Alfred B. Mullett

Alfred B. Mullett (born April 7, 1834, Taunton, Somerset, Eng.—died Oct. 20, 1890, Washington, D.C., U.S.) was a British-born American architect best known as the designer of the State, War, and Navy Building (1871–89; now the Old Executive Office Building) in Washington, D.C.

Mullett’s family immigrated to the United States in 1845. He studied there and in Europe. From 1866 to 1874 he was the supervising architect of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, responsible for the design and construction of all federal projects.

The State, War, and Navy Building is Mullett’s principal achievement. A massive structure in the Second Empire style, it was the largest office building in the world when completed. Steep mansard roofs with projecting dormers crown the building; the elaborate facade—no area is unadorned—is covered with classical details, including some 900 Doric columns. Within, there are cantilevered stairways at each corner and two libraries with intricate designs in cast iron. Historian Henry Adams called it Mullett’s “architectural infant asylum,” but it remains one of Washington’s best-loved buildings.

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Architecture: The Built World

Mullett worked in a variety of styles, including Second Empire, Greek Revival, and Italian Renaissance. His nine-story Sun Building (1885–86) in Washington, D.C., can be regarded as one of the first skyscrapers because of its slim, elongated vertical form.