Introduction

The history of The Yards is closely linked with that of the neighboring Washington Navy Yard. In fact, that’s why this exciting new neighborhood is called The Yards. Formerly known as the Navy Yard Annex, it is a place of proud industrial heritage with a nautical twist. Here is a historical look at how The Yards came to be.

Introduction Introduction The history of The Yards is closely linked with that of the neighboring Washington Navy Yard. In fact, that’s why this exciting new neighborhood is called The Yards. Formerly known as the Navy Yard Annex, it is a place of proud industrial heritage with a nautical twist. Here is a historical look at how The Yards came to be.

Commodore Tingey Commodore Tingey The initial area of the Washington Navy Yard, founded in 1799 just to the east of what is now The Yards, was the original home port of the U.S. Navy. The Yard’s first commandant, British-born Commodore Thomas Tingey, was a driving force for the initial development of the Washington Navy Yard, and defended it from the British invasion of Washington in 1812. Tingey served as Commandant of the Washington Navy Yard for 29 years, and Tingey Street, which runs through The Yards, is named in his honor.

Stately Sentry Tower Stately Sentry Tower The historic wall around the Washington Navy Yard, built after the 1814 British invasion of the city to protect Navy property from theft, was extended west in the early 1900’s to mark the new boundary at M and 4th Streets, SE. The stately sentry tower at that intersection remains today adding a distinctive marker to one of the entrances to The Yards.

“Second to None” “Second to None” In reaction to World War I, in 1916 Congress passed the Naval Appropriation Act aiming to make the United States Navy “Second to None” in the world. Additional land was claimed by the Navy Yard westward to 2nd Street to accommodate increased ordnance manufacturing efforts. Several additional Navy Yard Annex buildings, which remain on the site today, were built at this time.

The Lumber Shed The Lumber Shed Just south of the Pattern and Joiner Shop is Building 173, also known as the Lumber Shed. This is where the large amounts of lumber necessary for the Pattern and Joiner Shop were brought to be dried and stored. Located at the northern edge of The Yards’ riverfront park, the Lumber Shed will find new life in The Yards as a riverfront retail/dining location, including a dramatic new look involving glass walls to capitalize on the sweeping river views.

The Yards Workforce The Yards Workforce By 1929, more than 4,000 workers were employed on site for the manufacture of advanced machinery used to outfit Naval warships. Most of the workers lived just blocks away; a neighborhood of hard-working skilled African-American and Eastern European families existed in the northwestern portion of the site until the 1940's. By the early 1940's, with the threat of a second World War looming, the Navy Yard Annex grew again to include land west to 1st Street--the current western boundary of The Yards--including some of the homes formerly occupied by Navy Yard laborers.

Transportation Repair Shop Transportation Repair Shop The elaborate marine railway and railroad tracks that ran throughout the Washington Navy Yard, as well as the heavy industrial manufacturing accomplished there required numerous railroad engines and cars to move raw materials, parts and finished products from one building to another. The upkeep of those railroad components, as well as steam shovels, locomotive cranes, coal conveyor equipment, the massive overhead cranes in many of the buildings and automotive, tractor trailer, truck and bus equipment was accomplished in Building 74, the Transportation Repair Shop, built in 1938. Two large doors that allowed such large scale, rail-mounted equipment to move freely in and out of the building, are still visible on the building’s north face. Building 74, the Transportation Repair Shop, will be transformed into townhomes.

21st Century 21st Century In 2003, at the urging of D.C. Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, the GSA conducted a nationwide request for proposals among private sector real estate developers to determine interest in acquiring the former Navy Yard Annex site for redevelopment, including its several remaining historically protected former industrial buildings. The US Department of Transportation contracted with a private sector developer for the design and construction of its dramatic new headquarters building on what was formerly the northern edge of the Navy Yard Annex site at the corner of M Street and New Jersey Avenue SE.

Rebirth as The Yards Rebirth as The Yards In 2007, construction and redevelopment began on several parcels within The Yards site including three of the historically protected, former industrial buildings as well as some all-new construction projects. Initial occupancy of the first phase residential building will take place late 2011. Retail space in the former Boilermaker Shop, is expected in late 2012.

19th Century

20th Century

21st Century

The Anacostia Riverfront The Anacostia Riverfront In the early 19th century, the Anacostia riverfront at The Yards was a bustling wharf with ships delivering lumber and other raw building materials to the growing city. North of the wharves, the area now known as The Yards was home to a successful pottery factory, sugar refinery, brewery, and other light industrial businesses.

Westward Expansion Westward Expansion The southern boundary of the Navy Yard has always been the Anacostia River and its northern boundary along M St. SE. Following the Spanish-American War in 1898, the Washington Navy Yard required additional land to fulfill its expanding mission. So, Congress looked westward and a silted inlet of the Anacostia River was filled in 1902. This area included the easternmost portion of what is today The Yards.

Commodore Dahlgren Commodore Dahlgren As Commandant of the Washington Navy Yard in 1861 and one of President Lincoln’s closest advisors, John Dahlgren was instrumental in supporting the Navy’s ordnance needs throughout the Civil War including his development of a historic Navy mainstay still known today as the Dahlgren gun—a smoothbore, bottle-shaped cannon. By the 1870’s, the Washington Navy Yard’s shipbuilding capacities were diminishing as the principal product of its numerous factory buildings onsite had become ordnance. The area became known as the Naval Gun Factory and industrial activity there flourished.

The Pattern & Joiner Shop The Pattern & Joiner Shop In 1917, Building 160 was constructed along Tingey just east of 3rd Street to be the Pattern and Joiner Shop. It served as a large scale woodworking shop and pattern store house, producing all types of mill, cabinet and carpentry work. Patterns required by the yard's iron-forging foundries and full scale mock-ups of new designs were produced by the shop and stored on the top floor of the building. Today Building 160 has been reconfigured and redeveloped as Foundry Lofts, the initial apartment building at The Yards which opens Fall 2011.

The Boilermaker Shop The Boilermaker Shop The Boilermaker Shop, Building 167, located at the corner of Tingey and 4th Streets SE, will be the retail heart of The Yards. Constructed in 1918, this noble industrial building housed the manufacture of shipboard as well as stationary boilers for naval ships and installations. Gun mount shields, platforms, floorplates, barrel plates for torpedo tubes, hoist tubes and many other items were products of this heavy industrial building over the years. The Boilermaker Shop is expected to be open late 2012, and will include a variety of restaurants and retail shopping.

The Broadside Mount Shop The Broadside Mount Shop Just as the United States was entering World War II in 1941, Building 202, the massive Broadside Mount Shop was constructed as both a manufacturing and assembly shop. Gun barrels, breaches and other artillery parts manufactured in other specialty buildings throughout the Navy Yard site were delivered here by rail for assembly before being shipped out for installation on the cruisers, battleships and other large scale naval ships of the era.

Peak Production Peak Production By the mid-1940's the Washington Navy Yard and Navy Yard Annex reached peak production with 26,000 employees in 132 buildings on 127 acres of land. After WWII, with the development of electronic missile technology occurring at privately-contracted companies and decentralized locations, the Washington Navy Yard became principally an administrative and ceremonial center. The Gun Factory was shuttered and the annexed area west of Isaac Hull Avenue was transferred to the General Services Administration (GSA) in the early 1960's.

42-Acre Riverfront 42-Acre Riverfront The remaining 42-acre riverfront property site, including several historically protected, former industrial buildings was awarded for redevelopment by the GSA to Forest City Washington, a nationally recognized developer and manager of major urban mixed-used projects, based upon its impressive proposal to redevelop the site as an exciting new urban mixed-use, riverfront redevelopment including 2,800 residential units, 1.8 million SF of office space and up to 400,000 SF of retail space, not to mention a significant riverfront public park to be collectively known as The Yards.