Then and Now: Woodward & Lothrop building
The former Woodward & Lothrop flagship store bounded by 10th, 11th, F, and G Streets, NW did not achieve the form familiar to most Washingtonians until 1927. The historic building along G street was occupied by Woodies in 1887. They soon outgrew the space and began occupying other properties on the block. Though Woodies occupied nearly the entire block by 1897, it was largely in the 1920s that Woodies began to replace the older structures with newer facades and buildings.
Northwest corner of 10th and F Streets, NW. Early 1920s (left), from Library of Congress, and now (right).
The center of the building between 10th and 11th was rebuilt in 1925 followed by a new addition on the corner of 11th and F Streets in 1926. By the end of 1927 the dust had settled and the block appeared as it does today.
Woodward & Lothrop survived in downtown Washington until its closure in November of 1995.
Further reading: “1,000 at Ceremony Formally Opening Addition to Store,” The Washington Post, Oct. 31, 1926, p. M10.