Not to be confused with the United Nations organization, which was created after the war ended in 1945, the Service Center was in operation in 1943 and possibly earlier. During the war, the term United Nations became the official name for the Allies who joined together to oppose the Axis.
More than 100 photographs taken in December 1943 by Esther Bubley for the Office of War Information (OWI) document the Service Center’s existence, but additional details are few. Conveniently located near Union Station, the address was 500 North Capitol St. N.W. There’s some indication the Service Center was housed in a hotel, as that was the location of The Commodore from 1927 until 1982, when it became the Phoenix Park Hotel, still in use.
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| Officers' lounge at the United Nations Service Center |
Directed and staffed by volunteers, the center contained a reception desk, lounge, shower and dressing rooms, laundry, bedrooms, telephones, library, and a canteen. Even a nursery was available to provide day care for children of service men. Families would sometimes stay at the Service Center and enjoy a few days of sight-seeing while the service member was on leave.
Of course, this was not the only place in Washington that catered to members of the military. The previously mentioned Service Men’s Map, published by the War Hospitality Committee in May 1944, provided “full information on service clubs, entertainment, and sightseeing.” The brochure listed a dozen lodging places for service men open every night, as well as ten locations, mostly churches, that were available only certain nights of the week. Several offered rooms free, and some included a free breakfast as well.
The helpful map-brochure (printed through the courtesy of the Pepsi-Cola Company) also noted that a soldier could record his or her own voice free at the Pepsi-Cola Service Club to send back home, and could get film developed free at National Catholic Community Service.
The hospitality organizations in Washington are an example of the thousands of service and transit centers that served as vital waystations for military personnel traveling through busy cities across the country. Many were established by the USO (United Service Organizations) and offered social and recreational activities. Most closed by late 1946–early 1947 as military demobilization was completed. But during the war, they combined volunteer, civic, business, and governmental efforts to boost morale and offer comfort to millions of American troops.
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| Servicemen with several hours between trains could catch some sleep in the lounge at the United Nations Service Center |
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| Military members in transit could shower, shave and do laundry without having to engage a hotel room |
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| WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), just off a train, freshened up in the UN Service Center powder room |
The helpful map-brochure (printed through the courtesy of the Pepsi-Cola Company) also noted that a soldier could record his or her own voice free at the Pepsi-Cola Service Club to send back home, and could get film developed free at National Catholic Community Service.
The hospitality organizations in Washington are an example of the thousands of service and transit centers that served as vital waystations for military personnel traveling through busy cities across the country. Many were established by the USO (United Service Organizations) and offered social and recreational activities. Most closed by late 1946–early 1947 as military demobilization was completed. But during the war, they combined volunteer, civic, business, and governmental efforts to boost morale and offer comfort to millions of American troops.
SOURCES:
Service Men’s Map of Washington, War Hospitality Committee, Civilian War Services, Washington, D.C.
United States Office Of War Information, Esther Bubley, photographer
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