American Institute of Pharmacy Building
Encyclopedia
The American Institute of Pharmacy Building, also known as the Americal Pharmaceutical Association Building and the American Pharmacists Association Building is a late Beaux Arts style building in Washington, D.C.
, the headquarters of the American Pharmacists Association
. The building, prominently located on Constitution Avenue
, is on the only privately-held lot in the area, surrounded by protected Federal lands. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1977.
The American Institute of Pharmacy Building was designed by architect John Russell Pope
and completed in 1933. It is a one-story building with a full basement partially above grade. Structure is steel and brick with reinforced concrete floor and roof. The building is faced with Vermont marble and faces a wide terrace that overlooks the stepped slope leading down to the Lincoln Memorial
. The building is arranged with a strongly centralized mass with subordinate wings to either side. A single monumental door flanked by pilasters and large bronze lamps is the sole punctuation of the facade. Allegorical
relief sculpture by Ulysses Ricci
embellishes the entrance surround. The building was conceived by Pope to be complementary to the Lincoln Memorial.
Because of the prominence of the site and its relationship to the Lincoln Memorial the American Institute of Pharmacy was required to make extensive land acquisitions and exchanges with the government to create suitable buffers and to allow for the widening of 23rd Street as it approaches the Memorial. White marble was specifically stipulated as the exterior cladding material.
The interior is arranged around a central rotunda, accompanied by a small museum and library, now board room and reception space. Offices are located to the rear, while the basement was planned as laboratory, service and storage space. The rotunda is capped by a low dome resting on pendentive
s and lighted by an oculus
. The flanking museum and library are lighted by skylights.
A three story addition was built in 1959-61, designed by Eggers and Higgins and subordinated to the design of the main building. Further additions took place in 2007-2009.
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. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, the headquarters of the American Pharmacists Association
American Pharmacists Association
The American Pharmacists Association , founded in 1852, is the first-established professional society of pharmacists within the United States....
. The building, prominently located on Constitution Avenue
Constitution Avenue
In Washington, D.C., Constitution Avenue is a major east-west street running just north of the United States Capitol in the city's Northwest and Northeast quadrants...
, is on the only privately-held lot in the area, surrounded by protected Federal lands. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1977.
The American Institute of Pharmacy Building was designed by architect John Russell Pope
John Russell Pope
John Russell Pope was an architect most known for his designs of the National Archives and Records Administration building , the Jefferson Memorial and the West Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.-Biography:Pope was born in New York in 1874, the son of a successful...
and completed in 1933. It is a one-story building with a full basement partially above grade. Structure is steel and brick with reinforced concrete floor and roof. The building is faced with Vermont marble and faces a wide terrace that overlooks the stepped slope leading down to the Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is an American memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the main statue was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior...
. The building is arranged with a strongly centralized mass with subordinate wings to either side. A single monumental door flanked by pilasters and large bronze lamps is the sole punctuation of the facade. Allegorical
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
relief sculpture by Ulysses Ricci
Ulysses Ricci
Ulysses Ricci was an American sculptor known primarily for his architectural sculpture. Born in New York City, Ricci was an apprentice at the Perth Amboy Terra Cotta Works in New Jersey from 1902 to 1906. He studied at Cooper Union Institute and at the Art Students League with James Earle...
embellishes the entrance surround. The building was conceived by Pope to be complementary to the Lincoln Memorial.
Because of the prominence of the site and its relationship to the Lincoln Memorial the American Institute of Pharmacy was required to make extensive land acquisitions and exchanges with the government to create suitable buffers and to allow for the widening of 23rd Street as it approaches the Memorial. White marble was specifically stipulated as the exterior cladding material.
The interior is arranged around a central rotunda, accompanied by a small museum and library, now board room and reception space. Offices are located to the rear, while the basement was planned as laboratory, service and storage space. The rotunda is capped by a low dome resting on pendentive
Pendentive
A pendentive is a constructive device permitting the placing of a circular dome over a square room or an elliptical dome over a rectangular room. The pendentives, which are triangular segments of a sphere, taper to points at the bottom and spread at the top to establish the continuous circular or...
s and lighted by an oculus
Oculus
An Oculus, circular window, or rain-hole is a feature of Classical architecture since the 16th century. They are often denoted by their French name, oeil de boeuf, or "bull's-eye". Such circular or oval windows express the presence of a mezzanine on a building's façade without competing for...
. The flanking museum and library are lighted by skylights.
A three story addition was built in 1959-61, designed by Eggers and Higgins and subordinated to the design of the main building. Further additions took place in 2007-2009.
External links
- Renovating And Expanding Pharmacy's Home On The Mall at the American Pharmacists Association