Marine Barracks Washington | |
---|---|
Washington, D.C. |
|
Marine Barracks logo |
|
Type | Military base |
Built | 1801 |
In use | 1801 - present |
Open to the public |
During parades & ceremonies |
Controlled by | United States |
Garrison | Ceremonial Companies A & B Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon United States Marine Band United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps Marine Corps Institute |
Current commander |
Colonel Paul D. Montanus |
Commanders | Charles Heywood, James Carson Breckinridge, Dennis Hejlik |
Occupants | Commandant of the Marine Corps |
Battles/wars | Burning of Washington |
U.S. Marine Corps Barracks and Commandant's House
|
|
|
|
Area: | 6-acre (2.4 ha) |
Architect: | George Hadfield |
Governing body: | United States Marine Corps |
NRHP Reference#: | 72001435 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP: | December 27, 1972 |
Designated NHL: | May 11, 1976 |
Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. is located at 8th and I Streets, Southeast in Washington, D.C. Established in 1801, it is a National Historic Landmark, the oldest post in the United States Marine Corps, the official residence of the Commandant of the Marine Corps since 1806, and main ceremonial grounds of the Corps.
The U.S. Marine Corps Barracks and Commandant's House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. A 6-acre (2.4 ha) property with eight contributing buildings was included in the listing.[1][2][3] It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976.[4]
Contents |
The buildings at the Marine Barracks are some of the oldest in Washington.[5] In 1801, President Thomas Jefferson and Commandant LtCol William Ward Burrows rode horses about the new capital to find a place suitable for the Marines near the Washington Navy Yard.[6] They chose a location within marching distance of both the Navy Yard and the Capitol[7] and hired architect George Hadfield to design the barracks and the Commandant’s House.
When the British burned Washington during the War of 1812, they also captured the Marine barracks, whom they had defeated at the Battle of Bladensburg. It is traditionally held within the Marine Corps that, out of respect for the brave showing of the Marines at Bladensburg, the British refrained from burning the barracks and the Commandant's house. Another possible reason is that they intended to use it as a command post, but left the area before this could be done.[6]
Square 927, now the block surrounded by 8th & I,[8] and 9th & G Streets S.E., was entered in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and was then designated a National Historic Landmark by the Department of the Interior in 1976.[9]
8th and I has been the home of the Silent Drill Platoon and the Marine Band since the barracks' establishment in 1801 and the residence of the Commandant since 1806, when the Commandant's House was completed. The Commandant's house is the only original building left in the complex, the remainder having been rebuilt in 1900 and 1907.[7] The Marine Corps Institute moved to the barracks from its previous home at Marine Barracks Quantico in 1920. The Drum and Bugle Corps has been based at the barracks since its formation in 1934.
The barracks complex is one of the oldest government buildings in continuous use in Washington, D.C., though some sources conflict on whether the White House is a year older.[6] While traditionally known as the "oldest post in the Corps", Marines did serve at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston a year earlier, though they did not have a permanent detachment until 1805 nor a barracks until 1810, and it was vacated in 1974.[7] The Tun Tavern is considered the birthplace of the Corps, having been used for one of the first Continental Marines' recruiting drives in 1775,[10] though it is disputed if it occurred before one at Samuel Nicholas's family tavern, the Conestoga Waggon [sic].[11][12]
The Marines assigned to the D.C. barracks must meet strict height, weight, and background check standards, since they perform in ceremonial parades, funerals, and other ceremonies for presidential and other national dignitaries. During the summer months, a sunset parade is held every Tuesday evening at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Rosslyn, Virginia near Arlington National Cemetery. In addition, an evening parade takes place at the Barracks every Friday evening from late spring until the end of summer.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.
|