Roosevelt Apartment Building
The Roosevelt is one of more than one hundred middle-class apartment buildings constructed between 1880 and 1900 in D.C.
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Built in 1898 with the appearance of a double row house that concealed the building's true identity as an apartment building, the Roosevelt Apartment Building was one example of how builders and architects introduced apartment living to Washingtonians. The exterior allowed middle-class residents to feel more comfortable about living in a shared building instead of owning their own home. This design also eased hesitant Washingtonians' concerns over the appearance of a conventional apartment building.
With more middle-class families needing housing close to their work, the Roosevelt's location and architecture reflected an increase in the city's population that single-family homes could not accommodate for. Despite the social gravitation towards homeownership, apartment living was more affordable and convenient for many. Designed and constructed by C. Graham & Son, the Roosevelt's specific catering toward middle-class residents was indicative of the future of D.C. housing trends throughout the coming twentieth century.
DC Inventory: January 17, 1990
National Register: September 7, 1994
This site is a stop on the D.C. Apartment Buildings tour as an example of a Rowhouse-type apartment building.
