The Washington National Cathedral has been a landmark of religious significance for over a century, and its surrounding structures date back to the early twentieth century. The Cathedral Close (an enclosed area surrounding the designated spot for the Cathedral) was selected in the late 1800s, an open space that seemed more suitable for religious worship than the cluttered center of the city. The space also allowed for future expansion.
First opened to the public in 1901, the Cathedral Close gardens and grounds soon filled with administrative buildings, greenhouses, and schools. The first building constructed on the site, the Renaissance Revival style Hearst Hall, was designed by Robert Gibson to “harmonize with the future cathedral.” Construction of the National Cathedral began in 1907 after the completion of numerous buildings in the Close. Despite this lapse in timing, the majority of buildings were designed in the Neo-Tudor and Neo-Gothic styles, providing the historic district with a cohesive feel. The Cathedral was finally completed in 1990 -- a full 83-years after construction began.
The Close is bounded by Woodley Road on the north, Wisconsin Avenue on the west, Massachusetts Avenue at the southwest corner, Garfield Street on the south, and 34th Street on the east.
Today, the Close is home to notable schools (such as St. Alban’s and the National Cathedral School for Girls), an expansive garden (tended by the All Hallows Guild), and various administrative buildings for National Cathedral staff.
DC Inventory: March 7, 1968
National Register: May 3, 1974
]]>The Homestead Apartments were constructed in 1939, one of many multi-unit buildings erected to house working-class and middle-class Washingtonians during the interwar period. Much of this development followed the streetcar lines radiating from downtown, seeking lower land costs to accommodate a burgeoning labor force. This building was designed by French architect Louis de LaDurantaye (1885-1956). LaDurantaye designed dozens of buildings in the District but is not well known.
Fairly conventional in its H-shape plan and four-story height, the Homestead Apartments has quirky, Gothic/Romanesque decoration in the form of corbeling, round arches, basket-weave brick panels, and peaks on the roofline. There are elements that could be interpreted as Art Deco and Moderne as well, such as a stepped parapet at the central bar and projecting brick streamlining at corners and suggested pavilions, but the streamlining is presumably intended as a modern take on quoins, which picks up the classicism of the most notable exterior element of the building, the Renaissance-style hemi-octagonal entrance bay.
The most interesting functional element is the basement-level garage reached via openings off a rear alley, and the at-grade garage supports an exterior patio on its roof. The building’s landscape is notable for the intimate courtyard enclosed by the low stone walls punctuated by piers, the taller of which support a wrought-iron arch. These are echoed by stone piers and gates controlling admittance to the side yards. Stone steps stand at the entrance and at the sidewalk, and one of DC’s typical rustic granite retaining wall supports the central portion of the front yard as the land slopes away to the west.
DC Inventory: November 16, 2017
National Register: February 14, 2018
]]>The Denrike Building was completed in 1926 and designed by local architect Appleton P. Clark, Jr. Although part of a collection of office buildings in the Financial Historic District, the building’s exterior stands out for its Tudor Gothic Revival style design. The eleven-story building, just north of McPherson Square, replaced an 1884 Victorian Era house that belonged, at one point, to the former House Speaker Joseph Cannon. Prior to the 1920s, McPherson Square was filled with multiple residences, but these were mostly demolished with the development of the financial district and the increase in office spaces.
The Denrike Building, like many 20th century era office buildings, has a three-part design, including a base, middle, and top. The base of the building was converted into commercial storefronts, but the original limestone wall is still intact above the storefronts. The building’s middle is characterized by Tudor Gothic detailing, including vertical window bays separated by pilasters with Tudor arches and spandrels. The spandrels are also decorated with raised Tudor roses. The upper stories of the building are also decorated with intricate Tudor inspired stone carvings. The imposts and drip molds on the building are decorated with beast-like, human heads. Rectangular windows can be found on floors three through ten, but the upper floors' windows have arched openings with lintels carved with more roses.
The building was primarily used as office space, but is currently being converted into medium term rental units. The new plans include 89 multifamily units, with a large retail space on the ground floor. This rehabilitation is in response to the recent vacancies of office spaces following the Covid-19 pandemic. This project will retain the historic Gothic Revival style exterior while continuing to provide for the changing needs of the public.
DC Inventory: June 23, 2016
National Register: June 30, 2016
Within Financial Historic District
]]>Built in 1844, the Church of the Epiphany is an unpretentious Gothic Revival style structure designed by John W. Harkness. Following the founding of the parish in 1842, the congregation consecrated their new building in 1852, and significant construction added buttresses, a gabled roof, a vestibule, and a baptistery in the decades that followed.
Many notable historic figures were congregants of the church, including President Buchanan, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, and Supreme Court Chief Justice Morison Waite. Its location downtown made it a popular church for government and military officials, and would even be utilized as an interim hospital in 1862 during the Civil War. The Episcopal church still hosts an active congregation.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
National Register: September 10, 1971
]]>One of DC's oldest African American suburbs, Deanwood was established when white landowner Levi Sheriff divided farmland among his three daughters, Margaret Lowrie, Emmeline Sheriff and Mary Cornelia Dean. These three subdivisions—Whittingham, Lincoln Heights, and Burrville—came to be known as Deanwood. In 1906, the First Baptist Church of Deanwood was incorporated, beginning a long, community-centered legacy that continues today.
While the church had existed since 1906, the church was not built until 1929 and opened to congregants nine years later. As the largest African American Protestant congregation in Deanwood, the church underwent several renovations and expansions to accomodate its parishoners. The original church, designed by Roscoe I. Vaughn, was built with the financial support of its congregants, and constructed by volunteers who worked in construction work and also attended the church.
When completed, the church hosted its large community for services, Sunday School, Bible study, and recreational activities that maintained strong community bonds. The church exemplifies the wider strength of the Deanwood area.
DC Inventory: February 28, 2008
National Register: July 24, 2008
]]>Named for Patrick Francis Healy, then the President of Georgetown University, Healy Hall began construction in November 1877 and was largely finished by 1879. Reverend Healy consulted with a number of prominent architects, but decided to select the firm of J.L Smithmeyer and Paul Pelz.
The building, constructed of load-bearing brick and grey Potomac gneiss, is located on a 90-acre site belonging to the University. The most striking part of the building is the large central spire, which rises 200 feet above grade. The building was articulated in the Northern European Romanesque style, containing arches and towers typical of this stylistic revival.
Healy Hall is one of the last large-scale High Victorian Gothic buildings in America. This style enjoyed a good deal of success in America, especially as it was applied to churches and institutional structures. Healy Hall was built along the influence of prominent Gothic Revival architects such as Richard Morris Hunt, the first American to study architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Healy Hall stands as a monument to a rich, decorative episode in American architecture.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
National Register: May 27, 1971
National Historic Landmark: December 23, 1987
Within Georgetown Historic District
This site is included in the Capital City Slavery Tour for the enslavement and sale of over 270 individuals by Georgetown University. For further information on slavery in the District, view DC Preservation League's Capital City Slavery Digital Exhibit.
This site is also included in the Haunted History of DC Tour. The legends of the Healy Building all surround its mysterious closed-off upper floors. Many Georgetown students believe the fifth-floor was sealed after an exorcism took place there. It has been a hotspot for ghost sightings, and the university encourages this spooky reputation by turning the second floor into a “haunted house” every year for Halloween.
]]>Asbury United Methodist Church reflects important themes in the city’s social history including abolition, emancipation, reconstruction, and the civil rights movement. It is the city’s oldest African American church to remain on its original site. Early historical records show the congregation’s efforts to strive for independence from white-controlled church leadership. Asbury was established in 1836 as the Asbury Aid Society by black parishioners from Foundry Methodist Church (an integrated congregation established in 1814) and gained official recognition in 1845. Finally, in 1869, Asbury was dedicated as an independent pastorate, named for Methodist evangelist Bishop Francis Asbury (originally Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church).
The church was active in providing educational and missionary assistance after the Civil War. Notable pastors have included J.E.W. Bowen, Matthew W. Clair (promoter of Asbury as the “National Church of Negro Methodism”). Notable congregants have included Mary Church Terrell, Mary McLeod Bethune, among others. Additionally, the city’s first desegregated apartments were established by the church in 1947.
The church was built between 1915 and 1916 and designed by Clarence L. Harding. It is built in the Gothic Revival style and made of granite and limestone with a prominent corner tower, buttresses, and stained glass windows.
DC Inventory: March 21, 1984
National Register: November 1, 1986
]]>Organized in 1845 in the basement of St. Matthew's Church, St. Mary's parish was formed to serve the influx of German Catholic immigrants settling in Washington at the time. Initially located at 15th and H Streets NW, the German Catholic community wanted to erect their own building where they could hear mass in their own language. Through the generosity of General John Van Ness, that desire was fulfilled through his donation of the site on 5th Street between G and H Streets, NW to the immigrants in 1846.
The first church was constructed according to the dictates of Van Ness's deed, which required the parish to build, within one year, a brick or stone church in which divine services must be held regularly or possession of the site and building would revert to the heirs of the original owners. The present church structure, the second on the site, was built in 1891. In designing the church, the architect E. F. Baldwin was influenced by the German Gothic style of architecture. The building material is a rough ashlar blue stone and granite. The central tower and spire especially reflect the vertical lineage typical of Gothic architecture.
DC Inventory: July 24, 1968 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
Within Downtown Historic District
]]>When it was constructed, the Park View Christian Church made church services more accessible to residents of the then-rural parts of D.C., enhancing the sense of community in the newly-developing Park View neighborhood. While a smaller chapel had existed on the property since 1877, the building we know today was built in 1905, and then expanded in 1920 when a wing was added to its south elevation. Designed by Orie L. Beardsley in a Gothic Revival style, the church's legacy has cemented it as an important meeting space for all of the congregations it has hosted over the years. The first organization to call the church home operated out of the building until 1945. With the continued development of the neighborhood, builders had to expand the structure in order to host the growing congregation. Despite the expansions, the church building eventually became too small for the Christian Church congregation, resulting in them selling the church to another organization. During this time, the building also served as the meeting place for the Park View Citizens' Association, which, for decades, was a major source of local D.C. representation. Formed in the late 19th century, the organization was one of the most influential citizens' associations in the city. Community members presented issues and concerns in the community and city to local officials, members of Congress, and other organizations. The organization that purchased the church in 1945, the Trinity A.M.E. Zion Church, already held importance as one of the oldest African American Methodist congregations. Upon moving into the building, the church continued to bring its congregants together through community programming and religious services. However, in 1965, the church also took on a new role as one of the pilot organizations to participate in Head Start, one of President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society programs. A summer school program meant for low-income pre-kindergarten and elementary school students, the Head Start program focused on multiple aspects of a student's life to help better prepare them for their futures - topics included mental and physical well-being, relationship building, resource accessibility, and school tutoring. In addition to the main program, every attending child also received physical check-ups and a hot meal every day. Parents also had the option to drop children off at the daycare center and nursery that were also included in the church. With its expansive coverage for childcare and education, the Trinity A.M.E. Zion Church's success helped numerous families that participated in the program. Even First Lady Lady Bird Johnson visited the church on May 5, 1965 after hearing about its success. Similarly to the Christian Church congregation, however, the Trinity A.M.E. Zion Church eventually found that the building became too small to house their expanding congregation. In 1983, the organization sold the building to the Greater Mount Calvary Holy Church, who operated out of the building until 1995. Afterward, the New Commandment Baptist Church took over the building until 2013. Since then, the building has been unoccupied. Through various owners, the church brought together multiple communities, supported numerous congregants, and served as a pilot organization for Head Start.
DC Inventory: June 26, 2014
National Register: December 29, 2014
]]>Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church was established in 1876, when American-born members of Trinity German Lutheran Church founded their own English-speaking congregation and shifted affiliation to the Ohio Synod. It became an important mission church, helping to establish at least three more congregations in the next half-century. In 1924, the Ohio Synod endorsed the idea of a new home for Grace Church to serve as its representative church in the national capital and a potential force on moral issues. To that end, other congregations contributed to the construction, which began in 1926 and finished two years later.
The rock-faced limestone building was designed by Rochester native J.W.C. Corbusier, a Beaux Arts-trained church architect. It is dominated by a massive central tower and exhibits many characteristic neo-Gothic details, including lancet windows, quatrefoils, crenelation, pinnacles, and a timber-framed roof.
DC Inventory: May 23, 2013
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