Then and Now: Kresge to Jaleo
The property located at 712 E Street was originally constructed in 1918 by Frank L. Wagner and designed by A. B. Mullet and Company. It was a two-story concrete framed building with brick and terra-cotta clad facades. While the building exhibited the influence of Chicago school architecture during the early part of the 20th century, its low building height emphasized the horizontal rather than the vertical that was typical of Chicago. The grade level of the facade was later remodeled in the Art Moderne style.
The space was occupied by the S. S. Kresge Co. into the early 1970s when the Historic American Building Survey images were taken. Shortly after the survey, construction began on the Metro underneath Seventh Street. By February 1987, the buildings were empty and included in the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation’s plans for revitalizing the area. Developers were required to present plans preserving and restoring the facades of three buildings — the Eighth Street and E Street sides of Lansburgh’s; the Busch building; and the Kresge building.
Today, Jaleo is in the old S. S. Kresge Co. space, and has been since 1993.
Historic images from Historic American Building Survey, Library of Congress.