Federal buildings in the United States house offices of the United States government that provide services to state and city level population centers. These federal buildings are often literally named "Federal Building", with this moniker displayed on the property. They may share real estate with federal courthouses.
Federal buildings around the country have frequently been the site of protests, generally for issues in which the Federal government is understood to play a key role, and especially for anti-war demonstrations.
There are design issues specific to federal buildings, relating to their multipurpose functions and concerns related to the fact of their association with the government. For example, as symbols of the government, they may potentially be the focus of protests or threats, so there are security issues. Also environmental impacts and environmentally sound design may be more important.
A committee set up by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 issued "Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture". Towards improving design of federal buildings in the United States, "the committee recommended architecture that would convey the 'dignity, enterprise, vigor, and stability of the American Government.' Designers and officials were encouraged to pay special attention to site selection and layout, including landscape development."
Some architects specialize in federal building designs.
History The first U.S. Federal building authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1807, with an appropriation of $20,000 to build, in New Orleans, a post office, courthouse, or custom house.
Historically, the authorization and construction of the first federally-funded building in a small town often has been a major event. Sometimes these were simply a post office or a courthouse; often they were combination buildings.
The Treasury Department of the U.S. established a Department of Construction office in 1852. From 1864 on the Office of the Supervising Architect handled design of federal buildings.
William Gibbs McAdoo, the Secretary of the Treasury from 1913 to 1918, and the Supervising Architect at the time, James A. Wetmore promoted standardization of government building design. They instituted the policy that buildings were to be designed with "scale, materials and finishes" that directly reflected their "location, prominence and income". This push to standardization of public building design was in conflict with the Tarsney Act, which permitted private architects to design federal buildings after being selected in a competition under the supervision of the Supervising Architect. The act, under which several prior buildings were designed, was repealed in 1913 as it was felt that designing building with government architects would most efficiently cause the desired standardization.
Buildings were to be designed with specific criteria, A "Class A" building was one which was on a major street of a major city, surrounding by expensive building and expected to generate at least $800,000 in revenue. These buildings would have marble or granite exteriors, marble interiors, ornamental bronze, and other similar fixtures.
A small post office with revenue of under $15,000 would be made of brick, with standard wood windows and doors and would appear "ordinary". Critics felt the system would make public buildings too plain.
The growth of cities and government functions has led to the need for large multipurpose highrise federal buildings. An example is the 32-story $120 million construction in Cleveland of the Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building.
In the United States, multipurpose federal buildings are generally managed by the U.S. General Services Administration. The GSA recognized its top 20 federal buildings in 2014.
List of federal buildings in the United States Notable buildings in the United States that have been termed "federal building" include:
Alabama Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse (Dothan, Alabama), listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)
Alaska Federal Building (Fairbanks, Alaska), NRHP-listed in Fairbanks North Star Borough Hurff Ackerman Saunders Federal Building and Robert Boochever US Courthouse, Juneau, Alaska Ketchikan Federal Building, Ketchikan, Alaska, NRHP-listed Old Federal Building (Anchorage, Alaska), NRHP-listed
Arkansas Federal Building (Little Rock, Arkansas) (1961)
California 300 North Los Angeles Street Federal Building, Los Angeles 50 United Nations Plaza Federal Office Building, San Francisco Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building and United States Courthouse, San Diego Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and United States Courthouse, Los Angeles Glenn M. Anderson Federal Building, Long Beach James C. Corman Federal Building, Los Angeles John E. Moss Federal Building, Sacramento John F. Shea Federal Building, Santa Rosa Leo J. Ryan Federal Building, San Bruno Main Post Office and Federal Building, NRHP-listed, Oakland Phillip Burton Federal Building and United States Courthouse, San Francisco Robert E. Coyle Federal Building and United States Courthouse, Fresno Robert F. Peckham Federal Building and United States Courthouse, San Jose Robert T. Matsui Federal Building and United States Courthouse, Sacramento Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and United States Courthouse, Oakland Ronald Reagan Federal Building and United States Courthouse, Santa Ana Sacramento Federal Building – Cottage Way, Sacramento Sacramento Federal Building – Downtown, Sacramento Santa Ana Federal Building, Santa Ana Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building, San Francisco U.S. Post Office, Courthouse and Federal Building, NRHP-listed, Sacramento U.S. Post Office, also known as the Federal Building, Stockton Wilshire Federal Building, Los Angeles
Colorado Byron White United States Courthouse, Denver, Colorado, formerly known and NRHP-listed as "U.S. Post Office and Federal Building" Federal Building (Colorado Springs, Colorado), a former Ent Air Force Base computer facility Pueblo Federal Building, Pueblo, Colorado, NRHP-listed United States Post Office and Federal Courthouse-Colorado Springs Main, NRHP-listed US Post Office and Federal Building-Canon City Main, Canon City, Colorado, NRHP-listed in Fremont County US Post Office and Federal Building-Delta Main, Delta, Colorado, NRHP-listed in Delta County US Post Office and Federal Building-Monte Vista Main, Monte Vista, Colorado, NRHP-listed in Rio Grande County US Post Office, Federal Building, and Federal Courthouse-Sterling Main, Sterling, Colorado, NRHP-listed in Logan County
Connecticut William R. Cotter Federal Building, Hartford, Connecticut, NRHP-listed
Florida U.S. Post Office-Federal Building (Sarasota, Florida), NRHP-listed U.S. Courthouse Building and Downtown Postal Station (Tampa, Florida), also known and NRHP-listed as "Federal Building, U.S. Courthouse, Downtown Postal Station"
Georgia Federal Building and Courthouse (Gainesville, Georgia), NRHP-listed Old U.S. Post Office and Federal Building (Macon, Georgia), NRHP-listed Tomochichi Federal Building and United States Courthouse, Savannah, Georgia, NRHP-listed
Hawaii Prince Kūhiō Federal Building, Honolulu, Hawaii
Idaho Coeur d'Alene Federal Building, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, NRHP-listed in Kootenai County Pocatello Federal Building, Pocatello, Idaho, NRHP-listed in Bannock County Sandpoint Federal Building, Sandpoint, Idaho, NRHP-listed in Bonner County
Illinois Chicago Federal Building, Chicago, Illinois Everett M. Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, also known as "Dirksen Federal Building" or the "Chicago Federal Center", Chicago, Illinois Kluczynski Federal Building, Chicago, Illinois Pekin Federal Building, Pekin, Illinois, NRHP-listed
Indiana Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States Courthouse, a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, also known as Federal Building Minton-Capehart Federal Building, Indianapolis, Indiana Terre Haute Post Office and Federal Building, Terre Haute, Indiana, NRHP-listed
Iowa Federal Building and United States Courthouse (Sioux City, Iowa), NRHP-listed
Kansas Federal Building-US Post Office (Independence, Kansas), NRHP-listed in Montgomery County US Post Office and Federal Building-Salina, Salina, Kansas, NRHP-listed in Saline County United States Post Office and Federal Building (Wichita, Kansas), NRHP-listed
Kentucky Federal Building-Courthouse (London, Kentucky), NRHP-listed Federal Building and US Post Office-Owensboro, Owensboro, Kentucky, NRHP-listed in Daviess County
Louisiana Federal Building (Ruston, Louisiana), NRHP-listed in Lincoln Parish Old Federal Building (Opelousas, Louisiana), NRHP-listed in St. Landry Parish
Michigan Federal Building (Lansing, Michigan), NRHP-listed in Ingham County Federal Building (Port Huron, Michigan), NRHP-listed Old Federal Building (Sault Ste. Marie), NRHP-listed
Minnesota
Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Ft. Snelling, Minnesota
Missouri United States Post Office (Hannibal, Missouri), also known and NRHP-listed as "Federal Building"
Montana Federal Building (Kalispell, Montana), NRHP-listed in Flathead County Lewistown Federal Building & Post Office (1931), Lewistown, Montana, NRHP-listed in Fergus County
Nebraska North Platte U.S. Post Office and Federal Building, NRHP-listed Federal Office Building (Omaha, Nebraska), NRHP-listed
Nevada Federal Building and Post Office (Fallon, Nevada), NRHP-listed
New Jersey Federal Building and Courthouse (Camden, New Jersey), NRHP-listed in Camden County
New Mexico Federal Building and United States Courthouse (Albuquerque, New Mexico), NRHP-listed Federal Building (Santa Fe, New Mexico), NRHP-listed
New York Charles L. Brieant, Jr. Federal Building and Courthouse, White Plains, New York Federal Building and Post Office (New York, New York), NRHP-listed in New York Federal Building (Rochester, New York), NRHP-listed Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, New York, New York
North Carolina Alton Lennon Federal Building and Courthouse, Wilmington, North Carolina, NRHP-listed Charles R. Jonas Federal Building, Charlotte, North Carolina, NRHP-listed Federal Building (Raleigh, North Carolina), NRHP-listed Federal Building (Wilkesboro, North Carolina), NRHP-listed U. S. Post Office and Federal Building (Rockingham, North Carolina), NRHP-listed
Ohio Akron Post Office and Federal Building, Akron, Ohio, NRHP-listed Ralph Regula Federal Building and US Courthouse, Canton, OH Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building, Cleveland, Ohio John W. Bricker Federal Building, Columbus, Ohio Donald J. Pease Federal Building, Medina, Ohio, NRHP-listed in Medina County Federal Building (Youngstown, Ohio), NRHP-listed in Mahoning County Old Federal Building and Post Office (Cleveland, Ohio), NRHP-listed Old Post Office and Federal Building (Dayton, Ohio), NRHP-listed in Montgomery County US Post Office and Federal Building-Zanesville, Zanesville, Ohio, NRHP-listed
Oklahoma Federal Building and US Courthouse (Lawton, Oklahoma), NRHP-listed in Comanche County Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, former building destroyed in 1995 bombing Carl Albert Federal Building, McAlester, Oklahoma, NRHP-listed
Oregon 511 Federal Building, Portland, Oregon, NRHP-listed Edith Green – Wendell Wyatt Federal Building, Portland, Oregon, 18 stories U.S. Post Office and Federal Building (La Grande, Oregon), NRHP-listed in Union County
Rhode Island Federal Building (Providence, Rhode Island), NRHP-listed
South Carolina C.F. Haynsworth Federal Building and United States Courthouse, Greenville, South Carolina, NRHP-listed Strom Thurmond Federal Building and United States Courthouse, Columbia, South Carolina, NRHP-listed
South Dakota Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), NRHP-listed
Tennessee