Hecht Company Warehouse
This warehouse is an outstanding example of the machine-age aesthetics popular in the 1930s.
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The Hecht Company Warehouse, with its outstanding Streamline Moderne design, embodies the machine-age aesthetics popular in the 1930s. Its extensive and innovative use of glass block made it a symbol of architectural modernism on the national level, as it was one of the first buildings nationwide to make large-scale use of the material. Originally built in 1937 by Abbott, Merkt & Company, the same architecture firm that would build the Woodward & Lothrop Service Warehouse in a similar style shortly thereafter, the warehouse saw additions in 1948 and 1961.
Additionally, the warehouse represents the major expansion of the Hecht Company, one of the city's most important retailers since its establishment in 1896. With the construction of this warehouse, the Hecht Company became able to provide advanced consumer services. In an area that has historically served as a light industrial zone, given its proximity to key road and rail transportation routes, the Hecht Company Warehouse stands out as a visually commanding presence in the area.
DC Inventory: February 19, 1992
National Register: May 25, 1994
This site is a stop on the “Finding Style in DC: Navigating DC’s Shopping Scene” tour.
