protests...
, NW, near the southeast corner of the Avenue's intersection with
14th Street, NWFourteenth Street is a street in Northwest and Southwest Washington, D.C., located 1¼ mi. west of the U.S. Capitol. It runs from the 14th Street Bridge north to Eastern Avenue....
. It was constructed in 1904–1908 and originally named as the
District Building.
The building was one site where hostages were held in the
1977 Hanafi Muslim SiegeThe 1977 Hanafi Siege refers to an incident that occurred March 9–11, 1977, in which three buildings in Washington, D.C. were seized by 12 gunmen. They were held responsible for taking 149 hostages and the death of two people. After a 39-hour standoff all hostages were released from the District...
. In 1994, the building was renamed to commemorate
John A. WilsonJohn A. Wilson was an American politician.Wilson served in 1974 as the chairman of the drive to approve the referendum to adopt the Home Rule Charter for the District of Columbia...
, a Chair of the D.C. Council who had committed suicide in May 1993.
In 1995, two-thirds of the Wilson Building was leased to the
Federal GovernmentThe federal government of the United States is the central government entity established by the United States Constitution, which shares sovereignty over the United States with the governments of the individual U.S. states. The federal government has three branches: the legislative, executive, and...
for 20 years, because it was severely deteriorated and the bankrupt District could not afford repairs. However, after
CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
approved a major renovation for the building, the District was able to regain use of the entire building. However, the repair work necessitated the mayor and council to relocate temporarily to the building at One
Judiciary SquareJudiciary Square is a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C., the vast majority of which is occupied by various federal and municipal courthouses and a number of important federal and municipal office buildings...
until they were able to reoccupy the Wilson Building in September 2001.
In January 2005, the statue of
Alexander Robey (Boss) ShepherdAlexander Robey Shepherd , better known as Boss Shepherd, was one of the most controversial and influential civic leaders in the history of Washington, D.C., and one of the most powerful big-city political bosses of the Gilded Age. He was head of the DC Board of Public Works from 1871 to 1873 and...
(Governor of the District of Columbia from 1873 to 1874) was restored to its original location in front of the Wilson Building near the building's northwest corner after being removed in 1979 during the first year of Mayor
Marion BarryMarion Shepilov Barry, Jr. is an American Democratic politician who served as the second elected mayor of Washington, D.C. from 1979 to 1991, and again as the fourth mayor from 1995 to 1999. He was the target of a high-profile 1990 arrest on drug charges, which precluded him from seeking...
's administration.
In October 2006, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities opened The City Hall Arts Collection at the Wilson Building. Pieces from a diverse body of DC area artists are on public display, hung throughout the halls. A second accession in 2008 brought the collection to over 200 works by Washington, DC Metropolitan area artists.
Works include a glass casting by Michael Janis of the Washington Glass School; paintings by Felrath Hines (former chief conservator of the Hirshhorn Museum),
Sylvia SnowdenSylvia Snowden is a black American artist. Snowden received a scholarship to Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Skowhegan, ME and has a certificate from Le Grande Chaumier in Paris, France. She holds both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Howard University. At...
, and Mark Cameron Boyd, photographs by
Alexandra SilverthorneAlexandra Silverthorne is a Washington, D.C. black and white photographer whose work has focused on social and political movements.Silverthorne's first main works were from demonstrations in Washington and New York against the war in Iraq...
, Harlee Little, and Max Hirshfeld; and sculpture by Jae Ko. The portrait of John A. Wilson is by renowned portrait painter
Simmie KnoxSimmie Knox is an African American painter who was chosen to paint the official White House portrait of former United States President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.-External links:*...
.
Collection enhancements will continue as part of the Art Bank program, the unique collection of moveable works funded through the DC Creates Public Art Program.