The mirror pointing up is to see the roof of the box so when you go under an overpass you can see if you're going to scrape it. Back in those days bridges and tunnels were not always marked, and if they were when the road was paved the clearance was not always changed. New parts were hard to get in 1943.

My sister worked here for awhile. I worked around the corner for awhile. Fascinated by the IBM building shot. Always wondered what it used to be.

@perpster - You are correct. Not precisely a yard, but a set of multiple tracks with sidings leading up to the yards near New York and Florida Avenues, a bit west of the warehouse.

The Hecht Company Warehouse is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

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for local traffic reporters ("New York Avenue backed up to the Hecht Warehouse", Lisa was heard to say).

is a '36 GMC.

Yes that is a scale I drove across a lot of them over the years. That is a Mack MB tractor from around the mid 30's it has the two piece windshield.

Those look like boxcars off on the right. Railyard?

Dang that is a beat to heck truck getting weighed. It is missing grille bars and those fenders look like they have been pounded out more than once. But what is most amazing is I only see two mirrors. The passenger side one appears to be for him to see the top of his trailer. It is impossible that it sees anyone driving along its passenger side

[The mirrors appear to be a matched set, hinged and telescoping, with the one on the passenger side raised for the truck to pull up to the pumps. - tterrace]

Although the Hecht Company was taken over by Macy's, the warehouse is still there, at 1401 New York Avenue, N.E. in Washington. It isn't used by Macy's but it is on the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural merit as a art deco masterpiece.

more or less: a building where IBM manufactured almost all of its punch cards. (If you don't know what a punch card is, sigh )

Looks like the truck is also sitting on a scale.