art deco architecture

Art Deco is broad term used to describe the prevalent aesthetic movement that evolved over roughly a 20 year period between the two World Wars. It encompassed everything from art, interior design, fashion, typography, film and of course architecture. On early examples ornamentation is very much apparent, but it is stylized and geometric. The crown of the Chrysler Building in New York with its curves, steps formed of gleaming metal and accentuated with triangular windows evoking sunrays is often cited as a great example of this early part of the style. Closer to home, one can look to the Kennedy-Warren on Connecticut Avenue and the Brownley’s Building on F Street as great examples too. As the style progresses through the 1930s, the ornament is pared down and the work is streamlined, expressing movement, speed and efficiency. Ocean Liners, streamlined locomotives and the many small hotels lining Ocean Boulevard in Miami Beach are great examples. And again closer to home, our region contributes at a very high level with the likes of the former Greyhound Terminal on New York Avenue and the Silver Theater in Silver Spring. There are hundreds of great examples in and around Washington and we invite you to learn more about them here.

buildings inventory

This section will help lead you through the more than 70 Art Deco buildings in the Greater Metropolitan DC area. Click on the "See List" button to the Right that will take you to an inventory listing of all of the Art Deco structures pictured below under Buildings Gallery. The entries are sorted by geographical location and by function.

See List

BUILDINGS GALLERY

The Greater Metropolitan DC area has a wealth of Art Deco buildings.  From Downtown DC and its residential neighborhoods to the suburbs of Northern Virginia and close-in Maryland you will find great examples of Zig-Zag Deco, Streamline Moderne and Deco-ized Classicism that we have come to refer to as Greco Deco.  This section will help guide you through more than 70 of these great Art Deco buildings that we have catalogued so far.  This is intended as a work in progress, so we invite you to check back from time to time to see what beautiful and exciting additions we have made.

Click on the images for more detailed information including history, architecture, photos, and maps.

bader apartment building
2515 K Street, NW
Washington, DC



the park manor
515 22nd Street, NW
Washington, DC


Sedgwick Gardens
3726 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

william calomiris building
1112 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC

winthrop house
1727 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Greyhound Terminal
1100 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Senator Theatre
3950 Minnesota Avenue, NE
Washington, DC

Central Heating Plant
325 13th Street, SW
Washington, DC

Greenbelt community center
15 Crescent road Greenbelt, Maryland


Woodward & Lothrop Warehouse
131 M Street, NE
Washington, DC

Kennedy-Warren
3133 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

2123-25 E Street, NW
Washington, DC

Acacia Insurance Company
51 Louisiana Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Pepco Substation
45 E Street, NW
WashIngton, DC



Holy Name College
1400 Shepherd Street, NE
Washington, DC


NEWTON THEATER
3601 12th Street, NE
Washington, DC

Penn Theatre
650 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE 
Washington, DC

PEPCO HQ
929 E Street, NW
Washington, DC

BELL & Potomac Telephone
1111 North Capitol Street, NE
Washington, DC

Atlas theater
1333 H Street, NE
Washington, DC

Klingle Valley Bridge
Connecticut Avenue and Macomb Street, NW
Washington, DC


Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Lutheran Church
212 East Capitol Street, NE
Washington, DC

Church of the Lord
1230 C Street, NW
Washington, DC

Calvert Street Bridge
Calvert Street at Woodley Place, NW
Washington, DC

Carnegie Institute Atomic Physics Observatory
5241 Broad Branch Road, NW
Washington, DC

U. S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Folger Shakespeare Library
201 East Capitol Street, SE
Washington, DC

Adams Building, Library of Congress
120 2nd Street, SE
Washington, DC

The Roberta
5429 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

The Marlyn
3901 Cathedral Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

The Park West
2929 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Macomb Gardens
3725 Macomb Street, NW
Washington, DC

The Chancery
3130 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

The Westchester
4000 Cathedral Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Woodley Park Towers
2737 Devonshire Place, NW
WasHington, DC

The Seafare
3534 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Walker Building
734 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC

Manhattan Laundry
1328 Florida Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Brownley's
1309 F Street, NW
Washington, DC

C & P Telephone Company
730 12th Street, NW
Washington, DC

Bethesda Theatre
7719 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, Maryland

AFI Silver Theatre
8633 Colesville Road
Silver Spring, Maryland

Tastee Diner
7731 Woodmont Avenue
Bethesda, Maryland

Bonfield's Texaco
6124 MacArthur Boulevard
Bethesda, Maryland

Little Tavern
8100 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, Maryland

WTOP Transmitter
2115 University Boulevard West
Silver Spring, Maryland

Coca-Cola Bottling Plant
1110 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, Maryland

Hecht Company Department Store
903 Ellsworth Drive
Silver Spring, Maryland

J. C. Penney's
8656 Colesville Road
Silver spring, Maryland

Canada Dry Bottling Plant
1201 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, Maryland

Flower Theatre
8725 Flower Avenue
Silver Spring, Maryland

5150 mass. avenue
bethesda,
maryland

Mihran Mesrobian Residence
7410 Connecticut Avenue
Chevy Chase, maryland

Polychrome Houses
9900 Colesville road
Silver Spring, Maryland

Terminal A, Reagan National Airport
1 Aviation Circle
Arlington, Virginia

George Washington School
1005 Mount Vernon Avenue
Alexandria, Virginia

Montgomery Arms Apartments
8700 Colesville road
Silver spring, Maryland

Bay State
1701 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

General Scott
1 Scott Circle, NW
Washington, DC

High Towers
1530 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC

The Majestic
3200 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC

U. S. Naval Hospital
8901 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Maryland

Greenbelt Housing
Greenbelt, Maryland

Hecht Company Warehouse
1401 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC

Uptown Theater
3426 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Capitol Plaza Apartments
35 E street, NW
Washington, DC

Capitol Towers
208 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
Washington, DC

the congressional
215
Constitution Avenue, NE
Washington, DC


gOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WAREHOUSE
732 North Capitol Street, NW
Washington, DC