Since 1928, this Queen Anne-style rowhouse, built in 1884 by Rear Admiral John H. Upshur, has been the national headquarters of the United States Daughters of 1812. The National Society United States Daughters of 1812 is a volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to patriotism, education, and preservation of documents and relics from the period between 1784 and 1815. It was organized on January 8, 1892, on the 77th anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans, by founder Flora Adams Darling, an author, Civil War widow, and daughter of John Adams. In 1901, the society became one of the first women’s organizations to receive a national charter by an Act of Congress. By 1915, at the end of the administration of organizing president Mrs. William Gerry Slade, 35 state societies had been organized with an enrollment of 3, 758 members.
This three-story red brick house with sandstone trim, bowed bay, and a sunburst-pattern railing was designed by architect Frederick Withers. The flagpole in front is a top gallant mast from the USS Constitution, given to the Society in 1933 following reconditioning of the famed Old Ironsides. In 1992, the Society purchased the adjacent Romanesque Revival house at 1463 Rhode Island Avenue for use as a museum and library.
DC Inventory: January 26, 1995National Register: December 12, 1997
]]>The congregation of the National City Christian Church organized in 1843. A physician and pioneering Stone-Campbell Movement missionary, James Turner Barclay (1807-1874) helped to organize the congregation. Designed in 1930 by architect John Russell Pope (1874-1937), the National City Christian Church mirrors classic forms adapted from English Georgian churches. However, the Church itself represents the neoclassical style and features a well-proportioned tower. Two additions to the church have been added, one in 1952 and the other in 1985. Stained glass windows in the church commemorate two presidents associated with the denomination, James Garfield and Lyndon Johnson. DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
]]>Designed by R.G. Russel in the High Victorian Gothic style, this large red brick building stands as the only nonresidential building in the Logan Circle Historic District, and is the only structure listed as a designated landmark in its own right.
After extensive planning, the building was constructed between 1882 and 1884 as the Vermont Avenue Christian Church. President James A. Garfield stood as a member of the congregation and served on the building committee--after his assasination in 1881, the site was dedicated in his honor. Two years after his death, his widow, Lucretia R. Garfield, donated the rose window that stretches over the entryway and choir loft.
Various congregations passed through and used the church, with the current group (Mount Olivet) acquiring the property in 1953. The members of Mount Olivet Lutheran Church played a major role in the Civil Rights Movement, hosting Martin Luther King Jr., distributing food and supplies after the 1960s Riots, and participating in the Solidarity Day Parade.
Today, the Mount Olivet Lutheran Church continues to operate as a place of spiritual engagement and community support.
DC Inventory: July 24, 1968 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
Within the Logan Circle Historic District and the Greater Fourteenth Street Historic District.
]]>Formally known as Memorial Evangelical Lutheran Church, Luther Place Memorial Church was founded in 1873 as a memorial to peace and reconciliation following the Civil War; two of the original pews were even dedicated to Generals Grant and Lee. The first pastor of Luther Place, Reverend John Butler, was an abolitionist who advocated for Black pastors in the Lutheran Church. In 1886, Daniel Wiseman became ordained at Luther Place and founded DC’s first Black congregation, Our Redeemer, that same year. Architect Judson York created the original design for the current Luther Place Church, but after his plans were deemed too expensive, architects John C. Harkness and Henry S. Davis took over. The Church features a triangular form, robust massing with a large octagonal tower facing the circle, smaller side towers, and buttressed façades of quarry-faced red sandstone. Inside is a fan-shaped auditorium with wooden ceiling arches, cast iron columns, Gothic tracery, and stained glass. The statue of Martin Luther on our grounds was dedicated in 1884 on the 400th anniversary of Martin Luther’s birth.
The statue outside the church is a replica of one erected in Worms, Germany, where his teachings were first outlawed in the 16th century. Luther's 95 Theses opposed the Catholic church and was the foundational document for Protestantism in 16th century Europe. After a fire in 1904, the Church underwent repairs and subsequent interior alterations. The construction of a parish house followed in 1951, using the designs of architect Luther M. Leisenring. DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)National Register: July 16, 1973
]]>This equestrian statue honors John A. Logan, a politician and veteran of the Mexican–American War and Civil War. The monument is located in the center of Logan Circle, a small public park and traffic circle at the intersection of 13th Street, P Street, Rhode Island Avenue and Vermont Avenue, N.W. Originally a member of the Democratic Party, John Logan was elected to the Illinois State Senate and later the U.S. House of Representatives. On April 2, 1862, he resigned from Congress and entered the U.S. Army as a Colonel. Despite entering the army from civilian life, Logan was regarded as a competent officer and outstanding field commander. After the war, Logan returned to Washington and resumed his career in politics. He was reelected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican and later to the U.S. Senate. Shortly after Logan's death in 1886, the Society of the Army of the Tennessee (SAT) began working on plans to erect a monument in his honor. Congress agreed to help provide funding for the project, and approved plans for the monument on March 2, 1889. Franklin Simmons, an American artist working in Rome, was chosen to be the sculptor. The monument was installed in what was then known as Iowa Circle and formally dedicated on April 9, 1901. General Logan is depicted as a man of dignity and determination. He sits erect on his horse with his sword drawn. Allegorical figures on the north and south ends represent War and Peace, and the statue’s long sides contain bas-reliefs of important scenes from the general’s life. The panel on the west shows Logan presiding over a council of war. The eastern panel depicts the General receiving the senatorial oath of office. Except for the sub-base of pink granite, this elaborate memorial is made entirely of bronze.
Part of Civil War Monuments
DC Inventory: March 3, 1979
National Register: September 20, 1978
Within Logan Circle Historic District and Fourteenth Street Historic District
]]>The Logan Circle Historic District appears much the same today as it did when it first developed during the last years of the 19th century. Although a large number of these impressive single-family townhouses have now been converted into apartments and rooming houses, very few exterior changes have been made. In contrast to other late 19th century neighborhoods, where demolition, rebuilding, and "rehabilitation" have stripped away much of the period character, half a century of neglect in Logan Circle has left the area deteriorated, but remarkably intact. Demolition has been confined to three structures, and in most cases even such small but important atmospheric details as iron fences and handrails remain in their original form.
The Logan Circle Historic District is an example of a prosperous, late‑19th century residential neighborhood constructed around one of the L'Enfant circles and is a remarkably coherent example of architectural expression from the gaslight era. Many of the buildings in this district date from about 1875 to 1900 and are large, individually designed brick and stone houses that create a continuous street facade of Late Victorian and Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. Approximately 135 contributing buildings make up the district.
DC Listing (preliminary identification): November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
DC Inventory: March 28, 1972
National Register: June 30, 1972
]]>Built between 1900 and 1901, these twin buildings were the first of their kind and are responsible for a major shift in how apartment buildings in the city were constructed. D.C. native George S. Cooper, who designed the two buildings in a Renaissance Revival style, decided to use duplicate designs during construction rather than create two unique buildings — which was a new approach in Washington. This innovation was a more efficient and economical way to spend money on the construction of middle class apartment buildings.
At the turn of the century, the Gladstone and Hawarden were among the first wave of buildings constructed with a conventional mid-rise design meant to house the growing middle-class population. While residents still hesitated towards aparment living as socially acceptable, these apartments provided a more economical option for those who needed housing but could not obtain single-family homes. While it took some years before D.C. residents fully accepted apartment living as socially acceptable, these buildings were responsible for allowing more people access to the city and convenience while working nearby.
DC Inventory: January 17, 1990
National Register: September 7, 1994
Within Fourteenth Street Historic District
This site is included on the D.C. Apartment Buildings tour as an example of a Conventional Mid-Rise apartment building.
]]>With the decision to leave their existing church, John Brent and John Ingram began the long legacy of the John Wesley AME Zion Church. After two years of worship in private homes, the small congregation purchased their first building in 1849; by 1914, however, the church’s population had grown to necessitate their move to its current location on 14th Street NW. The church, designed in the Romanesque Revival style, would house a congregation with steady growth and dedicated involvement in its activities. Throughout its history, the church has hosted and created multiple organizations, clubs, and committees to offer support to its congregants. Because of its prominence, both in the building’s structure and in its popularity, John Wesley became the “national church of Zion Methodism,” cementing its place as a centerpiece to the denomination. The church hosted multiple national conventions for the AME Zion Church. In order to maintain the church’s status, the building has undergone different rounds of renovations. The first major renovations occurred in 1978, but the building suffered damage from a fire that broke out the next year. The congregation was forced to gather elsewhere while repairs were made. The most recent renovations occurred in 2010, which were completed in one year.
DC Inventory: July 24, 1968 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
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