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Most Endangered Places
2001

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Most Endangered Places for 2001

Art Deco/Art Moderne Municipal Buildings

Two DC government buildings designed by municipal architect Nathan C. Wyeth in the Art Deco/Art Moderne style in the early 1940s are among a number of such structures threatened by possible sale, inappropriate alteration, and demolition for redevelopment. The Municipal Center (1941), 300 Indiana Avenue, NW, and District of Columbia National Guard Armory (1942), 2001 East Capitol Street, SE, are civic symbols worthy of preservation. The Municipal Center is visited by hundreds of DC residents daily. Home to the Metropolitan Police Department and Department of Motor Vehicles, it features a commemorative fountain and massive ceramic murals honoring municipal employees. If this building is sold and demolished, the architectural ensemble formed by the Municipal Center, Recorder of Deeds building, and the Moultrie and Prettyman Courthouses will be destroyed. The DC Armory (pictured) is the headquarters of the DC National Guard and a venue for events and expositions. Several planning agencies have not included this building in their plans for the redevelopment of the east end of East Capitol Street. The League is working with the Art Deco Society of Washington, DC, to prepare landmark applications for these buildings, as well as for Wyeth's Recorder of Deeds Building (515 D Street, NW), which was included in this category last year, but which is no longer being considered for sale by the Williams administration and for which $2 million has been allocated for renovation by the DC Council.

Co-chairs: Alexander M. Padro and Jerry Maronek

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