About

When you walk in 52 O Street Studios, it’s clear that this is a building with a lot of history. Here’s a little bit about how the four-story warehouse came to be the artist studios it is today.

Origins

The building at 52 O Street NW in Washington, DC was built in 1914. At that time, the neighborhood was a remote, industrial part of town. The building was designed by architect Clement Didden, who’d previously assisted Richard Morris Hunt in the design of landmarks including the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Over the years, the building housed a meat-packing company, a plumbing company, a Hecht’s furniture factory, and Decca Records. (More on the building’s history here.)

Becoming Studios

52 O Street was converted into artist studios in 1978 by Eric Rudd. Rudd felt there was a shortage of affordable space for Washington-based artists. It was, apparently, simple to convert the warehouse into art studios, because of its open, flexible spaces and high ceilings. Marty Youmans purchased the building in 2003 and continues to maintain it as a community for DC’s working artists. You can visit our contact page to ask about studio or event space.

52 O Street Alumni

Some amazing artists have worked at 52 O Street over the years. Below, find a selection of links to the work of some of our alumni.