The Old Post Office Clock Tower, on the National Register of Historic Places, resides in what is now known as Trump International Hotel. But don't let politics stop you from going—the clock tower is operated by the National Park Service and open to the public!

The Old Post Office Clock Tower is D.C.'s second-tallest building, after the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (try saying that three times fast. Even once was hard enough for me). Note that I used the word "building"—not structure.

Two taller structures that aren't technically considered buildings are the Hughes Memorial Tower (761 feet) and the Washington Monument (555 feet). Since Hughes Memorial Tower can't even be accessed, and the basilica's bell tower isn't open to the public, you know what that means? Next to the Washington Monument (which just recently re-opened to the public), the Old Post Office Clock Tower offers some of the BEST accessible panoramic views of the city!

History

The Old Post Office Building in 1911, Courtesy Library of Congress

Built from 1892 to 1899 to house the U.S. Post Office Department Headquarters and the city's post office, the Old Post Office Building is a massive Romanesque Revival building designed by Willoughby J. Edbrooke. It broke a lot of records for the city when it opened: it had the largest uninterrupted enclosed space; it was the first building with its own included electrical wiring; and it was the first to have a steel frame structure.

In 1914, the post office headquarters moved to a new location near Union Station, and the building was converted entirely into office spaces for government agencies. By 1928, the Old Post Office Building was slated for demolition in the development now known as the Federal Triangle. Lack of funds during the Great Depression saved the building at that time, and over the next 30 years, it provided space for various government agencies.

In 1964, the President's Council on Pennsylvania Avenue recommended the demolition of all but the Old Post Office Clock Tower. As a result, local citizens banded together with Nancy Hanks (the chairperson of the National Endowment of the Arts), and together, they convinced Congress to save the building. The Old Post Office Building was finally listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, 74 years after it was built. In honor of our nation's Bicentennial celebration in 1976, the Ditchley Foundation of Great Britain presented a set of English change ringing bells to the U.S. Congress as a symbol of friendship. The bells were permanently placed in the Old Post Office Clock Tower in 1983; they're rung at the opening and closing of Congress and for national holidays.

Plan Your Visit

[gallery type="rectangular" ids="8877,8876,8874"] The Old Post Office Building is located at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. The entrance to the Old Post Office Clock Tower itself is sort of hidden on the back side of the building on 12th Street NW, right next to the new Starbucks. Note: You cannot access the hotel from the clock tower entrance. If you are trying to check out the Old Post Office Building-turned-Trump International Hotel after taking in the views, you'll have to go back out the way you came and around to the hotel's main entrance on Pennsylvania Avenue. The Old Post Office Clock Tower is open Thursday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is FREE. What are you waiting for? Grab your camera and head on down to get the BEST views of the city! Have you already been there? Planning to go? Tell us about it in the comments!