About this property
The Capital Traction Company Car Barn (also known as the Decatur Street Car Barn and the Northern Bus Garage) is a historic streetcar car barn in northwest Washington, D.C. Built in 1906 by the Capital Traction Company, it was later turned into a bus garage and is currently owned by Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Located at 4615 14th Street NW, near the end of the 14th Street streetcar line, the two-story brick structure was designed by local architects Wood, Donn & Deming in Italian Renaissance style and built by contractors Richardson and Burgess. The building originally measured 537 by 208 feet (164 m × 63 m) and included two turntables. The car barn was built in 1906 by the Capital Traction Company. Starting in 1926, the Washington Rapid Transit Company leased part of its space for use as a bus garage. It was fully converted to a bus garage in 1959 and later became WMATA's Metrobus Northern Division garage. In 2013, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2019, WMATA closed the building to replace it with a new one that will include storage and maintenance for electric buses, along with up to 27,000 square feet of retail space, streetscape improvements, and a community room. The architects are the firms of Beyer Blinder Belle and Wendel. All but the eastern (14th Street) facade of the building was demolished in 2023. Construction is slated to conclude in 2027. Media related to Capital Traction Company Car Barn (Decatur Street) at Wikimedia Commons "The History of D.C.'s Streetcars: 'Manspreaders,' meet 'end-seat hogs'". Washington Post. Capital Traction Company Car Barn (National Register of Historic Places) Article: "The Giant Car Barn on 14th St. NW: A 1907 Story" (Ghosts of DC, 2012) "Capital Traction Company Car Barn" (DC Preservation) Finding: Historic Landmark Case No. 01-05 (Historic Preservation Review Board, 2012)
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Capital Traction Company Car Barn
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Questions about this property
When was Capital Traction Company Car Barn listed on the National Register?
Capital Traction Company Car Barn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 21, 2013.
What type of historic resource is Capital Traction Company Car Barn?
Capital Traction Company Car Barn is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Capital Traction Company Car Barn?
The period of significance for Capital Traction Company Car Barn is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1906.
Can I research the history near Capital Traction Company Car Barn?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Capital Traction Company Car Barn will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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