In 1833, Andrew Jackson urged Congress to begin design and construction on a new Treasury building as soon as possible. The current building was destroyed by arson when Richard H. White set fire to the building to destroy incriminating pension records inside. It was the third time the Treasury building was damaged by fire.
After the first fire broke out in the Treasury building in 1801, a "fireproof" brick and masonry vault extension was added to store the documents. The extension designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe proved to a hardy structure and was the only part of the building that survived the attack by British troops in 1814. By 1817, the treasury building was reconstructed, but once again on March 30, 1833 the Treasury Building was engulfed in flames. According to President Andrew Jackson, because of the "exertions of the officers of the Department and many of the citizens of the District" very few of the papers were lost, none that had a material affect on the public interest". This was because the officers and volunteers quickly retrieved the documents from the vault extension and relocated them to a row of buildings situated along Pennsylvania Avenue.
By time Andrew Jackson delivered his State of the Union address, a "thorough inquiry into the causes of this loss was directed and made", but the results were to be communicated in a separate report. The cause turned out to be arson. A man by the name of Richard H. White set fire to building late at night to destroy incriminating pension records inside. Jackson did not mention the name in his State of the Union. It’s not clear whether these details were known at the time. Back then, actual names of individuals were often left out of the President's annual address.
"It is my duty on this occasion to call your attention to the destruction of the public building occupied by the Treasury Department, which happened since the last adjournment of Congress. A thorough inquiry into the causes of this loss was directed and made at the time, the result of which will be duly communicated to you. I take pleasure, however, in stating here that by the laudable exertions of the officers of the Department and many of the citizens of the District but few papers were lost, and none that will materially affect the public interest."
With documents stored in several buildings, it was now necessary to rebuild the Treasury building. President Jackson requested that Congress as soon as possible authorize the construction of new accommodations building suitable for the "safe-keeping of the public documents and records" and large enough to house the "public officers of the several Departments".
"The public convenience requires that another building should be erected as soon as practicable, and in providing for it will be advisable to enlarge in some manner the accommodations for the public officers of the several Departments, and to authorize the erection of suitable depositories for the safe-keeping of the public documents and records."
After the fire Robert Mills was asked to prepare drawings of the Treasury Building to record the design as it existed before the fire. In addition to this design, Robert Mills also provided a report on the need for additional "fireproof" storage and drawings of a proposed new Treasury building. President Jackson later appointed Mills as the architect of not only the Treasury building but the Patent Office building as well. Construction on the buildings began on September 7, 1836
References
Presidency.ucsb.edu. (2020). Fifth Annual Message | The American Presidency Project. [online] Available at: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/fifth-annual-message-2 [Accessed 8 Feb. 2020].
Treasury.gov. (2020). The Treasury Building: A National Historic Landmark. [online] Available at: https://www.treasury.gov/about/history/Documents/web%20version%20Architectural%20History%20Treasury%20Building.pdf [Accessed 12 Feb. 2020].
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