Washington Railway and Electric Company (WRECO) Garage

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The Washington Railway and Electric Company (WRECO) Garage contributed to the development of mass transit systems in the District and surrounding commercial development of the area around the intersections of Seventh Street, U Street, Georgia Avenue, and Florida Avenue NW. The facade containing the primary public entrance to the garage has approximately 240 feet of frontage on the western side of the 2100 block of Georgia Avenue NW. The garage’s south wall stretches along V Street NW from Georgia Avenue to Eighth Street. Its west façade runs approximately 240 feet north along Eighth Street NW, terminating at the south wall of the Bond Bread Factory, which occupies the northern section of the square.

Designed by local architect Arthur B. Heaton, the Central Bus Garage built by the Washington Railway and Electric Company was the city’s first such facility for public transit. Heaton varied the roof line and the major walls with muscular piers and stepped parapets in the prevailing Art Deco style, and he used red, yellow, green, and blue-black brick to achieve greater texture and interest in long expanses of wall.

Built in 1930, the garage is a visual landmark on Georgia Avenue and one of a few remaining large service buildings that catered to local needs. 

DC Inventory: May 23, 2013
National Register: February 5, 2014