The O Street Market exemplifies the large, functional, well-designed market buildings erected in DC under the massive public works campaign headed by Alexander “Boss” Shepherd. After the Civil War, DC sought to revamp its small-town image. To do so, it laid sewer and water lines, graded and paved streets, planted trees, and removed unsightly nuisances, like the city’s older public markets. Those older markets were replaced by well-designed brick markets such as the O Street Market, built in 1881. When it opened, the market was a popular destination for shopping and served a diverse community. At the time, the Shaw neighborhood was home to residents of many different races and socioeconomic classes, including Germans and other ethnic whites, as well as the Black community. Many residents earned a living working for the government, performing skilled and unskilled labor, and through commerce. The riots of 1968 left the structure of the market unharmed, but the economic depression that hit the area afterwards resulted in its closure. In 1974, the Market was part of a two-block redevelopment project, the first of major commercial development plans for the Shaw Urban Renewal Area. The market was partially restored and rehabilitated by the Redevelopment Land Agency under the auspices of DC’s Department of Housing and Community Development. In 1977, the O Street Market, along with the entire block bounded by Seventh, Nineth, O, and P Streets was sold to the entrepreneur James C. Adkins for the commercial development of the land and further rehabilitation of the market. The O Street Market formally reopened on February 23, 1980. In 2003, another renovation was planned when a severe snowstorm caused the roof to collapse. The building’s structure was mostly destroyed, except for parts of its facade. The market has since been restored and is once again being used for business. DC Inventory: July 24, 1968 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)

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In the final years of the 19th century, the construction of the Lafayette in 1898 marked a shift in Washingtonians' housing needs. While it only held twelve units, comparatively small to future apartment buildings, the Lafayette's conventional low-rise structure was new to the city, and not greatly accepted amongst residents. Meant for middle-class residents living in the city, the Queen Anne architecture blended style and purpose into the building, hoping to attract more potential residents toward apartment living. As part of the earliest waves of apartment building construction, the Lafayette had the large task of moving Washingtonians toward apartment living over single-family homes, which was not an easy or quick transition for many.

Designed by George S. Cooper, a native Washingtonian himself, the building stands as a testament to the future of housing within the city and the growth that D.C. would undergo throughout the twentieth century. Cooper would also incorporate similar design elements to other buildings he worked on, and was the first architect in D.C. to duplicate designs for apartment buildings at the Gladstone and the Hawarden. While the Lafayette has a unique design, its construction and endurance in the city shaped the future acceptance of apartment living.

At a time of Jim Crow ideology and enforced segregation, Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950) pioneered the documentation of African American life and the recognition of African American contributions to US history. Born to enslaved parents, Woodson was self-educated until he began formal schooling at the age of twenty. He received degrees from Berea College and the University of Chicago, and after several years of teaching, travel, and studies abroad, he settled in Washington, DC. In 1912, Woodson became the second African American (after W.E.B. DuBois) to receive a doctorate from Harvard University. In 1915, he founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, and a year later, the Journal of Negro History, with offices from his home. The journal continues to publish today as the Journal of African American History. Before retiring from teaching in 1922, Woodson taught at M Street and Armstrong High Schools and at Howard University, where he served as Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Head of the Graduate Faculty. In 1926, Woodson was instrumental in creating Negro History Week, which is now observed as Black History Month. In 1937, he founded the Negro History Bulletin, to reach a broader audience than the academic journal. At the time of his death, he was working on a six-volume Encyclopedia Africana. Over a lifetime of scholarship, Woodson significantly contributed to Black studies, and the historic site designation of his home confirms his place within history. DC Inventory: March 3, 1979

National Register: May 11, 1976

National Historic Landmark: May 11, 1976

National Historic Landmark (Updated Documentation): December 11, 2023

National Historic Site: February 27, 2006

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