Category Archives: Landmarks

The Art of Ironing : The Chinese Laundry

The Art of Ironing The Chinese Laundry 1923 527 Fourth Avenue Architectural Style: Early 20th Century Commercial Architect: Unknown                               In the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the occupation of laundry worker was heavily identified with Chinese Americans. This identification became so prevalent that it became the stereotypical occupation […]

An Architectural Tribute to Our Heritage

Jacob Weinberger United States Courthouse1913 | 329 F Street Architect: James Knox TaylorArchitectural Style: Classic Revival/Spanish Colonial(Mission) Revival At the turn of the 20th century, civic leaders were looking forward to the increased prosperity and growth that the impending Panama Canal would bring. Their hopes were that the promise of increased commerce would make San […]

The Hawthorne Inn

The Hawthorne Inn(1900)  2121 First AvenueArchitectural Style : Dutch ColonialArchitects & Contractors : Henry Neale and R. A Graham If walls could talk, this picturesque Victorian era edifice would spin amazing tales of history, celebrities, crime, and also, its original inhabitants , the men and women who had ventured west at the turn of the […]

You Can’t Win ‘Em All!

Snyder Building1923748 Sixth AvenueArchitectural Style: Early 20th Century Commercial Architect: Unknown    Some buildings are best known for their distinct architectural style, while others garner the limelight because of the personages attached to their origin or construction. Such is the rather modest structure still standing on Sixth Avenue.    As with any and probably all […]

A Repurposed Legend

The Pickwick/Sofia Hotel1926 150 W. BroadwayArchitecture: William PeughArchitectural Style: Gothic Revival Most travelers today look for the fastest way to get to their destination. Gone are the days of leisurely travel with occasional stops along the way for rest or local exploration. Although train travel is showing some signs of revival, bus travel is strictly […]

A Palace of the Arts

Villa Montezuma (1887) 1925 K St. Corner of 20th and K Architect: Comstock & Trotsche Architectural Style: Victorian Queen Anne Builders: Cheney and Leonard When most people envision a Victorian mansion, they inevitably think of a Queen Anne edifice. It seems to typify the golden age between 1880 and 1910, which stressed opulence, imagination, gaudiness, […]

A Mere Whisper…..

Tuftco Building (1923) 744 Sixth Street Architect: Unknown Architectural Style: Turn-of-the-Century Commercial Some historic landmarks are recognized because of their architectural style or uniqueness, others for events that occurred there, and yet others for famous personages attached to the site. The Tuftco building, also known as the Haines and Brandis building, was one of the […]