From http://www.montgomerypreservation.org/Endangered02.html:
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These buildings were part of the emergence of modern day Silver Spring in 1927. The National Dry Cleaning Institute served for about 40 years as a national school, research lab, and model dry cleaning/dyeing arts plant and commercial enterprise. It drew in students from around the country and set national safety and quality standards for the dry cleaning and dyeing arts and industry. Heaton designed the buildings to these standards and purposes. C. C. Hubbard, co-Founder and first Education Director, lived in nearby Woodside Park in Silver Spring.