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African American History in Washington DC: Walking tour of the Shaw and LeDroit Park Neighborhoods
Item 15 of 15
The George M. Barker Company Warehouse is a historic structure, located in the Logan Circle-Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Designed by A.M. Poynton and built in 1906, it once served a a lumber, coal, and wood distribution warehouse. It is notable as one of the few examples of such buildings in a city that was never heavily industrial. Today, the structure is used by Bread for the City, a local organization which provides vulnerable D.C. residents with various social services.

George M. Barker Company Warehouse, image by Smallbones - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15960336

George M. Barker Company Warehouse, image by Smallbones - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15960336
Located in the Logan Circle-Shaw neighborhood, the The George M. Barker Company Warehouse was constructed in 1906 as a distribution warehouse. The company's founder, a New Hampshire-born carpenter, opened his first millwork establishment in the downtown D.C. area after the end of the Civil War. Following his death, ownership of the business transferred to his wife and children. His daughter, Flora Welch, commissioned the construction of a new building. It was designed by a construction superintendent for the D.C. Inspector of Buildings, A.M. Poynton.

Washington, D.C. was never a particularly industrial city. Goods largely had to be imported. Industrial buildings, such as the George M. Barker Company Warehouse, were scattered throughout the city's streets and alleys in an era before zoning. Originally, the building stood in close proximity to stores, rowhouses, and a theater. The warehouse was primarily used to distribute much needed lumber, coal, and wood. It is a two-story brick structure featuring heavy timber framing and a brick and terracotta facade, with the central entry and loft door once serving as a loading area for delivery trucks and wagons.

Today, the building is occupied by Bread for the City, a local organization dedicated to providing underprivileged D.C. residents with a variety of social services in a respectful environment. Above the door is written their slogan: "Dignity, Respect, Service."1 The warehouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 26, 2008.
1. "George M. Barker Company Warehouse." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Accessed November 5, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M._Barker_Company_Warehouse.

"Barker Company Warehouse - 1525 7th Street, NW." DC Historic Sites. Accessed November 5, 2016. http://historicsites.dcpreservation.org/items/show/752.

"Bread for the City » Mission and Vision." Bread for the City. Accessed November 5, 2016. http://www.breadforthecity.org/about-2/mission-vision/.