The Wardman Flats are the first large-scale development project of DC's most notable developer, Harry Wardman (1872-1938). Throughout the 1890s, Wardman transitioned from carpenter to builder, largely building residential rowhouses for other developers. He also built "sanitary housing," consisting of two-story duplexes, for the Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC). By 1899, Wardman made his foray into the developer field by building two frame houses on speculation in Brightwood. Over the next few years, Wardman would operate as developer on several other small projects, while continuing his association as builder with other developers.

In 1902, Wardman undertook his first major development project, the Wardman Flats, consisting of several groups of twenty-seven rowhomes. Built by Wardman and designed by Nicholas R. Grimm, the buildings were all designed as two-unit flats for two families, with one on each floor. Unlike the earlier sanitary houses that Wardman built for WSIC that had two separate entrances, these flats were creatively designed with only one entrance, giving the flats the outward appearance of being single-family dwellings. By building Wardman Flats, Wardman established, for the first time, a system of construction with an economy of scale and vertical integration that came to be known as "the Wardman method" and defined Wardman's success as a developer. Wardman Flats catapulted Wardman into the development world and contributed importantly to a city-wide boom in the construction of flats. By 1905 Wardman became a developer exclusively. He developed and built so extensively over the next several decades that at his death in 1938, it was estimated that ten percent of the District’s population lived in a building constructed by him.

The Wardman Flats were built at a time of growth in the federal government and a need to house the growing numbers of government workers. This growth included both white and blue-collar workers, who could not afford to buy single-family dwellings. Nonetheless, they aspired to housing that met modern standards of comfort and sanitation, and some social standing. Recognizing the limitations in the rental housing market—apartment buildings were not always family friendly, boarding houses were transient in nature, and "sanitary housing" was intended for the city's poorest residents—Wardman offered an important rental housing option by building rowhouse flats, and in the case of Wardman Flats, almost an entire block of them. Once completed, Wardman marketed his flats to investors who then rented them out. Overall, the residents of the Wardman Flats met the profile of the new wave of federal government workers; they were native-born whites who held white and blue-collar jobs.

DC Inventory: September 28, 2017

National Register: October 10, 2019

For more view the original article

The apartment building at 2225 N Street was designed by Eugene Waggaman in an Early 20th Century Vernacular style, with brick masonry walls and a terra-cotta tile roof. This four-story, 32-unit building was constructed by developer Harry Wardman in 1925 and renovated in 1994.

The massing of 2225 N Street reflects Waggaman's predilection toward providing light and air circulation to residents. The original U-shape of the building maximized the amount of light and air. It also provided residents with a view of Rock Creek Park, thanks to the rear court's orientation towards the park's green space. An addition has since filled this court, but the original building's design is still visible.

DC Inventory: May 16, 1990

National Register: September 9, 1994

Within Dupont Circle Historic District

For more (including 2 images) view the original article

Built in 1928, the Wardman Park Annex peers onto the road below from its hilltop site at the intersection of Woodley Road and Connecticut Avenue NW.

Its height—140 feet above street level—has made it a landmark along Connecticut Avenue since its erection and provides its residents with spectacular views across Rock Creek Park. The structure is composed of four eight-story wings radiating, spoke-like, from a central octagonal tower. The arrangement provides all rooms with exterior views and gives the building its distinctive cruciform shape.

The Annex was designed by Mihran Mesrobian, an architect in the firm of builder Harry Wardman. Mesrobian designed many significant buildings in Washington, including the Hay-Adams Hotel, Carlton Hotel, and Sedgwick Gardens — the latter of which also includes a rare interior designation. Mesrobian used English Colonial Revival details in contrasting white wood and stone to ornament the eight nearly identical facades of his red brick building. The choice of style, colors, materials, and the radiating wing design were part of a conscious effort to blend the new building into the main red brick hotel building that had been erected by Wardman between 1917 and 1918 immediately to the west.

Initially added to the National Register in 1984, recent amendments in 2019 have expanded the boundaries of the landmarked site to include the interior lobby and the entrance piers that first welcomed guests to the hotel in the early 20th century.

DC Inventory: January 5, 1979

DC Inventory (Amendment, including interior designation of lobby): November 15, 2018

National Register: January 31, 1984

National Register (Boundary Increase): May 15, 2019

National Register (Additional Documentation): May 17, 2019

For more (including 5 images) view the original article

Built between 1911 and 1912 on R Street NW between 14th and 15th streets, Wardman Row was constructed with the needs of potential middle-class residents in mind. Wardman Row is composed of seven four-story buildings: the Walton, Arden, Ripley, Dudley, Morton, Ashton, and Newlon. With the continued population growth of D.C., Wardman Row housed renters that needed to access downtown for work while also keeping to a modest budget. While not built in a luxurious style, the seven buildings were built with a solid construction and details that the developer Harry Wardman was known for.

As one of the most prolific builders during the early twentieth century, Harry Wardman developed a signature style and level of sophistication within all of his projects. While Wardman Row was built for middle-class residents, the attention to detail and design still gave the buildings a refined look that appealed to many. With the design elements, affordability, and access to downtown, these apartment buildings and many others provided favorable housing for many Washingtonians.

DC Inventory: December 21, 1983

National Register: July 27, 1984

Within Greater Fourteenth Street Historic District

This site is a stop on the D.C. Apartment Buildings tour as an example of a Stacked Flats apartment building.

For more (including 4 images) view the original article

Strivers' Section is a predominantly residential area with longstanding associations with leading individuals and institutions in Washington's African American community. It is characterized by late 19th and early-20th century row houses, generally of relatively simple, rhythmically repeating speculative designs. The district also includes small apartment houses and early-20th century neighborhood commercial structures, in addition to occasional individually-designed row houses. The architectural styles represented include Italianate, Second Empire, Richardsonian Romanesque, and Queen Anne. The historic district includes approximately 450 contributing buildings, dating from about 1875 to 1925.

This historic district represents an historically important and architecturally rich period in the development of the nation's capital, as it was the center of the city's early Black middle class. Social, political, and religious leaders made their homes in the area, and what is now the Strivers' Section Historic District developed strong associations with the history of DC's Black population.

The buildings within the historic district were designed by many of the city's important architects. Developers of residential properties made names for themselves with their rows of houses in this area, such as noted developer Harry Wardman, who built a number of his early apartment buildings within the boundaries of this district.

DC Inventory: June 30, 1983 (effective January 4, 1985)

National Register: February 6, 1985

For more (including 6 images) view the original article

The Northumberland, designed by Albert H. Beers and built between 1909 and 1910 by Harry Wardman, presents an eclectic classical facade that blends harmoniously with the buildings that surround it along New Hampshire Avenue. The building remains an unaltered element in a neighborhood whose architectural identity was created by Victorian row houses, large apartment buildings, churches, and institutional buildings. 

The Northumberland embodies the distinctive characteristics of an early-20th-century luxury apartment building. It is a rare example of such a building that has retained its integrity of location, design, materials, and workmanship. Both its exterior and interior, which is notable for its rich variety of decorative detailing, sumptuous materials, and skilled craftsmanship, remain essentially unaltered from their original construction. The Northumberland is an early work of Harry Wardman.

In 1920, the building became a cooperative apartment building. As the oldest, continuously self-managed cooperative, it was a pioneer in a field of housing new to the District of Columbia in the early years of this century.

DC Inventory: November 21, 1978

National Register: March 25, 1980

For more (including 5 images) view the original article

Bernard Danzansky, a former tailor and ice cream and stationery seller, established the first Jewish funeral parlor in DC in 1912, meeting the needs of a growing population of Jewish residents of the city. In 1923, Danzansky moved the business to this location, following the migration of Jewish residents to the area. The Danzansky Funeral Home operated on Fourteenth Street for more than fifty years, as Danzansky became a central figure in DC’s Jewish community. The establishment occupied a four-story corner rowhouse and its neighbor, which are part of a trio of brick rowhouses built in 1910 by prominent developer Harry Wardman (1872-1938), following designs by architect Albert H. Beers (1868-1911). In 1938, Danzansky customized his buildings by replacing the front porches with a Tudor Revival addition that expressed the business use and introduced a large corner entrance.

DC Inventory: April 26, 2007

For more (including 4 images) view the original article

The Clifton Terrace Apartment Complex, originally known as Wardman Courts, was constructed between 1914 and 1915, during an era of explosive residential growth in DC. The complex was erected on the site of Belmont House, a Queen Anne style mansion of Amzi L. Barber and designed by architect Theophilus P. Chandler. The house was a neighborhood landmark, but it was razed in 1914 for the construction of Clifton Terrace. The expansion followed into interwar period development of the federal government and the increasing popularity of DC’s street railway system, particularly along Fourteenth Street NW. All three buildings are designed in the Colonial Revival style and are excellent examples of the development corroboration between Harry Wardman (1872-1938) and his architects, Frank Russell White (1889-1961), and Albert Moreland Schneider (1884-1924). The design for Clifton Terrace is a fine illustration of Wardman and his architects’ apartment building designs. The Clifton Terrace Apartment complex is typical of the large numbers of conventional, middle-class apartments that were constructed in great numbers throughout DC in the 1910s and 1920s. During these decades, middle-class interest in apartment living surged as individuals and families competed for moderately priced rental apartments. Clifton Terrace remained a middle-to-upper-middle-class apartment complex until 1962, when it fell into disrepair. DC Inventory: September 26, 2001National Register: December 26, 2001

For more (including 6 images) view the original article