| Capital Garage | |
|---|---|
 Capital Garage soon after opening | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Streamline Moderne Gothic Revival |
| Address | 1320 New York Avenue NW |
| Town or city | Washington, DC |
| Country | United-States |
| Coordinates | 38°53′57″N 77°01′50″W / 38.899149°N 77.030513°W |
| Completed | 1927 |
| Demolished | 1974 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Arthur B. Heaton |
The Capital Garage was a ten-story parking garage that once stood at 1320 New York Avenue NW in downtown Washington, D.C. It was built for the Shannon & Luchs real estate firm and designed by local architect Arthur B. Heaton, whose landmark buildings in the city include Riggs National Bank, Stockton Hall, and the Churchill Hotel. The building was designed in the Streamline Moderne architectural style with Gothic Revival features. Ornamental details on its façade included bas-reliefs of automobiles and headlights as well as lion-headed grotesques. In addition to providing parking spaces, the Capital Garage also included a gas station, carwash, repair shop, and retail space.
There was a need for parking in downtown Washington, D.C., due to increased car ownership in the 1920s, and once completed, the building was reportedly the largest parking structure of its kind in the country. It proved to be popular with customers and local businesses. During World War II, the US government leased the building for government vehicles and storage space. It later housed a car dealership and was the site of a fundraiser featuring a vehicle once driven by Adolf Hitler. Due to the increase in automobile size in the 1950s and 1960s, the parking spaces became too small for many vehicles. The decrease in business eventually resulted in the Capital Garage closing in 1973. The building was imploded the following year, but several of the bas-reliefs were saved and donated to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The site now houses the Inter-American Development Bank office building.