Red Cross Headquarters

Washington, D.C. as the capital of United Stated is also the city where headquarters of many organizations are located. It is so also with the Headquarters of American Red Cross, humanitarian organization which provide emergency assistance, disaster relief and education within the USA. It was established by Clara Banrton on 21 May 1881.

At the beginning, the Red Cross occupied a number of spots before its permanent home was located on the Red Cross Square. Soon after the Red Cross received its Congressional charter in 1905, the leader of Red Cross, Mabel Boardman and others began to establish a permanent headquarters. On 22nd October 1913 eneaction to built the headquarters was signed, the land of the site was cleared and on March 27, 1917 President Woodrow Wilson laid the cornerstonefor the new memorial building.

The principal plans and structural design of the building were created by the New York architects Breck Trowbridge and Goodhue Livingston. It was designed in the beaux-arts style. This impressive building of white marble became a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

The headquarters was built as a memorial to "the heroic women of the Civil War, both North and South." And it is a lasting memorial to all people who have served beneath the Red Cross banner.

The building is facing 17th Street. It has three stories that sit above a raised basement. The third story, which is recessed behind a balustrade, is topped with a hipped roof and tall interior chimneys. The grand entrance portico consists of broad stairs and monumental Corinthian columns that support a triangular pediment with a large red cross at its center.

The interior is equally stiking with its bronze grille doorway opening into a white marble reception hall with office suites on either side. A grand staircase leads to the second floor. The Board of Governors Hall, the Central Committee Room, and the Presidential Suite are some of the features that can be found here. The third floor is devoted to office space.