Treasury Department

That great American logician John Dillinger, who robbed banks, would have loved the Treasury Department in a bygone era. That's because the Treasury Building once operated as a bank, complete with real tellers, vaults and safes.

The building's exquisite architecture and richly textured history rival those of the White House. The one-hour Saturday morning tour is limited to small groups. Our tour guide, a career Internal Revenue Service employee, volunteers for the Treasury Historical Association along with two dozen other Treasury workers and retirees.

The hallways of the Treasury Building are girded by cast-iron pillars topped with sculpted eagles. Each eagle clasps a key, which symbolizes the position of trust that the agency holds in American life. The agency's commitment to prosperity is highlighted by an ornate ceiling mirror in the general counsel's office, once the office of Abraham Lincoln's Treasury Secretary, Salmon P. Chase. A mural, designed by J. Goldsborough Bruff, includes images of corn, gold and grapes to symbolize America's bounty, its early growth and the 1849 gold rush.

The tragic aftermath of the Lincoln presidency played an important role in the building's history: Following Lincoln's assassination, President Andrew Johnson moved his office to the Treasury Building for six weeks, out of deference to Mary Todd Lincoln, who remained in the White House during her mourning period. It was here that Johnson drafted his amnesty declaration for Confederate soldiers and loyalists.

Other vestiges of Treasury's storied past include the massive Cash Room, which was once used by citizens to buy bonds, invoice the government and exchange currency. The room was the site of President Ulysses S. Grant's inaugural ball, at which a near riot ensued because of a food shortage and a breakdown in the coat-checking system.

Treasury Tour
Guided tours on Saturdays at 10 a.m.,
10:20 a.m., 10:40 a.m. and 11 a.m.
15th Street N.W., between F and G streets
Washington (Metro Center subway stop)
(202) 622-0896
www.ustreas.gov