A recently released staff report from the D.C. Historic Preservation Office is recommending that the West Heating Plant in Georgetown be designated as a historic landmark, a step that could potentially make efforts to re-develop the World War II-era industrial plant into upscale Four Seasons condos more difficult. The plant is located at 1051-1055 29th Street NW. Staff planner Tim Dennee argued that it should be added to the federal National Register of Historic Places, stating that it is a “significant and distinguishable entity” despite being a mere heating plant. The report reinforces an argument by the D.C. Preservation League, which nominated the +70-year-old property for landmark status back in late 2013. Dennee’s report comes as the Historic Preservation Review Board is set to take up the nomination April 23.
