The Woodward & Lothrop Service Warehouse is a historic warehouse

Warehouse

A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...

 located in the NoMa

NoMa, Washington, D.C.

NoMa is a portmanteau of the words "North of Massachusetts Avenue" that is being used by real estate developers to brand a large tract of land in Washington DC that is located just north of Capitol Hill and Union Station...

 neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

  It was designated a District of Columbia Historic Landmark in 1993, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 2005. The building is visible from the NoMa – Gallaudet University station on the Red Line

Red Line (Washington Metro)

The Red Line of the Washington Metro is a rail rapid transit service operating between 27 stations in Montgomery County, Maryland and the District of Columbia, United States. It is a primary line through downtown Washington, and the oldest and busiest line in the system...

 of the Washington Metro

Washington Metro

The Washington Metro, commonly called Metro, and unofficially Metrorail, is the rapid transit system in Washington, D.C., United States, and its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority , which also operates Metrobus service under the Metro name...

.

History

The warehouse was designed by Abbot, Merkt & Company, a group of architects noted for their work in designing warehouses, and was constructed between 1937 and 1939. Built to incorporate areas for service, storage, and delivery, it is one of the few examples of such a mixed-use warehouse still extant in the Washington area. The structure is considered to be the most ambitious warehouse built in the area before World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, and is one of the city's largest warehouses. The property was owned by Woodward & Lothrop

Woodward & Lothrop

Woodward & Lothrop was a department store chain headquartered in Washington, D.C. Woodward & Lothrop was Washington, D.C.'s first department store, opening in 1887. Woodies, as it was often nicknamed, maintained stores in the Mid-Atlantic United States...

 until the company foundered in 1995. It was subsequently taken over by the Bristol Group, a San Francisco-based company, and converted to office space. Tenants include the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is an independent federal law enforcement agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, perceived intelligence,...

, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...

, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services is a component of the United States Department of Homeland Security . It performs many administrative functions formerly carried out by the legacy United States Immigration and Naturalization Service , which was part of the Department of Justice...

, the United States Department of Homeland Security

United States Department of Homeland Security

The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...

, and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs

United States Department of Veterans Affairs

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...

.

Architecture

Architecturally, the building is considered notable because it was constructed in the Streamline Moderne

Streamline Moderne

Streamline Moderne, sometimes referred to by either name alone or as Art Moderne, was a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s...

 style; unusually for a warehouse, its design was not meant to be merely utilitarian. According to the District's Historic Preservation Office, it was this "highly refined architectural expression unusual for [a] utilitarian structure" that led, in part, to its recognition as a historic structure.

One of the most prominent features of the building is its large pink neon

Neon

Neon is the chemical element that has the symbol Ne and an atomic number of 10. Although a very common element in the universe, it is rare on Earth. A colorless, inert noble gas under standard conditions, neon gives a distinct reddish-orange glow when used in either low-voltage neon glow lamps or...

 sign, identifying it as a Woodward & Lothrop property, which remains on the building's exterior. There are no plans to remove the sign, as it is considered an integral part of the building's historic nature.

Along with the Lothrop Mansion

Lothrop Mansion

The Lothrop Mansion, also known as the Alvin Mason Lothrop House, is an historic home, located at 2001 Connecticut Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Kalorama neighborhood.It serves as offices for the Russian Trade Representative.-History:...

, the warehouse is one of two D.C. Historic Landmarks directly associated with now-defunct department store

Department store

A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...

chain Woodward & Lothrop.