Smithsonian Institution Building seen from across National Mall in 1855

Creator:
Unknown
Title:
Smithsonian Institution Building and The Mall, 1855
Date:
c. 1855
Notes:
The original negative number is 18603. The original photograph was re-scanned and given new negative and digital file numbers. For the house at the corner of 15th Street, NW and Pennsylvania Avenue, see James M. Goode's "Capital Losses: A Cultural History of Washington's Destroyed Buildings," pages 142-143. See also Douglas Evelyn and Paul Dickson's "Pinpoint the Past in Washington, D.C.,", page 45.
Summary:
The Smithsonian Institution Building (SIB) seen from downtown Washington, D.C., from across The Mall, around 1855. In the foreground are construction materials along 15th Street, NW for the new wing added in 1855 to the Treasury Building. The Treasury building is the oldest departmental building in Washington, D.C.having been completed in 1842 and expanded three times by 1869. Residential and commercial buildings in the foreground are between 15th and 14th Streets, NW. This area was also known in the 1860s as the red light district called Murder Bay. The canal bordering the Mall before being converted to form Constitution Avenue is the sliver at right center. The white residence at the far left is at the corner of 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
Restrictions:
No restrictions
Topics:
Construction, Buildings--Washington, D.C, Street photography, Washington Canal, Buildings, structures, etc
Subjects:
Smithsonian Institution Building (Washington, D.C.), United States Treasury Dept Building
Category:
Historic Images of the Smithsonian
Places:
Washington (D.C.), Mall, The (Washington, D.C.), United States of America, District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest, 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
Form/Genre:
Photographic print, Landscape, Architecture
Local Number:
2004-10647 or 18603
Physical Description:
Color: Black and White; Size: 10w x 8h; Type of Image: Architectural; Landscape; Medium: Photographic print
Full Record:
http://siris-sihistory.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&profile=all&source=~!sichronology&uri=full=3100001~!9272~!0#focus