John A. Wilson Building
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- For the historic commercial building in Dallas, Texas, see Wilson Building.
The John A. Wilson Building, popularly known simply as the Wilson Building, is the building in downtown Washington, D.C. that houses the offices and chambers of the Council and the Mayor of the District of Columbia. It is located at 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
It was built in 1904 - 1908 as the District Building, which remained its name until 1994, when it was changed to honor John A. Wilson — the Chair of the D.C. Council who committed suicide in May 1993.
In 1995, two-thirds of the Wilson Building was leased to the Federal Government for 20 years, because it was severely deteriorated and the bankrupt city could not afford repairs. However, after Congress approved a major renovation for the building, the city was able to regain use of the entire building. However, the repair work necessitated the mayor and council to relocate temporarily to the building at One Judiciary Square until they were able to reoccupy the Wilson Building in September 2001.[1]
In October 2006, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities opened The City Hall Arts Collection at the Wilson Building. Pieces from a diverse body of DC area artists are on public display, hung throughout the halls.
Works include a glass casting by Michael Janis[2] of The Washington Glass School[3], paintings by Felrath Hines, former chief conservator of the Hirshhorn Museum, Sylvia Snowden and Mark Cameron Boyd[4], photographs by Alexandra Silverthorne, Harlee Little, and Max Hirshfeld, and sculpture by Jae Ko. The portrait of John A. Wilson is by renowned portrait painter Simmie Knox.
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