Alexandria, VA – Our August image continues the theme of retracing Alexandria’s transformation from a smaller Southern town into the vibrant city it is today. The photograph takes us to the 100 block of North Union Street, focusing on the Torpedo Factory circa 1979.
The complex was initially constructed in 1918 to support America’s defense effort during World War I. Ironically, the armistice to end the war was signed on the very day construction began. The gray structure on the left—known as Building 1 or the “doughnut building”—featured a large open courtyard at its center, allowing natural light to flow across all four levels for workers assembling torpedoes. This building was demolished in the mid-1980s to make way for the Residences at the Torpedo Factory, a condominium project by Charles R. Hooff III.
An enclosed gray bridge once connected Building 1 with Building 2, the ochre-colored structure on the right. Building 2, mainly used for storage and administrative functions, still stands on the waterfront. In 1974, it was reborn as the Torpedo Factory Art Center, thanks to a concept put forward by Marian Van Landingham. Renovations in the early 1980s gave the building its more recognizable Art Deco appearance seen today…