Petworth Gardens (Webster Gardens Apartments)

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With heavy influences from England’s Garden City movement in the early 20th century, Petworth Gardens was constructed as D.C.’s first garden-style apartment buildings, as well as one of the earliest in the United States. Its two sets of four buildings constructed between 1921 and 1922 attracted numerous residents looking for stylish yet economical housing. Designed by Robert F. Beresford with a mixture of Craftsman, Tudor Revival, and Mediterranean Revival architectural features, the buildings exemplified a new wave of styles for apartment buildings within the District.

As more middle-class families continued to move toward apartment-style living, Petworth Gardens was especially attractive because of its design. The buildings’ shift toward outdoor garden space instead of an interior lobby, smaller building size, and maximized natural lighting made the apartments all the more appealing. Their success marked future buildings’ design and furthered the popularity of the England-based Garden City movement throughout the city and nation as more apartment buildings were constructed in the post-World War I housing boom. Its location, design, and amenities made it quite the impressive housing opportunity, creating a demand for similar buildings like Hampshire Gardens that continued throughout this time.

DC Inventory: September 25, 2008
National Register: November 10, 2008