Woodward & Lothrop - Flagship Store

Flagship Store

Soon after moving into the historic Carlisle building in 1887, W&L outgrew its space and began expanding, purchasing the neighboring properties. By 1897 it occupied almost the entire block surrounded by 10th, 11th, F, and G Streets NW. In 1898 and 1902, the buildings were renovated behind a new facade facing G Street designed by Henry Ives Cobb. Two additional floors were added in 1912 and 1913, and yet another building added in 1925.

The building attained its lasting form in 1927. It stands ten stories and once held over 400,000 square feet (37,000 m2) of retail space; the exterior was decorated in cast iron and leaded glass accents with flower designs and the Woodward & Lothrop monogram. It was declared a D.C. Historic Landmark in 1964.

After the chain's liquidation, the store stood empty while developers and city officials debated its future. The city first lobbied to have the location reopened as a Macy's, but Macy's owner, Federated Department Stores (now Macy's Inc), demurred; the space was too large, in need of renovation, and situated in downtown Washington, where shopping had declined relative to the suburbs. Finally, the Washington National Opera purchased the building in 1996 for $18 million, seeking to have it renovated into its new home.

Unfortunately, the cost of converting the retail space into an opera house proved daunting: $200 million. It remained empty until 1999 when it was sold to developer Douglas Jemal for $28.2 million. Neighborhood activists wanted Jemal to convert the building for mixed use, including arts space, restaurants, and housing as well as retail, but Jemal sought to use it for mixed office and commercial space instead. The District of Columbia Zoning Commission declined Jemal's proposal, and the building remained empty for two more years.

Finally in 2001, the Commission approved the retail-office plan (on the condition Jemal build housing at another site), and renovation got underway. The building reopened after almost a decade in 2003. Swedish clothing retailer Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) was the first major tenant.

On January 29, 2004, a fire struck the building. Just before 10pm, firefighters responded to visible heavy fire on the 10th Street side. After twenty minutes, most of the fire was knocked down; the cause of the fire was found to be accidental, probably caused by a baseboard space heater. This fire did not affect H&M.

On August 21, 2007, furniture and housewares retailer West Elm opened in the building. Also in 2007, the D.C. branch of Madame Tussauds wax museum opened in the building and a three-floor Zara also opened in the building.

Besides the downtown Washington store, the old Woodward & Lothrop Service Warehouse at 131 M Street, Northeast was also declared a D.C. Historic Landmark in 1993. It's an example of Streamline Moderne architecture and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. The building is visible from the platform of the New York Ave–Florida Ave–Gallaudet University (to be renamed NoMa – Gallaudet University with the June 2012 edition of the official Metro map) station of the Washington Metro, and its pink neon sign by passengers on trains along that right of way.