Latin American Youth Center (LAYC): Constructed as a parsonage in 1915, this building is significant for its time as the Latin American Youth Center from 1974 to 1998.

This three-story, Neoclassical Revival style rowhouse in Columbia Heights was designed by Appleton P. Clark, Jr. and completed in 1915 as a parsonage (or manse) for the reverend of the neighboring Central Presbyterian Church, which was originally founded in 1868. However, the building's historical significance stems from its use by the Latin American Youth Center from 1974 to 1998.

Central Presbyterian Church (now The Next Step Public Charter School), just across the alley at the corner of 15th and Irving streets NW, was also designed by Clark and completed in 1914. Early on, President Woodrow Wilson worshipped at this church. Therefore, in 1956 in honor of Wilson's birth centennial, the church's educational annex (completed in the early 1930s) was renamed the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Building.

The following decade, Good Shepherd United Presbyterian Church, led by Reverend Antonio P. Welty, started to utilize the annex for its Spanish-speaking congregation. In 1968, Reverend Welty and Carlos Rosario founded the Committee for Aid and Development of Latin America in the Nation's Capitol (CADOLANCA), a social services and advocacy organization.

The Wilson Center (Centro Wilson) was established in this location in 1971 and provided space for local non-profit organizations and educational programs. This community center's many organizations and initiatives supported DC's growing Spanish-speaking immigrant community. In addition to the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC), some of the organizations that operated out of the Wilson Center included El Centro de Arte, the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), and La Clínica del Pueblo, just to name a few. The Central Presbyterian Church congregation moved out in 1973, selling the church, annex, and former parsonage to National Capital Union Presbytery.

During this period of the late 1960s, LAYC was getting its start. At the time, the Spanish Catholic Center at the Kenesaw Apartment House was no longer welcoming kids and teenagers, and a riot had just severely damanged Lincoln Junior High School. With a focus on at-risk Latino Youth, Garry Garber and Arturo Griffiths started Courtesy Patrol, a city-funded after-school program. This popular program evolved into what would become LAYC. Following its new non-profit status, LAYC moved into the former parsonage in 1974, just a few years after the last Presbyterian clergy moved out.

In addition to LAYC, the former parsonage on 15th Street NW housed the Spanish Education Development (SED) Center, an adult English as a Second Language (ESL) program, from 1971 to 1974 and 1978 to 1980, and Adelante Advocacy Center from 1976 to 1981.

In its first decade, LAYC provided after-school and summer employment programs, ESL and General Education Development (GED) classes, and vocational training in automotive mechanics, catering, and clerical skills. In collaboration with El Centro de Arte, mural painting, street theater, newspaper publishing, and music lessons became part of LAYC's core educational programming. This resulted in the Unity Mural (1982) in Adams Morgan and three murals (Canto a la Esperanza, 1988-90) along Klingle Road NW.

LAYC continued to evolve and change with the community's needs, with new focuses on counseling and mental health, homelessness, and drug abuse. With an increase in gang violence and drug use, LAYC's Drop-In Center (La Peña) was founded in 1988. This safe space included, amongst other things, a pool table and juice bar, and became a popular spot for live music. The Drop-In Center's importance became especially pronounced as a refuge during the Mount Pleasant uprising and riots in May 1991. The Drop-In Center continues to operate out of the space on 15th Street, as LAYC's main office moved to 1419 Columbia Road NW in 1998.

In 2001, the Wilson Center officially closed. The church was sold to Capital City Charter School, the annex to the Barbara Chambers Children's Center, and the former parsonage to LAYC. The church building now houses Next Step Public Charter School, which started in 1996 as LAYC's teen parenting program.

DC Inventory: May 22, 2025

National Register: June 30, 2025