F Street and 7th Street shopping districts

Parts of F Street and 7th Street, N.W. and nearby blocks have historically been the heart of the Washington, D.C. Downtown shopping district. In the first half of the 20th century there were numerous upscale large department stores along and near F Street, while 7th Street housed more economical emporia and large retail furniture stores.^[1]^[2] The F street corridor stretches west from Downtown's Penn Quarter and Gallery Place towards 15th Street, while the 7th Street corridor includes the neighborhoods of Penn Quarter, Chinatown and Mount Vernon Square, and extends up to the border of Shaw.

History[edit]

Center Market, the city's largest public market, opened in 1872, operating until 1931 on the site of today's National Archives Building. Its northern end faced Pennsylvania Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets. Transportation by Washington, D.C.'s streetcars, first horse-drawn, then electrified, notably the busy transfer point at F and 9th, helped solidify this area as D.C.'s most popular shopping district during that time.^[3]

from Gallery Pl. (G St.) to H St., from 6th to 7th, , a small urban power center with Bed, Bath & Beyond, Urban Outfitters, and Regal Cinemas

Gallery Place

on D from 8th to 9th, south side, site of the former department store (1893–1975); original store was on the NE corner of 8th and Market Space (now the north side of Navy Memorial plaza)^[4]^[5]

Kann's

on the block bounded by H, I, 9th and 10th streets, shopping center, housing luxury boutiques (Hermès, etc.)

CityCenterDC

on the block bounded by F, G, 10th and 11th streets, former flagship of the department store chain (1887–1996), reopened in 2003 and currently houses H&M, Forever 21 and Zara.^[5]

Woodward & Lothrop

on E from 11th to 12th, District Center with Rack and Saks Off Fifth discount department stores

Nordstrom

on F from 12th to 13th, north side, discount department store

T.J. Maxx

on G from 12th to 13th, north side, Macy's department store (was a , built to replace the flagship, operated 1985–2006)^[6]

Hecht's

on F from 13th to 14th, south side, discount department store at The Shops at the National Press Building

Marshalls

on Pennsylvania Avenue from 13th to 14th, , formerly a small urban mall, now with a few retail shops and a food court

The Shops at National Place

Although Macy's is the only traditional department store left, the district is home to four discount department stores, three small malls or shopping centers, and many on-street retail stores, including H&M, Anthropologie, and others.

From north to south and east to west:

7th St., 1880s

Hahn's Shoes, 7th at K

People's Drug Store #1, 7th at Massachusetts/K

Goldenberg's, 7th south of K, c.1920

7th St. east side south from G, 1901

Hecht's, 7th and F (1924-1980s)

7th St., west side south from E, 1901

7th St. west side north from D, 1901

The Hub, 7th and D, 1980s

Center Market (1872-1931) at 7th and Pennsylvania Av.

Outdoor food market, 7th at Pennsylvania, c.1900

Part of Lansburgh's (built 1916–24), 8th and E

Woodward & Lothrop (W&L) flagship, c.1910s

W&L Flagship Bldg., 2019

W&L Flagship bas-reliefs

Palais Royal (1893), 11th and G

Former Garfinckel's, 14th and F

From north to south and east to west:

1015 7th Street – Alperstein's Furniture, 1904–present

932 7th Street – John Rudden's New Furniture, 1880s

National Furniture

921 7th Street – House & Herrmann, 1886

Marlo Furniture, 1963

915 7th Street – Jackson Brothers, 1903

819 7th Street – Samuel W. Augenstein, pre-1891

Peter Grogan's Furniture Company, 1891–1933

Peerless Furniture Company, 1935–1968

Home Furniture and Appliance Company, May 1969 – 1972

801 7th Street – John Rudden's New Furniture, 1899

718 7th Street – Anton Eberly & Sons, 1868

Mayer Dodek, Dodek's Furniture & Clothing, 1898

515 Seventh Street – Department Store

Hecht's

7th and D, southeast corner – The Hub Furniture Store, 1855

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, 7th Street north of F, as far as O Street in today's Shaw district, was home not only to several of the more economical large department stores such as Goldberg's and Harry Kaufman's, but to the city's concentration of furniture retailers. These included (from north to south):^[12]