Federal Triangle
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Federal Triangle is a triangular area in Washington, D.C. formed by 15th Street NW, Constitution Avenue NW, Pennsylvania Avenue NW, and E Street NW. Federal Triangle is occupied by 10 large city and federal office buildings, all of which are part of the Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site. Seven of the buildings in Federal Triangle were built by the U.S. federal government in the early and mid-1930s as part of a coordinated construction plan that has been called "one of the greatest building projects ever undertaken" and all seven buildings are now designated as architecturally historic.
Aerial view of Federal Triangle (center), the National Mall (on left), and Downtown Washington, D.C. (on right) in September 2006
A diagram of Federal Triangle as of 2009, showing all 10 key buildings in the complex
A 1923 photograph of Federal Triangle, including Pennsylvania Avenue (on left), the District Building (in foreground), the Post Office building, and Center Market (in background)
Center Market in the 1920s
Murder Bay
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Murder Bay was a disreputable slum in Washington, D.C., roughly bounded by Constitution Avenue NW, Pennsylvania Avenue NW, and 13th and 15th Streets NW. The area was a center of crime through the early 20th century, with an extensive criminal underclass and prostitution occurring in several brothels and hotels in the area. The area was completely rebuilt during the construction of the Federal Triangle project in the late 1920s and 1930s.
The National Mall, Washington, c. 1908. Murder Bay is visible at the far left
C Street NW near 13th Street NW in 1912: Known from the mid-1800s to the 1920s as "Murder Bay," this area was home to numerous brothels.