This beau­ti­ful build­ing was the first com­mis­sion devel­oped in “Dia­log” in 1907, by French­man Paul Philippe Cret, who had excelled in France in his archi­tec­tural stud­ies. Cret deter­mined he would make a career in Amer­ica, took an assis­tant pro­fes­sor­ship posi­tion at the Uni­ver­sity of Penn­syl­va­nia, and set him­self up in pri­vate prac­tice. Cret is cred­ited with shap­ing archi­tec­tural study in the United States and influ­enc­ing many of his stu­dents, includ­ing noted archi­tect Louis Kahn. While he has many mon­u­men­tal civic, memo­r­ial, park, bridge and park­way com­mis­sions in Amer­ica to his credit, in D.C. we note that, in addi­tion to the OAS, he designed the Fol­ger Shake­speare Library and the Fed­eral Reserve Board Building.

An exhibit of Cret’s archi­tec­tural plans and draw­ings of the OAS (aka Pan Amer­i­can Union Build­ing) in the Beaux– Arts archi­tec­tural style (from Cret’s alma mater, École des Beaux-Arts) are on dis­play at the ART MUSUEM of THE AMERICAS (located at 18th and Vir­ginia Ave). A quick walk around the cor­ner and a photo ID will gain access to the high ceilinged, mag­nif­i­cent inte­rior with the many design details which reflect the arts and cul­ture of Mex­ico and South Amer­ica visit well-worth mak­ing. Pub­lic access with a photo ID is week­days 9 to 5 pm through July 2. The OAS build­ing is located at the cor­ner of 17th and Con­sti­tu­tion Ave NW. ~