District of Columbia Paper Manufacturing Company (Paper Mill): This building illustrates the history of the Georgetown waterfront.

The District of Columbia Paper Manufacturing Company was built between 1900 and 1902 and is located in the Georgetown Historic District. It is located on K Street and overlooks the Potomac River. The Paper Mill was likely built along the waterfront in Georgetown due to the changing economy of DC that occurred in the 19th century.

Georgetown’s port was initially used for the tobacco trade until competing ports in Baltimore and Alexandria forced it to find new materials to trade. Georgetown, located across the river from Viriginia, was also a port for the trade of enslaved people up until 1850. The construction of the C&O Canal in 1828 allowed raw materials to be carried east and finished products to be carried west. The C&O Canal also provided sufficient water power to operate mills. This led to the construction of multiple mills along the waterfront, including flour and paper mills.

During the post-World War II era, the Georgetown waterfront had another major change, with the construction of the Whitehurst Freeway above K Street. In 1968, the Georgetown Waterfront Park was put aside to be a future national park, but was never actually designated. The warehouses and mills began to disappear and were replaced by residential and commercial buildings. Some of the historic industrial buildings were preserved and converted for residential and commercial uses. Similar to the Flour Mill across the street, the Paper Mill was eventually turned into condominiums, which opened in 1978.

DC Inventory: January 23, 1973 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)

Within Georgetown Historic District