52 O Street Studios is not merely history, it's history in the making!

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Our Building History...

[CONTEMPORARY TIMES]

Some bright day in 1978, Eric Rudd, a Washington DC sculptor, recognized the acute shortage of affordable studio space for Washington artists. He purchased the existing 53,000 square foot structure at 52 "0" St. N.W. and undertook the task of converting it into artist studios.

52 O Street Studios Click for larger image

The process of purchasing the building, obtaining financing and completing the structural conversion proved to be more complex than expected. Among other things, bankers' loan policies as well as residential and commercial real estate regulations of various government agencies simply didn't include provisions for low cost work space for artists. Still, the building was ready for artists by Spring 1979.

Since that time, well over one hundred artists have occupied studios here. These artists, working in virtually the entire spectrum of media, have included painters, sculptors, photographers, jewelry designers, woodworkers and musicians. It isn't possible to list all of these artists, but suffice it to say that many of these past and present occupants have established local and national reputations.

Our Historical 52 Click for larger image

From its inception, 52 "0" Street Studios has been guided by the concept of providing working space for artists. While most of the artists here welcome visitors by appointment, the studios as a whole are open to the public only on Open Studio occasions, which are generally held on an annual basis. For this reason, people who wish to visit at other times should make arrangements with the individual artist of interest. We who work here are proud of this old building, its idiosyncrasies, its history and all the artists who have worked here in the past.

[OUR HISTORICAL BUILDING]

Our building was erected in 1917 and leased to People's Wholesale, a pharmaceutical distributor. It was also a warehouse distribution center of major music label, Decca Records, for several years. The warehouse configuration was ideal for conversion to art studios since it offered considerable flexibility in the arrangement of studios, from small to large, loft-like spaces which can double as living quarters.

East Wall Click for larger image

"The building's construction, with heavy wood beams and wooden plank flooring on levels 1-3 appeals to artists and visitors alike. One interesting feature of this is an ancient (often overhauled) Otis elevator which still operates by pulling one of two cables to make it go up or down. This old freight elevator once transported Joseph Hirshhorn, patron of the Hirshhorn Museum on the Mall, to visit the Diane Brown Gallery which then occupied most of the third floor.

Rear Stairwell Click for larger image

[THE NEW OWNER]

Mr. Marty Youmans purchased the building from Eric Rudd in March 2003. We are pleased that Mr. Youmans has expressed his intentions of continuing to maintain 52 0 Street as a center for inner city working artists.

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