By Bill Thawley

With its dramatic, white, neoclassical façade of a Greek or Roman temple topped by a giant red cross, the American Red Cross National Headquarters (NHQ) stands as a shining beacon of hope at 430 17th St. NW in Washington, D.C.

Built during 1915-1917 and designed by architects A. Breck Trowbridge and Goodhue Livingston, building features classical revival facades of white marble with front and side porticoes, Corinthian columns, a balustraded attic, a hipped roof and tall chimneys. This classical building style was very popular at the time for banks, hospitals and colleges and universities. It gave passersby and the general public reliability, sense of purpose and harmony with nearby government office buildings. The NHQ interior includes a monumental stair hall, assembly hall with Tiffany stained glass windows and a Red Cross Museum.

Building from the Ground Up

Like the American Red Cross itself, the NHQ building was born during the American Civil War. It began with the Union Civil War veteran James Scrymser, who aimed to construct a memorial to honor the sacrifices made by women during the Civil War . The original purpose was to honor northern women exclusively, but this focus changed in 1911 with an appropriation of federal money for the land and building. Upon the insistence of Mississippi Senator John Williams, the Red Cross building would honor the sacrifices of women of both sides of the Civil War. Another strong advocate for the building was Mabel Thorpe Boardman, Clara Barton’s successor as leader of the Red Cross. She provided leadership throughout the funding and construction phases of the building project, along with federal government assistance and private funding.

The NHQ location also includes two additional buildings: the north building built in 1928-1929 and the west building completed in 1931. Together, all three buildings honor the compassion of the women from both the North and South during the Civil War.

Today the Red Cross mission continues the battlefield legacy of alleviating human suffering and leading the way in diversity, equity and inclusion practices across all lines of service.

Over the next two months, we’ll highlight other features of the American Red Cross National Headquarters, including the Tiffany stained glass windows and the Red Cross Museum.