The Yale Steam Laundry Building at 437 New York Ave. NW, near the northern terminus of I-395, is currently undergoing "a complete interior and exterior restoration" in the hopes of attracting a tenant, said Michael Minkoff, whose name is listed on the historic landmark application as representative for the property owners. He said the building could be turned into anything from office space to mixed-use retail or even a hotel, but there are currently no definite plans for the site. He said the work on the building could be completed by late spring.

The owners are also looking to get historic status granted to the 30,000-square-foot building by the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board. The board has scheduled a hearing Dec. 18 to consider the matter. The board also will consider the building’s proposed nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.

The laundry was built in 1902 and was one of the larger "power" laundries (as opposed to the smaller "hand" laundries) in the District, according to the historical landmark application.

The building, the third location for the company which was founded in 1888, was designed specifically to house a large industrial laundry and incorporated many of the technological advances from the turn of the century. The exterior of the building, however, has many classical elements and was designed to blend into the primarily residential neighborhood at the time it was built.

The company built two additions, one in 1919 and one in 1924. The 1919 addition was a combination stable and garage, which acknowledged the advent of the automobile in the modern age but also showed the industry’s reliance on the horse-drawn wagon to make deliveries and pick-ups.

By the 1940s, the Yale Steam Laundry was the third largest commercial launderer in the city. At one point, Yale washed clothes for the White House, Congress and the State Department.

The Yale Steam Laundry operated in that location until 1956, when it was sold to Conger’s Laundry. The Conger family sold the plant in 1976 when the majority stockholder retired, but the new owner soon defaulted on the sale and the property was turned over to the bankruptcy courts.

In the end, suburban competitors and the increasing availability of household washers and dryers did in the Yale Laundry, according to the application.

Copyright 1998, The Common Denominator