CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · Places & Architecture

Harry S Truman Building

headquarters building of the United States Department of State

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 13, 2026
Entity authorityQ1586762
Source-derived summary

The Harry S Truman Building is the headquarters of the United States Department of State. It is located in Washington, D.C., and houses the office of the United States secretary of state.

The Truman Building is located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood at 2201 C Street NW, bounded by C Street to the south, E Street, D Street, and Virginia Avenue to the north, 21st Street to the east, and 23rd Street to the west. It is located to the west of Edward J. Kelly Park and north of the National Academy of Sciences building and the National Mall.

The building—previously known as "Main State" and often called "Foggy Bottom"—was officially named in honor of President Harry S Truman in September 2000.

The building was completed in 1941 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

History

Twentieth century

During the early 1930s, the National Capital Park and Planning Commission sought to develop the section of the District of Columbia known as Foggy Bottom, located between C, E, 18th, and 23rd streets. Leading up to World War II, the expanding Department of War occupied several different buildings on the mall, making the need for a new building to consolidate operations a high priority. It was always intended to construct the building in two phases, and the Foggy Bottom site was chosen because it was large enough to accommodate both.

Gilbert Stanley Underwood and William Dewey Foster won the contract for the War Department building.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Harry S Truman Building” as headquarters building of the United States Department of State. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Harry, Truman and Building.

Editorial reviewA strong orientation record where physical form, institutional use and historical geography need to be read together. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2000, 1941, 2017—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1941. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Harry, Truman and Building providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Harry S Truman Building”, the useful work is to connect “headquarters building of the United States Department of State” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1586762. VIAF identifies the subject as 316595722. The Library of Congress control number is sh2002009507. Authority coordinates are 38.894, -77.048. 3 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2000, 1941 and 2017.

Critical limits

A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Harry S Truman Building”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Harry S Truman Building primary sources, Harry S Truman Building archive and Harry research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Harry S Truman Building”?
  2. Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
  3. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Harry S Truman Building” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.