Elijah Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse, Washington, DC
Location: 333 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001
Significance
The E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse derives cultural, historic, and architectural significance for the following reasons. One, it represents one of the last buildings constructed in the Judiciary Square and Municipal Center complex, an important civic enclave since the 1820's. Two, it constitutes an almost entirely unaltered example of early 1950's stripped classicism, a non-representational abstraction of the classical style the permeated institutional (especially government) architecture after the Second World War. Moreover, its space planning set a precedent for contemporary technology utilization in the courthouse building type. Third, the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse became the searing for numerous important trials and hearings, and became a vertical stepping stone for judges entering the U.S. Supreme Court. Although only 49 years only, the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse will meet the age requirement for the National Register of Historic Places by 2002, at which time it will become an excellent candidate for federal protection under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.