Central Heating Plant 325 13th Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20405 Architect: Cret, Paul Philippe Constructed: 1933 - 1934 Nat'l Register ID #: GSA Building #: DC0001ZZ

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Statement of Significance

The Central Heating Plant in Washington, D.C. was designed by the architect Paul Philippe Cret for the Procurement Division of the U.S. Treasury Department. The project was managed by James A. Wetmore, Acting Supervising Architect and Louis Simon, architect, both of the Procurement Divison. The cornerstone was laid in 1933, construction was completed and the plant commenced operation in 1934. The work of an important American architect whose aesthetic philosophies significantly affected Federal design, and as a carefully conceived and well-executed example of the Art Deco style, the Central Heating Plant is a significant representation of American
industrial design from the 1930s.

The building was designed to serve as the main heating plant for all Federal buildings within Washington, D.C. At the cost of $5,749,000, it was the largest heating facility in the United States serving 22 Federal buildings and burning approximately 230 tons of coal a day. The facility's siting at the northwest portion of its lot, left the remaining land area available for coal storage and for future extensions of the building. The addition of the Refrigeration Plant to the east of the main heating plant building was completed in 1957. In 1948, the construction of the West Heating Plant reduced the role of the Central Heating Plant by taking over responsibility for heating Federal buildings in the western section of Washington, D.C. Today, the facility works in conjunction with the West Heating Plant to provide heat for the majority of Federal Buildings in the Nations Capital.

The Central Heating Plant is designed in an industrial Art Deco style, which features streamlined brick walls, patterned brickwork, and decorative sculptural panels. The building's exterior walls are brick with tall industrial type windows. Its essential components include a
main building to house the boilers and adjunct mechanical equipment; the refrigeration plant addition; a coal-receiving building; an enclosed yard for coal and fuel storage; and pipes and tunnels for steam distribution.

Located in the heart of Washington's Federal office building district, the building's industrial purpose was carefully translated by its architect into a design compatible with the notable Federal buildings which surround it. The passage of the Shipstead-Luce Act in 1930, required the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) to review the designs of public buildings in Washington bordering public spaces. Consequently, the CFA reviewed the height, exterior design, and construction of the Central Heating Plant at several meetings in 1931. Architect Cret
submitted numerous plans and made several presentations in the effort to gain CFA approval. His original design included three smokestacks above the roof, dramatically effecting the city's skyline. The primary concern of the CFA was the aesthetic appearance of the smokestacks rising above the roof. Consequently, Cret formulated a design that incorporated the stacks within the building but allowed them to rise to a height that could carry fumes above the point where they would be objectionable to the workers in the Agriculture Building. Upon approval of the design, CFA Chairman Charles Moore wrote to the Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon that the CFA was "so well satisfied with the main features of the location and design of the Heating Plant..." (December 18, 1931). The successful completion
of Cret's design is seen in its selection by a panel of architects as a distinguished representative of Government architecture for the decade of 1927 to 1936.

The Central Heating Plant has been subject to numerous changes in equipment over the last sixty years. Four of the original six boilers have been replaced, and the plant has moved from a coal-based fuel source to one capable of running on coal, oil or natural gas. The construction of the Refrigeration Plant obscures the view of the original east elevation.

The building was listed as an individual landmark within the District of Columbia's Inventory of Historic Sites in 1975. The building is eligible, but is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places.




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