![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHrfIMv2T1RF3JUKV6itHovhI0VoUQDxnlWXee71foqL0sc-5L92BxGJOguAR-ooqBp6CsQBlPUtyA_wv8_ohE9dbCQyYeii5jZSCFT-zG1M-e7wAV14szYcUOYO__SN3vMNtMrg/s640/Manhattan+laundry0001.jpg)
Many passersby are struck by the looming while enamel and
glass block building at 1326-1346 Florida Avenue, NW, seemingly out of place on
a short stretch of the street. Most may
have been first introduced to the vast complex of buildings when part of it served
as the first location of Art-o-matic in 1999, but it’s the dramatic Art Deco
façade that often causes a double take.
The complex is actually composed of three major buildings,
the westernmost of which was constructed in 1877 when the area was a rather
desolate area far from the urban core of Washington, DC. It was designed by John B. Brady as a car
barn for the Washington & Georgetown Railroad Company. A steam plant was added in 1908 and a large
addition in 1926 designed by A. S. J. Atkinson. Behind the current
Art Deco building that faces Florida Avenue is an original stable and warehouse
built in 1911.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzMPZU0Vm3SiksOYU7E8Z_nWNOSoVNJtpli-eX6U1o2lMDDzloZxF6ra8AWb4Lx4_Om0xXiM50oOhYZM8HYeMh_6eZt6qogu8gZ79MzhmNY3Qajze8tYZ9X66doe7i69JXYnuMw/s320/Manhattan+laundry0002.jpg)
Manhattan Laundry was founded by John W. Lowe about 1905 in
the former car barn on the westernmost side of the complex. An advertisement from 1905 is seen here.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBSeHfiGE5oSp91GqvA6xwC9fI-ePXsZbBdH5PT8ur6ndNjrcOgK4Bs_6H38YD1RB_joSrEzYT2VA_h5muKv4DZQ5x8_XxwtFp80dLr8cZkn9YvLrrmqb5VrpWor-5Msx1w7NkGg/s320/Manhattan+laundry0003.jpg)
The Lowe family sold Manhattan laundry in 1973, and it moved
to more modern facilities, leaving the Florida Avenue complex abandoned and
soon vandalized. It suffered a fire in
1978, and was scheduled to be razed in 1979.
Instead, it was partially restored by developer Jeffrey Cohen into an
office and storage facility.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzuIinBtJkJwh8MFjY5TnbFsQF14L_uRuXLmmaOkSQkB-csJt8nih33A5ZIkY0x8gGX6WXTUX0xMkOQMSepclVJnHBRxy67vH6X8Xoe0eZA1Uow6cQaisSUs_8J4HBUHrWoHIujg/s320/Manhattan+Laundry+Current.jpg)
Copyright Paul K. Willaims
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