“It is my firm conviction that the time has arrived for providing a suitable building in which to house the Washington activities of American Business.”— Harry Wheeler, first U.S. Chamber president

The Chamber’s original headquarters were located in two rented rooms in the Evans Building, several blocks east of the White House. Later, its offices moved to the top two floors of the new Riggs Building, directly across from the Department of the Treasury.

At the seventh annual meeting of Chamber delegates in 1919, Chamber President Henry Wheeler pointed out the “necessity for greatly improving its headquarters.” The Chamber’s Building Committee chose the corner of H Street N.W. and Connecticut Avenue N.W., directly across Lafayette Park from the White House. The committee paid $775,000 for the 35,000-square-foot lot, which was the former location of Daniel Webster’s home.

On May 22, 1922, the cornerstone of the new Chamber building was laid. Three years and $3 million later, the U.S. business community had its headquarters.  

Look for more U.S. Chamber historic moments in upcoming issues of Free Enterprise or visit the U.S. Chamber’s historic timeline.