Hibbs building entranceFolger building detail

Left: The Hibbs Building at 725 15th Street, NW, ca. 1920-1950. Image from the Library of Congress. Right: The Folger Building, today. Photo by the author.

When the Hibbs Building was nearing completion in June, 1907, construction was advancing at a record pace to finish within ten months. Designed by Bruce, Price & de Sibour, architects, for William B. Hibbs, the lower portion of the building was set aside for W. B. Hibbs & Co. and contained a banking room in the front and a stock trading room in the rear section. The architects set aside the upper floors for their Washington headquarters.

The building was designed in the French renaissance style of the day and built of white marble upon a steel frame. As such, the building was considered fireproof. Upon completion, the total cost of the building was estimated to exceed $250,000.

Today, the building has been renamed the Folger Building to reflect the current name of the investment firm that was created when W. B. Hibbs & Co. combined with Folger, Nolan in 1953. Folger, Nolan, Fleming, Douglas, Inc. is among Washington’s oldest major investment houses.

Hibbs Building

Folger building 2009

Hibbs building banking lobby

Hibbs building trading room

Kent Boese posts items of historic interest, primarily within the District. He’s worked in libraries since 1994, both federal and law, and currently works on K Street. He’s been an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner serving the northern Columbia Heights and Park View neighborhoods since 2011 (ANC 1A), and served as the Commission’s Chair since 2013. He has a MS in Design from Arizona State University with strong interests in preservation, planning, and zoning. Kent is also the force behind the blog Park View, DC.