This building's historic landmark designation recognizes Youth Pride, Inc., which was located here from 1968 to 1981. Pride, Inc. was an important organization within the Black Power Movement and was funded through the War on Poverty, which had started under President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960s. Pride adhered to the Black Power Movement's tenet of self-determination and was an important institution at a time of disinvestment, unemployment, and police brutality in the District.
As the first major American city to have a Black majority, DC was a center of the Black Power Movement. Pride, Inc. was established in 1967 by several Black Power activists, including Rufus "Catfish" Mayfield, the organization's first chairman, and future DC Mayor Marion Barry — who had first come to DC two years earlier to chair the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee's DC Chapter. Pride was initially funded in August 1967 through a $300,000 grant from Secretary of Labor W. Willard Wirtz. With these funds, "street dudes" in green denim uniforms were hired to clean alleyways, empty lots, and streets, as well as address the city's rat infestation. Due to Pride's success over this one month period, Secretary Wirtz awarded another grant — this time for $2 million — to extend Pride's programming for one-year.
In early 1968, Pride, Inc. moved to the building at 1536 U Street NW, following a renovation completed by Robert Nash and Associates, a Black-owned architectural firm. In its new headquarters and following the April 1968 uprising, Pride began to focus on Black capitalism. Thus, Pride Economic Enteriprises, Inc. (PEEI) was started with the purchase of a landscaping company, which was soon doing work for Giant Foods. PEEI then expanded into gas station ownership and low-income housing. Pride would train young men and then help them find employment through these and other initiatives — although, many more men were trained than employed. In addition to the above enterprises, Pride, Inc. partnered with American University on a work study certificate program, and established a health clinic and drug treatment program.
Over time, starting with the Nixon Adminstration in 1969, funding was reduced and Pride, Inc. was criticized by conservative congressional lawmakers. In 1981, Pride's federal funding was completely cut off and the organization permanently shutdown. This was in response to an embezzlement scandal related to P.I. Properties (a non-profit organization linked to Pride) and centered on Mary Treadwell, one of Pride's co-founders and then executive director.
Marion Barry, another Pride, Inc. co-founder, was elected mayor in 1978 — following stints on the DC Board of Education and DC Council. Pride served as a template for the Summer Youth Employment Program, which Mayor Barry established during his mayorship.
The building was designed by Frederick B. Pyle in the Renaissance Revival style and completed in 1920. At the time, many car dealerships and other automotive-related businesses were located in this section of DC, particularly along nearby 14th Street. Thus, the building was constructed for the Washington-Virginia Motor Company as an automobile showroom — hence the five round-arched windows along both U and 16th streets. These large windows have distinctive tripartite designs in both their lower and upper sections. The main entrance is in the center arch facing U Street.
The building's facade has limestone rondel bas-reliefs with shields and garlands on the first floor and decorative terra-cotta panels on the second floor. The panels within the second floor's piers are especially ornamented, with raised busts, urns, and filigree patterning.
At the time of construction, the building was only two-stories tall. These floors are clad in limestone. The third story, which sits above the building's classical cornice and dentils, was added in 1930 by the National Radio Institute, which moved a teaching facility into the building in 1927. This story is clad in terra-cotta panels. The National Radio Institute moved out in 1957. Pride, Inc. was located here from 1968 to 1981. The building is now owned by the Center for Community Change Action.
DC Inventory: June 27, 2024
National Register: August 29, 2024
]]>Built in 1921, the University Club of Washington, DC, is a still-standing testament to the ever-evolving social scene of Washington. Originally constructed for the Racquet Club (organized in 1919), and a prime example of the Classical Revival style, the University Club was designed as an athletic club for men and included state-of-the-art athletic facilities, such as a swimming pool, bowling alley, and squash courts. Over the years, the Racquet Club – and later, the University Club, following a merger in 1936 – would see many prominent members, including General John G. Pershing, honorary member President Warren G. Harding, honorary member Vice President Calvin Coolidge, and William Howard Taft when he was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Private clubs, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, were established to improve the social standing and physical appearance of American cities. At the time, most of them were exclusive to wealthy white men, many of whom were prominent figures in politics, government, business, and the military.
Private clubs offered them space for conversations that centered around social and civic reforms, as well as science, literature, and art. The first social club that formed in Washington was the Metropolitan Club, which was established in 1863, and others followed shortly thereafter: the Washington Club (1872), the Cosmos Club (1878), and the Alibi Club (1884). Members of clubs were also provided with lodging.
The Racquet Club was organized in 1919 as a professional club that offered athletic opportunities for businessmen. At an organizing meeting in February 1920, 200 men became lifetime members for a due of $1,000. This, as well as the membership fees of the following year’s new members, enabled the construction of the current clubhouse at 1135 16th Street NW. Chartered in January 1920, Col. Henry May was elected as the first President of the Racquet Club, and his vice president, Jules Henri de Sibour, would be the one to design the new club building. De Sibour is known for other major commissions in Washington, such as the McLachlen Building, McCormick Apartments, and Hamilton Hotel.
The building, when planned, was estimated to cost approximately $500,000. It was constructed by Harry Wardman, a prolific developer in early twentieth century Washington. His notable accomplishments included the construction of over 400 apartment buildings, numerous rowhouses, and the Carlton (1925) and Hay-Adams (1927) hotels. Completed in 1921 at a sum of $1,000,000, the Racquet Club’s new building was considered one of the finest clubhouses in the United States.
In 1936, amidst financial troubles during the Great Depression, the University Club merged with the Racquet Club, moving into its current location in December 1936. The University Club had been founded in 1904, when 40 university and college alumni organizations in Washington, DC, came together to create a clubhouse for college-educated men to socialize with one another. Its first president was future president and chief justice William Howard Taft, then the Secretary of War. The University Club’s first building was designed by famous local architect George Oakley Totten Jr. and completed in 1912. It still stands today on the west side of McPherson Square, and later served as the headquarters of the United Mine Workers of America.
In a moment of outreach and to acknowledge the suffragette movement, the University Club allowed women to dine in the main dining room (only on Sundays). In 1929, women were invited to participate in educational programs. Prominent members of the University Club included Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court Melville Fuller, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute Charles Walcott, and Totten Jr.
In the mid-1980s, a round of renovations were proposed to provide facilities for women, who were allowed to join the club beginning in 1984, following a vote to amend the bylaws. The first female member was Jo Anne Murphy, an architect, and the daughter and granddaughter of club members. The club would elect its first female president, Susan Neely, then Special Assistant to the President and the Director of Communications for the Department of Homeland Security.
Designed in a Classical Revival style, the University Club building on 16th Street NW includes many key details, such as the limestone string courses, overhanging cornice, and engaged columns. Its facade is clad in red brick and includes limestone detailing. At the center, above the entrance marquee, is a large room that is faced with paired ionic pilasters supporting an entablature. Above the limestone entablature is a medallion adorned with the letters “UC” for University Club.
DC Inventory: January 25, 2024
National Register: April 4, 2024
]]>Founded in 1888 by a group of high-level scholars, scientists, and adventurers, the National Geographic Society (NGS) has become a well-recognized scholastic and journalistic source for stories, maps, and photographs about science, exploration, and conservation. The four-building complex inhabited by the NGS has served as an exhibition space and publication office for over 40 years. Each of the buildings has a significant organizational, architectural, and local history that together forms the broader story of the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C. Hubbard Hall: Designed by architects Hornblower & Marshall, this Classical-Revival style building was constructed in 1904 through funding from the Bell and Hubbard families. As the first headquarters building for the NGS, Hubbard Hall was created with the intention of being both a functioning office and a comfortable communal meeting space for academic discussions. The building is an iconic structure on 16th Street, distinguished by its hipped roof with terracotta tiles, large arched windows, and a stone surround with a cross setting that reads “National Geographic Society.” 16th Street Administration Building: Designed by prominent Washington architect Arthur B. Heaton, this Classical-Revival style structure is clad in limestone with double-leaf brass doors and rusticated stonework. Constructed in 1912, the style is indicative of larger architectural trends in D.C. during the early 20th century. The administration building is connected to Hubbard Hall via a paved brick courtyard with granite steps. Additions were added to the building in 1931 and 1949. National Geographic Society Headquarters: Internationally prominent architect Edward Durell Stone designed this memorable Modern building in a New Formalist style with reinforced concrete hung with white marble. Constructed with minimum ornamentation, clear lines, and vertical orientation, the building was completed in 1963 and dedicated in 1964 to much fanfare. M Street Addition (Non-Contributing): This office and auditorium building does not reflect the historical and architectural design of the aforementioned structures included in the National Geographic Society Headquarters. Designed by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, and constructed in 1984 with pale pink concrete panels and a mechanical penthouse, this non-contributing structure serves a function in the NGS, but does not contribute to the historic significance of the campus. Today, the National Geographic Society continues to utilize the headquarters as a museum exhibit space, working offices, and community education center.
DC Inventory: March 24, 2022
National Register: June 5, 2023
Hubbard Hall & Administration Building Located Within the Sixteenth Street Historic District
]]>The Congressional Club is a distinctive Beaux-Arts, Classical Revival style building with a prominent domed rotunda at the corner of 16th Street, U Street, and New Hampshire Avenue NW. Designed by architect George Oakley Totten, Jr. (1866-1939), the 1914 building exemplifies the vision of Mary Foote Henderson, a club member and forceful advocate for the development of Sixteenth Street according to the principles of the City Beautiful Movement.
The club provides a politically neutral meeting space for a distinctive and selective group of women: the wives and daughters of United States Congressmen, Senators, and Cabinet members. During the Wilson Administration, the club was the only non-governmental organization asked to serve as an official extension of the White House in hosting important diplomatic and social events.
Additionally, during World War I The Congressional Club made nationally significant wartime contributions, serving as a nexus between Washington, DC, and local communities across the country in organizing state-side activities. Today, the Congressional Club remains in operation and annually hosts a luncheon honoring the First Lady of the United States.
DC Inventory: July 28, 2011
National Register: October 6, 2011
]]>Located in Scott Circle, the Daniel Webster Memorial honors the multi-faceted legacy of the famous statesman. A practicing lawyer, orator, senator and congressman of New Hampshire, Webster’s memorial is one of a few in DC that honors a statesman.
Donated by Stilson Hutchins, the founder of the Washington Post, the bronze statue rests on a granite pedestal designed in a Neoclassical style by Italian sculptor Gaetano Trentanove. Dedicated in 1900 for Webster’s 118th birthday, the memorial’s pedestal features some key moments in his career, but does not capture all of the important events Webster took part in in his life. Born in New Hampshire, Webster became one of the nation’s leading lawyers, taking part in three foundational U.S. Supreme Court cases while in practice. In both McCulloch v. Maryland and Gibbons v. Ogden, Webster successfully argued the cases that established federal and state governments’ powers. In Dartmouth v. Woodward, Webster’s win created precedent for contract clauses applying to both public and private institutions. In addition to his legal career, Webster’s oratory skills added to his fame; the Hayne-Webster Debates of 1830 and his speech at the Bunker Hill Monument attest to his skills in the reliefs featured on the pedestal of the memorial.
The memorial stands as a tribute to Webster’s legacy and impact on the early history of the United States, as well as the artistic style of a Neoclassical sculpture completed during this time. While it does not speak to every accomplishment of Webster’s, it does call attention to his influence, as well as the broader importance of this time period.
DC Inventory: February 22, 2007
National Register: October 12, 2007
]]>Built between 1968 and 1971, the modernist church, office building, and plaza at this site were designed primarily by principal architect Araldo Cossutta. A European-trained protégé of the famous Swiss architect LeCorbusier, Cossutta was a visionary architect interested in exploring the possibilities of architectural concrete as an expressive and technologically innovative medium.
This complex was among the last in I.M. Pei and Partners' progression of experimental concrete structures in Denver, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, and was directly inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s concrete Unity Temple of 1905-06. As in these earlier structures, the Christian Science buildings employ concrete as an integral material that unifies structure with both interior and exterior finish. The church is bold and uncompromising in its geometric forms, set off by the brick plaza and broad ribbons of glass on the office facade. Also notable are the effects of natural light in the elegant, unobstructed interior spaces separated from outside distractions.
The completion of the Third Church of Christ, Scientist edifice and the Christian Science Monitor Building in 1971 was the culmination of a two-decade effort on the part of a local Christian Science congregation to find a replacement for its former church at 13th and L Streets, NW. Many years were occupied by design and fundraising for construction. From a perspective appreciative of the development of architecture in Washington, and particularly of the “recent past,” the timing was fortuitous, because the result was one of the best examples of Brutalism in the Washington area and one of the most important Modernist churches.
However, after a legal dispute over whether the building could be demolished, the building was torn down in 2014. An office building now occupies the lot where the church once stood.
DC Inventory: December 6, 2007
Within Sixteenth Street Historic District
Demolished in 2014
]]>Built in 1915, the House of the Temple is the headquarters of the Supreme Council of the Southern Jurisdiction of the Thirty-Third Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Rite of Freemasonry. One of the most monumental buildings within the eclectic Sixteenth Street Historic District, the Temple of the Scottish Rite was designed by John Russell Pope — who also designed the National Archives and the Jefferson Memorial. Pope used the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, as his inspiration for the temple. Outside, guarding the temple doors, is a pair of monumental sphinxes, representing wisdom and power. The temple is laced with symbolism in its design and decor, much of which requires close attention to detail and may not be obvious to non-Masons.
The temple’s library, which was the first public library in DC, contains one of the world’s largest collections of materials on and by Scottish poet and Freemason Robert Burns.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
]]>Erected in 1874, this equestrian statue of Brevet Lieutenant-General Winfield Scott was the first memorial honoring a Civil War general to be installed in one of DC’s public traffic circles or squares. Throughout his decorated career in the US Army, General Scott led forces during the War of 1812, Mexican–American War, Seminole Wars, and the early years of the Civil War. Having served under every president from Thomas Jefferson to Abraham Lincoln, General Winfield Scott holds the record for the longest tenure as the army’s chief officer.
On March 2, 1867, Congress passed a joint resolution authorizing a statue of General Winfield Scott to be erected, naming Henry Kirke Brown as the sculptor. Scott is portrayed wearing the field uniform of a lieutenant-general, including a hat and long jacket with fringed epaulets and decorative sash. Brown had planned to depict General Scott riding his preferred horse, a mare; however, shortly before the statue was to be cast, members of Scott’s family protested the design, complaining that no other general had been portrayed riding a mare and that a stallion would be more befitting. Perturbed by the request, Brown made minimal modifications to his design, resulting in Scott, a tall and heavy man, riding a disproportionately small and anatomically inaccurate horse.
The statue was cast from bronze cannons captured by Scott’s army during the Mexican–American War and sits atop a 150 ton block of granite, the single largest stone ever quarried in the United States up until that point. The statue was quietly installed in 1874, with little fanfare and no formal ceremony to mark the occasion, in the center of Scott Circle.
DC Inventory: March 3, 1979
National Register: September 20, 1978
Within Sixteenth Street Historic District
Part of Civil War Monuments
]]>Due to its close proximity to the White House, Saint John’s Church is known as the “Church of the Presidents”; accordingly, every President since James Madison has attended at least one service here. A prayer book in one of the pews contains the signatures of every president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt, but excluding Richard Nixon, commemorating the inauguration services they attended at Saint John’s.
Architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe (1764-1820) designed Saint John’s Church, in addition to other noted buildings in the neighborhood. The church was completed in 1816 and serves as a notable example of late Federal architecture, with Greek Revival elements. Many additions and alterations have been made to the church over the last two centuries, but it remains in fine condition today. The church still serves as an active parish.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
National Register: October 15, 1966
National Historic Landmark: December 19, 1960
Within Lafayette Square Historic District and Sixteenth Street Historic District
]]>Built in 1910 from designs by architects Nathan C. Wyeth (1870-1963) and Francis P. Sullivan (1882-1929), the Pullman House was the property of Hattie Sanger, the widow of the sleeping car magnate, George Pullman; however, it is said she never occupied the Beaux-Arts style mansion. Temporary occupants included Illinois Congressman Frank O. Lowden and Natalie Hammond, the wife of mining engineer John Hays Hammond.
In 1913, the Pullman House was sold to the Russian government and served as the Russian/Soviet Union Embassy until 1994. Today, the house is used as the official residence of the Russian Ambassador.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
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