In 1931, a parking lot in Cleveland Park changed how Washington shopped
The Park & Shop’s parking lot made it the vanguard of modern design in 1931.
Image from Architectural Record.
From a 2017 article in Greater Greater Washington: Many people are perplexed as to why Sam’s Park & Shop in Cleveland Park is a historical landmark. While it may look like an ordinary strip mall, the Park & Shop was one of the first examples of retail architecture designed around the automobile.
In the May 1932 Architectural Record, the author praised the Park & Shop in contrast to a traditional main street retail strip, which he derides as “Coney Island Architecture.” He might as well have been describing the Connecticut Avenue service lane, which many neighbors are now trying to have removed.
[Thanks to Don Smith for pointing us to this article]