As DC’s urban landscape grew to accommodate its growing population, so did its young population of school-aged children. While schoolhouses existed throughout the city for these children, they were majorly insufficient for the sharp increase in student populations that occurred in the late 19th century. The Smothers School helped alleviate classroom overcrowding, especially in the midst of another population spike after World War I. Originally completed in 1923, with additions completed in 1927 and 1938, the Smothers School opened its doors to African American students. The original Smothers School was started by Henry Smothers, who founded the school after attending the Billings School and wanted to continue educating African American students in DC. The original school moved locations twice before settling on Benning Road NE, after which it changed its name to the Benning Road School. Once the new Smothers School began construction and received its name in the 1920s, the older school closed its doors. The 1923 building was constructed by Albert Harris, who was the Municipal Architect of DC during this time. It was designed in the then popular Georgian Revival style. Harris also designed the first addition to the school in 1927; later, succeeding Municipal Architect Nathan Wyeth adhered to Harris’s original style in the 1938 additions. The school’s original floor plans accounted for future expansions, as architects saw the continued growth in DC’s school system. The building’s original T-shape layout was expanded vertically, with a third floor added in the decades that followed. Older school buildings in the city were often small, outdated, and insufficient for expansion, and, oftentimes, African American students were housed in informal spaces like churches or homes. While local residents and organizations privately funded schools for African American children (such as the Billings School in Georgetown, one of the first in the city), government efforts in providing education to African American students were not consolidated with white schools until 1874. From 2019 to 2022, the school underwent major renovations to improve its technological and circulation capabilities. While much of the interior and layout of the school changed, the building’s exterior was preserved and not significantly altered – other than two wings added to its northeast and western ends. The building still functions as an elementary school today.

DC Inventory: March 23, 2023

National Register: June 23, 2023

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St. Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart was one of many Roman Catholic institutions and organizations that established their presence in the Brookland area in the late-19th century and into the 20th century, when the area was still largely rural and separate from the urban core of Washington. This was due to the founding of The Catholic University of America in 1887. These numerous institutions and organizations locating near Catholic University led to the area's nickname, "Little Rome." Thus, St. Joseph's Seminary is significant in this respect.

Additionally, the seminary building, constructed in 1929-30, is a masterpiece of Georgian/Colonial Revival architecture. The building — with its copper cupola, limestone masonry entrance, and U-shaped design, which provides for a courtyard space — was designed by the architectural firm of Maginnis & Walsh, which was based in Boston and specialized in Catholic and college campus architecture. Their designs were influential in the early 20th century popularity of Collegiate Gothic architecture, which was often accompanied by imposing towers on university and college campuses. In addition to St. Joseph's Seminary, Maginnis & Walsh designed other buildings in Little Rome. In 1958, the western portion of the seminary building was expanded (giving the building its present U-shaped design), and a semicircular chapel was also added. The building sits north of Varnum Street NE in a large, park-like landscape.

The Saint Joseph's Society for Foreign Missions dates to its founding by Father Herbert Vaughan in London in 1866. By the 1870s, its missionaries had a presence across the Atlantic in Baltimore, and were proselytizing to formerly enslaved African Americans. Over time, as the Civil War and emancipation became more distant, the Josephites (as they are often referred to) became an important Catholic organization in the larger African American community. In 1893, the American mission became independent of its British counterpart, and was established as St. Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart. Father Charles Uncles played a role in the new organization, and was the United States' "first African-American priest both trained and ordained in this country." Thus, the St. Joseph's Society has a long history of racial integration. The St. Joseph's Society opened this seminary in 1930.

Other designated historic landmarks in the Little Rome area include the Franciscan Monastery & Memorial Church of the Holy Land, Holy Redeemer College, and Saint Paul's College. There is a pending landmark nomination for the former Holy Name College.

DC Inventory: May 26, 2022

National Register: September 28, 2022

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Designed by Nathan C. Wyeth, Calvin Coolidge Senior High School (Coolidge High School) constitutes a significant example of Georgian Revival architecture in the District—and remains part of the District’s early efforts to improve local education.

Coolidge High School is particularly important as one of the last revivalist architectural style structures constructed for the purpose of local schooling. In addition to the rise of modernist architecture, economic constraints in the following decades ultimately led to the local government’s movement away from stylistic detailing and elaborate designs for public schools. Built prior to these restrictions, Coolidge High School’s Georgian Revival style is distinguishable in its hipped roofs, elaborate door surrounds, a wide pavilion and portico, and the crowning cupola atop the main block.

Constructed between 1937 and 1940, Coolidge High School’s establishment was a result of school overcrowding in the developing areas of the District. Increasing population growth and the expansion of residential development in the early 20th century led to the Board of Education’s Five-Year Building Plan proposal in 1924 and its passage in 1925. Despite building interruptions due to the Great Depression and an influx of even more District residents following the expansion of federal jobs through the New Deal, numerous schools were constructed under the Five-Year Building Plan--notable examples in the city include Thomas Jefferson Junior High School and Woodrow Wilson High School.

Coolidge High School opened its doors to the Takoma Park neighborhood in 1940, for at least 750 students on their first day. The school continues to serve the surrounding area under the same name and in many of the same spaces as dedicated teachers and students did over 75 years ago.

DC Inventory: September 23, 2021

National Register: April 12, 2022

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Located in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, DC, the Morse School served many purposes after its opening in 1883 as an elementary school that exclusively served white children. Designed by an unidentified architect in the District’s Office of the Building Inspector, the Samuel F.B. Morse Elementary School was built in the Georgian Revival style, a highly typical design for eight room, late-nineteenth century school buildings. Named for the inventor of the telegraph, the school itself has no historical connection to Samuel F.B. Morse. In 1911-1912, the elementary school transitioned into a “special school” that offered only specialized classes. Upon its opening, it was the only public school building used for such courses in the District. Students sent to the “special school” were identified as “incorrigible children who present social behavior problems” but who were “not feeble-minded in the sense that they should be confined in institutions.” The school itself housed a cooking department, dress tailoring shop, and a carpenter shop. Traditional classrooms were abandoned entirely, and the school continued to serve only white students. However, in 1930, demographic changes in the surrounding neighborhood led to the Morse School’s transfer back into a traditional elementary school, but this time for Black students in the area. By 1939, the Morse School was identified as being an inadequate property for schooling—teachers had no restroom, the hallways were unheated, and there were no administrative offices for the principal. Ten years later, the school closed for student use. By the 1950s, the school housed offices for public school administrators and offered space for barbering classes, courses for veterans, and night school lessons. Problems of dilapidation and declining funds resulted in the designation of the Morse School as a “surplus school” in 1976. After sitting vacant for five years, the building was sold to the non-profit Africare in 1981. After a lengthy renovation, the façade remained mostly unaltered and the building remains representative of classic Georgian Revival style design. The F.B. Morse School’s diverse and sporadic history demonstrates the influence of larger historical themes – segregation, desegregation, the expansion of public schooling, urban demographic shifts – on the District of Columbia and remains a significant building both architecturally and historically.

DC Inventory: September 24, 2020

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Designed by Nathan C. Wyeth, Thomas Jefferson Junior High School’s exemplary Georgian Revival Style is evidenced through architectural symmetry, a cupola over the main block, and a two-story entry surround with Doric pilasters. The Junior High School itself was a product of the Five-Year School Building Program Act, passed in 1925. Congress passed this program, which directly impacted Washington, DC, in response to national problems of school overcrowding and school closures brought about by unsuitable building design and construction. The goal of the law was to generate a model of school design that would alleviate these issues—Thomas Jefferson Junior High School stands as one of these early models.

After selection of a building site in 1929, a decade went by before construction began on Thomas Jefferson Junior High School. Funds were delayed as a result of the Great Depression and legal disputes over the site’s location. The school was opened in 1940.

Thomas Jefferson Junior High School is historically significant as a representation of national and local efforts through the DC Board of Education to improve the physical condition and educational quality of American schools. As one of the last schools to be designed in the Georgian Revival style in the District, Thomas Jefferson Junior High School is architecturally significant and demonstrates exemplary design. It remains a valuable educational and community resource as the current site for Jefferson Middle School Academy.

DC Inventory: January 28, 2021

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In the 1930s, Colony Hill – near Reservoir and Foxhall roads – emerged as a distinctive suburban development built in an architectural style that echoed the Georgian and Federal styles of the early American nation. In the decade between 1931 and 1941, notable real estate firm Boss & Phelps collaborated with renowned architect Horace Peaslee, landscape architect Rose Greeley, and local architect Harvey Baxter. Early residents were primarily upper middle-class citizens, including physicians, businessmen, military officers, and government officials.

The historic district includes 50 houses, 37 of which are contributing properties. Distinctive elements of the single-family residences include cornice detailing, rhythmic fenestration, and simple massing. Colony Hill planners integrated revivalist architecture with naturalistic landscape design in a style that is still clear today—as current residents continue to preserve this vision in their neighborhood.

The Colony Hill Historic District includes the homes of Hoban Road, Hadfield Lane, and 45th Street NW. It is bounded by Glover Archbold on the east, Reservoir Road on the south, and Foxhall Road on the west.

DC Inventory: February 4, 2021

National Register: May 21, 2021

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Originally located in Colonial Beach, Virginia, the Episcopal Home for Children (EHC) got its start as a convalescent home for children between the ages of six and sixteen. Initially known as the Bell Home for Children, daily programs involved recreational activities, prayer services, and free time. From 1895 to 1907, facilities in Anacostia housed around 50 children during the school year, who spent their summers in Colonial Beach.

In 1907, the home officially changed its name to the Episcopal Home for Children. Consistent issues of obtaining appropriate funds plagued the organization until a slew of donations in the late 1920s. Plans for expansion of the organization into Northwest Washington resulted in a building project began on January 28, 1930. Designed by Appleton P. Clark Jr., the original home consists of three main buildings (two residential, one primarily educational) oriented around a central plaza (for communal gathering). The Classical Revival style design is accompanied by notable Georgian and Colonial influences. EHC represents a significant architectural example of a children’s home in this period of progressive efforts to care for neglected, underprivileged, and emotionally challenged children.

In 1957, an organizational decision was made to close the orphanage and provide educational and residential services for emotionally challenged children. In 1959, the new program launched and provided treatment for eight girls and fifteen boys. By the 1960s, the organization added a day treatment program through additional funding from the DeVore Foundation and the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation. In 1960, the name changed from Episcopal Center for Children and began to offer integrated services to all children, regardless of race.

In 2002, the EHC stopped providing residential care to instead focus on educational and child treatment services. In 2019, the center shut down the K-8 therapeutic school for emotionally challenged children, but continues to provide certain after-school programs.

This property is significant as an example of Progressive Era movements that sought to improve society through public reform efforts. In addition, the structure is valuable for its design by Appleton P. Clark Jr., a renowned architect who left a notable mark on the nation’s capital.

DC Inventory: February 25, 2021

National Register: August 5, 2025

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Construction of the Petworth Library (historically known as Petworth Branch Library) was long in the making. The first expressed desire for a library in the community came in 1927 when the Petworth Women’s Club library committee, with support from other neighborhood and school associations, called on the District commissioners to endorse a building program for library extensions in DC including a branch for Petworth. Two years later, George F. Bowerman, librarian for DC, presented a plan for thirteen new branch libraries to be erected over fifteen years. In 1930, Bowerman would expand his proposal to an even greater number, including ten “Class A” branches that included Petworth. Five years later, with little prospect for funding due to the Great Depression, Bowerman reduced the proposal to just five branches with Petworth remaining on the list.

The site for Petworth Library at the intersection of Kansas and Georgia Avenues and Upshur Street NW was already owned by DC; in 1930, the Board of Education had granted to the DC Public Library this triangular portion of a thirty-five-acre site that included MacFarland Junior High School and Roosevelt High School. The approximately $150,000 needed for construction and equipping the branch was, however, still lacking. In 1936, Congress finally authorized it for the city’s 1937 budget. The Office of Municipal Architect immediately drafted plans for the new building, securing approvals from the US Commission of Fine Arts and the District Commissioners in December 1936 and July 1937. In January 1939, twelve years after the community had petitioned for a library, the Petworth Branch Library was opened to great acclaim.

The library consists of a two-story, three-part red brick Georgian Revival-style structure with a central pavilion and side wings. As designed by Nathan C. Wyeth (1870-1963), the central pavilion featured a steep hipped roof with dormers and a wooden cupola and side wings covered by gable roofs and buttressed by wide end chimneys. The building’s overall massing, and details, including limestone quoining, classical door entablatures, twelve-over-twelve windows under jack arches and other brick detailing offer a high-quality and academic interpretation of the Georgian Revival style for which Wyeth is known.

In 2009, Petworth Library underwent a major renovation. The District Department of General Services restored the historic wood windows and constructed the building’s cupola, which, although part of the original building design, had never been built. New systems and facilities including updated elevators and bathrooms were installed, while historic finishes and furniture were restored.

DC Inventory: September 27, 2018

National Register: December 3, 2018

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The 38.6-acre Mount Vernon Seminary for Girls campus includes 16 buildings, generally brick with Georgian Revival or simple Colonial Revival detailing. Six of these date to the period between 1916 to 1942, when the complex was first developed and used as the Mount Vernon Seminary for Girls, the first non-sectarian female boarding school in Washington, DC, whose curriculum was progressive for its time. The remaining ten date from the period between 1943 and 1952, when the U.S. Naval Communications Annex (NCA) used the property for cryptographic work and continued construction in a style that complemented the existing buildings. Here, Navy crypt analysis of coded German U-boat messages helped turn the tide of the North Atlantic sea campaign during World War II.

The campus currently operates as the Nebraska Avenue Complex for the Department of Homeland Security.

DC Inventory: May 26, 2016

National Register: August 10, 2016

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Engine Company No. 31 was among the new generation of modern fire stations built with motorized apparatuses in mind. Arranged principally on one floor, the station was similar in design to Albert L. Harris's other T-shaped plan, Engine Company No. 29 in the Palisades. The one-story design suited its location in the less-densely populated suburbs, where buildings were lower in height and land was more affordable. Engine Company No. 31's architecture reflects the influence of the Commission of Fine Arts. It was designed in the Georgian Revival style popular for public buildings at that time. Engine Company No. 31 incorporated two innovations: electric "automatic" vehicle doors and a warning light to replace the siren, which warned motorists of the departing fire trucks. Considering motorized trucks could speedily reach greater distances and their sirens created a great deal of noise, most residents preferred to live within a reasonable distance from a firehouse.

On the other hand, the warning light served as an alternative to the increasing opposition to firehouse sirens for immediate neighbors. Engine Company No. 31 was the first firehouse built in DC with this technology, following a lawsuit challenging the government's right to site such facilities in any residential location. Sensitive to this issue, the government polled local Chevy Chase residents and found no strong opposition to using this location for a firehouse with this technology.

DC Inventory: January 27, 2011

National Register: May 18, 2011

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