General Baking Company Bakery
Description
The General Baking Company Bakery building was constructed at its present site on Georgia Avenue in 1929-1930 by the General Baking Company. The General Baking Company was a large New York City baking conglomerate that was formed in 1911 through the merger of 21 baking companies in 12 states from the midAtlantic, northeast and mid-west. One of these 21 companies, the Boston Baking Company, had been operating a bakery in Washington, D.C. at 119 First Street, SW since 1899. Boston Bakery was primarily a producer of bread, and competed with dozens of other such bakeries in the city during the early 20th century.Constructed in 1929 to the designs of architect Corry B. Comstock, the General Baking Company's Bond Bread Factory is an impressive and imposing Art Deco industrial building, characterized by its white brick construction, its stepped configuration and its Deco detailing, including channeled pilasters, recessed panels with decorative brick detailing, and terra cotta trimming. The front elevation, facing east onto Georgia Avenue, is the building's most prominent. Here, a three-story central tower with a penthouse is separated by its lower three- and two-story flanking wings by long and narrow piers. These piers rise from the ground level to above the cornice line, accentuating the building's verticality. Despite the overt quality of the Art Deco styling, the building retains some Classical detailing including the principal entry with its terra cotta architrave surround. This entry illustrates the transitional aspect of the Art Deco style of the 1920s, particularly as it pertains to the city's generally modest industrial architecture.
Sources
- Dave King
- National Register database - Reference number 13000961
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