Old Executive Office Building:
http://clinton1.nara.gov/White_House.../OEOB/OEOB.gif

In architecture school, when we covered the Second Empire style and monumental municipal buildings, the two examples lauded as THE definition were always Philadelphia City Hall and the Old Executive Office Building (originally the State, War, and Navy Building) in DC.

I'm almost 3 months into my 1-year job-related exile in DC (and terribly homesick for Philly) and I've walked past the OEOB several times. City Hall trounces it on every level! The OEOB has no tower, no sculpture at all, the proportions are far inferior, and the urban siting is weak. Plus, it houses the Bush cabinet.

Just wanted to let everyone know that there's no comparison.

I would tend to agree with your assessment. I remember the first time I saw the Old Executive Building, I was really confused as to how City Hall had been transplanted to DC. Obviously I was much younger at the time and architecturally uneducated.

I forget though, isn't it bigger than city hall? Not that size means anything...

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Nope, City Hall is more than twice as big.

Net floor area-
City Hall: ~630,000 sf (14.5 acres)
OEB: 296,895 sf (6.82 acres)

The overall footprint of City Hall is much larger as well. (by ~60,000 sf)

I've often heard City Hall cited as the largest municipal building in the U.S. as well as the largest and tallest masonry building in the world. (Which is impressive considering the Pyramid of Cheops at Giza...) Hooray!

Of course, City Hall is also the most expensive municipal building ever to be built in the U.S.

Weird...I would have thought that the OEOB was bigger.

I agree, City Hall is a much more "elegant" building, if either one could be called that. I think both are pretty ominous, though. City Hall, not so much from a distance, but gloomy and imposing up close and especially inside. Too bad it hasn't been kept up like the OEOB probably has (which doesn't make it any less frightening). Maybe the renovations (?) will help brighten it up a little.

I agree that City Hall has more of the Victorian Goth look. I think it's a lot less scary, if at all, on the facades that have been cleaned. At least we don't have 20' black fencing and armed guards all the way around like the OEOB.

Baltimore's City Hall is 2nd Empire as well and much smaller than ours.

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what is the Pentagon considered? im not sure what you would consider "municipal." but if it is, it is close to 6 times bigger than City Hall, roughly 3.7million square feet. so...while big, we arent THAT big.

You're right, the Pentagon blows City Hall out of the water size-wise, but it's a federal building. Municipal usually means city-based.

I've never seen that. It's pretty nice, but City Hall definitely rocks a lot harder. The only tragedy is that City Hall is under a never-ending renovation. And it appears that the OEOB doesn't have a/c units hanging out the windows. Does anybody have info the City Hall renovation?

Btw, isn't San Fran City Hall bigger?

I read somewhere that City Hall renovation is supposed to go until 2008. Which I bet has been extended, because they still have a loooong way to go.

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