Rose Lees Hardy School

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Virginia-born Miss Rose Lees Hardy (1869-1932) was the Assistant Superintendent of DC Public Schools from 1925 until her death in 1932. As a specialist in primary education and piano, Miss Hardy left an impact on the surrounding community through her civic works and dedication to young children. A few months after her death in October of 1932, the Washington Board of Education decided to rename the Foxhall Village School (a building project in motion since 1930) after Miss Hardy. In 1934, a triple memorial composed of a commemorative tablet, a rose garden, and a fund for visiting educational lecturers.

The Rose Lees Hardy School (Hardy School) – then called Foxhall Village School – opened in September 1933 as a public elementary school serving children in the  neighborhood and the surrounding areas. Designed by Albert Lewis Harris in the Colonial Revival Style, the red brick building with limestone and wood trim complements surrounding buildings in the neighborhood. Upon the school’s opening, students who had previously been made to travel over a mile to the nearest schools transitioned to the Hardy School, which continued to undergo construction to expand its facilities. Issues of school overcrowding and a lack of funding were eventually resolved in 1936 with monetary support from the New Deal’s Public Works Administration.

The Hardy School diligently served elementary age children until 1973, when demographic shifts in the area resulted in the school’s transition into DC’s innovative Six School Complex. As part of this interconnected educational system, Hardy School served grades 5-8. DC’s Six School Complex was notable as a pioneering method for its individualized student care, smaller student populations, and special language/arts programs.

In 1996, the Hardy School moved to a different location, prompting community concerns about the sale or destruction of the building. Resistance to the local government selling the property resulted in a 1998 shift in educational hands to the Rock Creek International School, and then again in 2006 to the Lab School, which currently remains in the building.

DC Inventory: March 28, 2019

National Register: June 3, 2019