437-441 Seventh Street Northwest (Commercial Building), Washington, District of Columbia, DC

Significance: (Architectural Significance) Typical of the larger commercial buildings prior to 1880, the characteristic brick bearing partitions determine the inflexible quality of the interior. After that date, iron and steel framing became progressively more favored for interior supports. The stylistic significance of the buildings is impossible to determine as the street facade has been covered by a modern curtain wall. It is not improbable that the hidden elevation consists of a thrice-repeated organization in brick executed in one of the traditional revival styles of the late Nineteenth Century. As it stands, however, the building clashes very strongly with its surroundings. The facade's color, texture, and most especially, its lack of articulation constitute a particularly insensitive example of contemporaneous architectural design. Together with the three similarly-treated adjacent buildings to the south, this entire row is in extreme discord with the character of the downtown area.
Survey number: HABS DC-497