Augusta Apartment Building

Text

Built in 1900, the Augusta was a part of D.C.'s first wave of construction for apartment buildings, with Arthur B. Heaton as its main architect. Its mansion-like appearance allowed it to conceal its true purpose as an apartment building, and was built with unique Jacobethan Revival features, such as a tower and tapestry brickwork. In 1901, the building underwent an expansion under a different name, the Louisa, but the building retained its original name afterward.

With many D.C. residents hesitant to embrace apartment-style living in the late 19th century, the Augusta exemplifies early attempts to bridge the gaps between residents who wanted the look of a single-family home, while also creating a more functional building to house the city's growing population. Additionally, the Augusta appealed aesthetically to potential residents with its exterior design elements. Middle-class residents and those moving into the city found that buildings like the Augusta blended their aesthetic and economic needs, all while having the ability to live closer to where they worked. While it took time for residents to fully embrace apartment-style living within D.C., the Augusta's influence as one of thirteen remaining purpose-built apartments constructed from this time was key to future housing developments within the city.

DC Inventory: January 17, 1990
National Register: September 9, 1994

This site is included on the D.C. Apartment Buildings tour as an example of a Mansion-type apartment building.