United Brick Corporation Brick Complex facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
United Brick Corporation Brick Complex
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in District of Columbia
Built	1927-1949
NRHP reference No.	78003061
Added to NRHP	October 3, 1978

The United Brick Corporation Brick Complex, also known as the New York Avenue Brickworks, is a very old industrial site. It is located in Washington, D.C. on land that belongs to the United States National Arboretum. This land is owned by the government, so people cannot visit the site freely.

This complex is special because its kilns are the only brickyard left in Washington, D.C. Kilns are like giant ovens used to bake bricks. These kilns are also a rare example of the round "beehive" style. The buildings are made from red bricks and have special heat-resistant bricks inside. They also have arched brick roofs. The site once had eight tall exhaust stacks. There was even a small train track system to move materials around. You can still see a factory building and a drying shed with 38 tunnels where bricks were dried.

A Look Back in Time

Long ago, even before 1909, there were brick kilns on this site. But the famous round "beehive" kilns were built later, between 1927 and 1931. Nine of these round kilns were built first, and three more were added later.

Many different companies used this site to make bricks. Some of these were the Hudson Brick and Supply Company and the United Clay Products Company. Another local company, West Brothers Brick Company, also made bricks using beehive kilns. However, their operations stopped in 1942 because the land was needed to build the Pentagon.

The United Brick Corporation Brick Complex stopped making bricks permanently in 1972. In 1976, the land was given to the United States Department of Agriculture. Two years later, on October 3, 1978, the complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is recognized as an important historical site in the United States.