740 Fifteenth Street is prominently located on the corner of Fifteenth and H Streets NW, within steps of the White
House and in the heart of D.C.’s historical Financial District. The building offers easy access to the McPherson Square
and Metro Center Metro stations, as well as some of the region’s finest restaurants and hotels.
Theodore Roosevelt was sitting one block away in the White
House in 1907, when 740 Fifteenth Street delivered. The
Neo-Classical Revival style building was designed by Wood, Donn
and Deming, the District’s most prominent architectural practice
of the time, and was constructed to accommodate a bank on the
street level and eight floors of office space. Composed of concrete
and Carnegie Steel, 740 Fifteenth’s exterior walls are clad with
granite from Mt. Airy, North Carolina and its Corinthian
columned facade symbolizes the strength of D.C.’s Financial
District during the time of its construction.
The Union Trust and Storage Company was the first
to occupy the building in December 1907 and also financed the
construction of this monumental asset. Formed in 1899, Union
Trust served as a depository for material and fiduciary resources held
by the District’s leading companies and wealthy individuals. Over
the years, Union Trust consolidated into First American Bank, and
the building remained its flagship headquarters until 1994, when
the American Bar Association acquired the Class A building for its
headquarters.
740 Fifteenth has anchored the corner of Fifteenth and
H Street Northwest through economic expansions and recessions,
20 Presidents, four owners and several expansions that have elevated
its distinguished presence. With interior renovations that have
enhanced 740 Fifteenth’s historic qualities and timeless appeal, the
building continues to stand as an iconic piece of America’s history.