Park Vista and Pine Manor (Concord Apartments): The Concord Apartments represent DC’s increasing population in the 1930s and its impact on the city’s architecture.
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Built in 1936, 1937, and 1938, respectively, these four low-rise buildings in Brightwood are representative of the modest apartment buildings constructed to address the city’s explosive population growth in the interwar period. The buildings are designed with Moderne stylistic elements, including geometric brick patterns, stone ornamentation, and glass blacks illustrate the development of architect George T. Santmyers’ (1889-1960) architectural vocabulary away from strictly classical revival forms. The Concord Apartments represent the efficient housing solutions for a rapidly expanding population in DC. Between 1930 and 1940, the city’s population expanded by 176,000—more than one-third of the previous population. Modest, efficient, and affordable apartment buildings like these were intended to serve a growing federal workforce. Their concentration in Brightwood is representative of the neighborhood’s evolution from rural to urban following the extension of transit lines and the adoption of a new zoning ordinance.
DC Inventory: July 28, 2016
National Register: October 18, 2016
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Park Vista and Pine Manor Apartments
The Concord Apartments, located south of Missouri Avenue in the Brightwood neighborhood of northwest D.C., is locally significant under Criterion A in the area of Community Planning and Development for its contribution to the development of residential construction north on 14th Street, NW. The location of the apartment complex along the bustling corridor of 14th Street, at the nexus of several transportation routes, is representative of the efficient housing solutions sought for a rapidly expanding population in the District. Between World Wars One and Two, the federal government's expansion brought many employees to the area. Without adequate numbers of single-family houses, architects (George Santmyers among the most prolific) sought to construct apartment buildings as suitable alternatives, effectively re-shaping the once rural landscape of Washington, D.C. north of Florida Avenue. Apartment buildings were initially associated with overcrowded tenements and considered unnecessary in Washington due to the large amount of undeveloped land available for detached houses. Primarily out of necessity, however, apartment buildings were soon accepted as comfortable solutions for middle-income individuals and families. The modest size of buildings, yet spacious layout of units, and locations adjacent to major transportation networks made apartments, such as the Concord Apartments, an attractive and convenient alternative to single-family housing. | Source: National Park Service | Date: 2016
Concord Apartments, Facade and South Elevation of South Building, View Northeast from West Side of 14th Street
Source: DC Nomination Form | Date: December 2013
Concord Apartments, Facade of South Building, View Northeast from West Side of 14th Street
Source: DC Nomination Form | Date: December 2013
Concord Apartments, Facade and South Elevation of North Building; Embankment between the two building; North Building of North Building; View East from West Side of 14th Street.
Source: DC Nomination Form | Date: December 2013
Concord Apartments, North Elevation and Facade of North Building; Facade of South Building at Far Right; View Southeast from Corner of Missouri Avenue and 14th Street
Source: DC Nomination Form | Date: December 2013
Concord Apartments, South Building Facade, View East From Within Courtyard (typical of both buildings)
Source: DC Nomination Form | Date: December 2013
Concord Apartments, South Building Facade, View East to West Elevation from Within Courtyard, detail of a Primary Entrance (typical primary entrance of both buildings)
Source: DC Nomination Form | Date: December 2013
Concord Apartments, South Building, View of Circulation Courtyard, Looking Southwest from Roof (typical of both buildings)
Source: DC Nomination Form | Date: December 2013