The Northumberland (and Interiors)
An early apartment building by Harry Wardman, the Northumberland was also a pioneer in cooperative housing.
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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
