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Queen Anne’s Lane ends at 26th Street, which forms the western border of the Historic District. Directly ahead is the 26th Street Park. The Foggy Bottom Association Garden Committee maintains the park and its gardens. The park is often used for neighborhood gatherings. To the right is a fenced dog park and a children’s playground. Continuing past the children's park, 26th Street provides access to the sidewalk on K St. with a short walk to Georgetown or Washington Circle.The west side of 26th Street - now parkland - was occupied by row houses and other buildings from the late 1800s to the 1950s. In 1914, for example, the area now occupied by the Park (then known as 932-934 26th St.) was the location of the Morning Star Baptist Church. These buildings were cleared for the Potomac Freeway highway construction. Cross 26th Street here and the tour continues to the left.

A look down Queen Anne's Lane towards the Potomac River and Georgetown

Melita Rodeck's drawing of Queen Anne's Lane, shortly before its construction

Melita Rodeck, architect and Foggy Bottom resident working on plans, 1970

The 26th St. Park and summer gardens offer a quiet and shady place to sit

The Foggy Bottom's dog park and visitors provides an opportunity for neighbors to meet while their dogs play

Architect Melita Rodeck's elevation drawing of Queen Anne's Lane, 1960

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To leave Hughes Mews, take a left onto Queen Anne’s Lane. The 18 houses on Queen Anne's Lane (Nos. 2521-2538) were generally constructed between 1960 and 1962. Prior to their construction, the only entrance to Hughes Mews (then Hughes Court) was from 25th Street. Al Wheeler was the developer and Foggy Bottom resident Melita Rodeck was the architect for this row house development. The houses originally sold for $45,000-$50,000; 2022 estimate - $1.2M. Currently, some of the garages are being converted to extra bedrooms (to allow more room for additional residents).

Queen Anne's Lane - a New Addition to the Historic District

Welcome to the self-guided walking tour of streets and alleys lined with narrow row houses of the four-block Foggy Bottom Historic District.  The tour discusses the lives of Foggy Bottom residents and the neighborhood's economic and demographic changes over time.  “The Foggy Bottom Historic District celebrates the former working class section of the larger Foggy Bottom neighborhood.  The district is significant for its association with Washington’s industrial history, its association with Washington’s German and Irish communities, and for the low-scale, modest brick row houses distinctively ornamented with pressed and molded brick details that characterize the area.”  (Hist. Dist. Nomination) The neighborhood also housed a significant African American population.  The historic period runs from 1860-1915, but Foggy Bottom history continues.  The tour is part of Foggy Bottom Association History Project.  

With several tours to pick from, we're thrilled you want to explore Foggy Bottom. Soon after the tour starts, you'll find you've blocked out the noises of the city and are taken in by this diminutive enclave of row houses, alley houses, and urban legends.The modest brick houses, gardens and tree-lined streets impress visitors to the community. But its ever-present history makes it unique, even in Washington. Native Americans occupied the area at least 1,500 years ago. In the 1600s, the area contained plantations and was part of the State of Maryland. Jacob Funk, a Pennsylvanian of Swiss-German ancestry, sought to build a new town (Hamburgh or Funkstown) in 1763, but that little-occupied development was incorporated into the new federal city of Washington in 1791.After the Civil War, many skilled and unskilled immigrant laborers were attracted to Foggy Bottom by industries including breweries, lime kilns, cement plants, and the Washington Gas works. Although smog and odor from these industries made “Foggy Bottom” a less desirable place to live, those conditions also made homes affordable for workers at these plants. Moreover, the builders were often immigrants who built houses for their neighbors. These working-class houses distinguish the Historic District.Much of historic Foggy Bottom has been lost over the years. In the 1950s, governmental, international, and commercial facilities replaced the industries. The 1960s saw construction of new apartment, cooperative, and condominium buildings. The George Washington University, which moved into the neighborhood in 1912, has expanded from a few buildings to 43 acres. The Potomac Freeway (I-66), part of a planned but never built inner-loop beltway, wiped out most of the neighborhood west of 26th Street leaving only three row houses by the entrance to the interstate. These developments destroyed many of the small narrow row houses and the working class community that had characterized Foggy Bottom since the late 1800s. Preservation efforts began in the 1950s with the renovation of some row houses. Facing increasing development threats, the community advocated for protection of the historic buildings. In June of 1987, the D.C. Historic Preservation Office established the Foggy Bottom Historic District as a D.C. (Historic) Landmark, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.The Foggy Bottom Historic District is generally bounded by 24th and 26th Streets, and New Hampshire Avenue and K Streets. It covers approximately three acres and four squares and contains approximately 226 buildings, of which 135 structures contribute to the Historic District. The historic buildings are mostly narrow (some less than 12 feet wide) brick two- or three-story “late Victorian” residential row houses built from the late 1870s through the 1910s. Through much of Foggy Bottom's history, local businesses also operated out of the row houses, including saloons and beauty parlors. At times it seemed like every corner had a grocery store.From an architectural perspective, the row houses generally have flat-fronts and simple ornamentation, although there are examples of pressed and molded brick detailing builders used to make even modest houses appear distinct. Initially the houses were built for their owners, but increasingly through the 1880s groups of two or three (or more) houses were developed for sale. At least seven remaining houses in the Historic District were built in the 1880s by Irish immigrant Peter McCartney. He began as a carpenter and soon established a successful contracting business. His skill with brick and wood is found throughout the historic district including the corbelled brick cornices and delicate jigsaw work on the houses at 25th and I Streets. The Historic District also includes nearly 30 two-story row houses built in the Snows Court and Hughes Mews alleys. Snows Court also contains a large warehouse originally constructed by Wilber Nash as a commercial horse and carriage stable in 1914 (with windows for horses on the second floor).

The walk leads you through the alleys, streets, and parks of the four-block working class Foggy Bottom Historic District. In the 1800s, and especially after the Civil War, industries developed in Foggy Bottom along the Potomac River. The Christian Heurich brewery, the Washington Gas Light works and other industry's smoky odors – added to the fog present in low lying areas – contributed to the name “Foggy Bottom.” In the 1880s, row houses (including alley houses) were built for working class Irish and German laborers. The area also saw an influx of African Americans during and after the Civil War, until by 1920, most residents of the Historic District were African American. By the 1950s, the industries closed down, the air cleared, and Foggy Bottom became a more desirable place to live. Row houses were renovated and new apartments were built.This walking tour highlights the historic period, but Foggy Bottom's history did not end in 1915. The tour therefore also discusses more modern buildings and developments. Despite changes over time, the neighborhood remains a community that has worked to preserve its history, character, and quality of life.This walking tour is part of the Foggy Bottom Association's History Project, which collects and shares the rich history of the neighborhood. To learn more about Foggy Bottom History, see the links below.

Welcome: The Foggy Bottom Historic District 

The Fitzgerald House duplicates the same architectural motifs - a decorated cornice and segmental arches with beaded moldings over the openings - as the adjoining row houses to give the block symmetry. It anchors a 16 unit group of row houses on I St. and New Hampshire Ave. that were built by J.H. Grant for developer Samuel Norment in 1886. The brick is laid in a "stretcher bond" pattern in which the vertical joints are staggered each time by half a brick. The recessed entry door in the middle of two bays on each side the design gives a grander presence than its neighbors.It is referred to as the Fitzgerald House after the family that occupied it for nearly 60 years. John Fitzgerald took up residence by 1892. In 1895 he married a young Irish immigrant named Katherine Kelleher at St. Stephen's Church. (That church building was replaced by a modern church in 1961, but remains at the same location at 2424 Penn. Ave. NW). The Fitzgeralds operated a grocery store, the M&amp;J Market (named after their children Mary and James) until 1950. The house remained in Fitzgerald family until 1958. Restored in 1960, it was converted into several apartment residences. Steve Timlin, a devotee of Foggy Bottom and its history, lived there from 1986 to 2008.ARCHITECTURAL TERMS relevant to the Historic District:Corbel: A piece of stone, wood, brick or any other building material that projects from the face of a wall; generally used to support a cornice.Cornice: The top course of a molding or well when it serves as a crowning member - here the brickwork along the roofline.Course or stringcourse A horizontal row of bricks or other masonry units.Dentil molding: Molding that has a repeating and projecting block pattern, used to decorate cornice assemblies.Dormer: A window that projects from a roof.Façade: The face of the building, the exterior that looks out onto a street or open space.Frieze: A plane or decorative band on the top of a wall immediately below the cornice.Lintels: A horizontal structural element over an opening such as a window or door, can be load bearing or ornamental.Mansard roof: A four-sided, double-sloped roof, where the lower slope is steeper than the upper slope. The lower slope is typically punctured by dormer windows.Molding: A piece of trim that introduces varieties of outline or curved contours in edges or surfaces.Pediment: A triangular space created by a front facing gable roof.Trim: The decorative casing used around a door or window frame.Turret: A small tower, usually supported by corbels.

Our walk starts at the Fitzgerald House, the largest historic house in the Foggy Bottom Historic District (840-844 New Hampshire Ave.). Built in 1886, it was used as a grocery store and residence from the 1890s to the 1950. Its two-story brick construction and architectural details are typical of the neighborhood, but it is built on a more massive scale. There are two front entrances on New Hampshire Avenue and one entrance on I Street. And for as long as anyone remembers, the house has been painted yellow. The house's large landscaped yard features peonies, roses, and hollies. The Backstory and Context section below defines some architectural terms used on the tour.

Foggy Bottom's Grandest House

A typical Foggy Bottom historic row house is brick, 12-16 feet wide and 26 feet deep, and two or three stories high. Most of the houses have fenced in gardens or patios in the back. From an architectural perspective, the “late Victorian” row houses generally have flat-fronts and simple ornamentation. Builders used pressed and molded brick detailing builders to make even modest houses appear distinct. They feature a variety of brickwork around the windows, doors and rooflines. Some houses are set back from the sidewalk and others are not. Without side windows, cross-ventilation and natural light are significantly reduced. The red brick sidewalks add to an Historic District' character.During most of the area's history, some of these residential buildings were also used for commercial businesses that served the community. For example in 1914, Lew Nesline operated a saloon at 2401 I Street (corner of I St. and New Hampshire Ave., now replaced by a 1958 residence); across the street (2404 I St.) was a green grocer. The owners often lived on the floor above the businesses.Author, Alison "Kim" Hoagland describes in detail how a poor recently arrived Irish immigrant, John Leonard, was able to bring generational wealth to his family over the years by running "a grocery store out of the corner building, which they had expanded to house their six children as well." Unfortunately the Leonard's houses and the store no (in the 1880s) longer exist on the corner of 25th Street.The mid-1950s were a transition period in Foggy Bottom. These I Street. houses, built 1885, provide an example - No. 2415 was occupied by several families totaling more than 25 people. It was heated with a wood-burning stove and had an outdoor toilet. The No. 2417 house had just been gutted and was being renovated. The No. 2419 house, windows and doors missing, was abandoned and condemned.2417 I Street is a house with distinctive decorative Black iron railing and fence, installed in the 1950s. Black iron is used in fencing, stairways, and railings throughout the neighborhood.The house next door (2415 I St.) has a modern brick façade because the Metro subway construction damaged the historic façade. The Metro line runs under the 2400 block of I Street. During its construction in the early 1970s, the digging and vibrations damaged the attachments of the facades of several buildings on this side of the street. Metro offered some compensation and this owner used the compensation money and more to completely rebuild. Residents still feel the vibrations of the Metro trains today, but they haven’t caused any structural damage. From time to time residents have to straighten their wall hangings.The City technically owns the property from the street to the front door, but each owner maintains their front areas and tree lawn space to the curb.

The 2400 block of I Street features typical two-story working class Foggy Bottom Historic District row houses. Most of the brick row houses you see on both sides of the street were built between 1880 and 1910. The row houses were also used as grocery stores, saloons and other neighborhood businesses. They faced potential demolition in the 1950s, but instead, following the Georgetown neighborhood model, the houses were renovated and preserved.

Working-Class Row Houses

The narrow passageway from I Street leads to Snows Court. This opening was originally a footpath that twisted about and behind row houses. At times, it was completely hidden, making it difficult for people to find their way out. The only official entrance to Snows Court is off of 25th Street (A “court” is an alley with only one entrance.)Snows Court may have been the first alley to provide housing in Washington. It is a large alley, with a large number of original houses. The Foggy Bottom Historic District currently contains 29 of D.C.’s 108 remaining alley dwellings (second only the Georgetown, which has 40). Washington was not the only city with alley housing, but such dwellings constituted a large portion of D.C.'s low cost housing. As part of Major L’Enfant’s original design of the City of Washington in 1791, city plats had been laid out as long narrow properties, with houses facing the streets. The rear of the properties had room for kitchens, stables and outer houses, with the alleys providing access.It has been long thought that Snows Court was named for C.A. Snow, publisher of the "National Intelligencer", an important (Whig) newspaper of the mid-1800s. In about 1858, he built a greenhouse and four wood frame dwellings here to house his Irish gardener and others. Review of property records, however, does not confirm this attribution.During the Civil War, Snow’s houses were used as army barracks. It was near Camp Fry, a Union Army supply and distribution center. It also served as the base for the soldiers with disabilities in the Veteran's Reserve Corps, who fought in the defense of Fort Stevens.During and after the Civil War, the city’s growing population, including many newly emancipated African Americans, needed housing. To house more people, D.C.'s long narrow lots were subdivided and alley-facing houses were built. The original alley houses were flimsy wooden sheds and shanties. By the 1880s, more substantial wood frame and brick houses were built. The houses in Snows Court were typically two floors high and two bays wide. Most of these houses had outside water pumps and privies and wood stove heat. By the 1890s, the Court’s population was at least 250 residents, nearly all of whom were African American. Foggy Bottom alleys housed approximately 1,500 people in total at that time. Author Alison K. Hoagland reports in her book, "The residents of Snow's Court, all African American, were renters and therefore reaped no long-term financial benefit from their living arrangement," as it was the building's owners who profited by the arrangement.Housing reformers argued that the alleys were overcrowded, unsanitary, bred diseases like tuberculosis, fostered criminal and immoral behavior, and posed a threat to the community. They argued alley houses should be demolished. In response to increasing public concerns, D.C. in 1892 prohibited new substandard alley dwellings. Several waves of efforts to eliminate alley housing followed, supported by President Theodore Roosevelt, President Woodrow Wilson’s first wife, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, among others. (According to "The Evening Star" newspaper, on Christmas Eve 1938, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt brought gifts and good wishes to “the poverty and gloom of Snows Court, a community of alley dwellers … a tucked-away, often forgotten slum.”)Daily life was difficult for alley residents and their rents were much higher than their dwellings could justify. But the alleys were also functioning communities, with long-term residents, homes, stores, churches, bars, and routes for horse-drawn wagons delivering ice. Many residents worked as laborers and domestic servants or took in laundry. Alley residents included laborers who had been hurt on the job (prior to workman's comp) and therefore were recovering at home during the day. The assertions of criminal activity in the alleys were generally exaggerated - newspapers from the 1890s report $5 fines for "profanity." A 1938 Study of Snows Court characterized the residents as “one big happy but quarrelsome family.” (Swinney, p. 90)From 1900 to the 1950s, throughout the city, alley houses were demolished or replaced by livery stables, then garages, parking lots, and apartment buildings. Author Kim Prothro Williams reports in "Hidden Alleyways of Washington, DC A History," that the "population of the city's alleys, based on city directory listings, police reports, and alley inventories, began with a steep ascent and followed by a slow decline," and cites statistics on alley housing from 1858 to 1970..

Snows Court hosts one of the earliest developments of alley house dwellings in D.C., with its first houses built by 1858. It is also boasts nearly 30 original brick houses - one of the largest collections in D.C. These simple two-story dwellings lacked indoor plumbing and housed D.C.'s poorer residents. From Teddy to Eleanor Roosevelt, "housing reformers" worked to eliminate these dwellings and vacate the residents. In the 1950s, new residents' renovation efforts succeeded in saving the remaining dwellings.

Snows Court - DC's First Alley Houses

The large three story building is Wilber F. Nash’s livery stable (920 Snows Court). Nash’s stable is one of eight remaining commercial livery stables in Washington's alleys. During the 1870s to the 1910s, there were typically 40-70 livery stables in the City. Such stables rented out horses and carriages and sometimes also bought and sold or boarded horses. Customers could rent horses and carriages for business, funerals, weddings, or just rides in the city and its parks.Wilber Nash was a prominent merchant and builder in Washington, and his projects included work on the White House stable in 1916. He died at age 92, in 1951, leaving an estate of $1.2M. The stable's architect was Thomas M. Medford. He was a prolific Washington architect and engineer who served both the District and federal Governments for 18 years. Medford designed a variety of commercial and residential buildings in D.C.By the time Nash's Stable was constructed in 1914, automobiles had begun to replace horses-drawn vehicles. The stable however was used to house working dray horses or horses from nearby riding stables.In Nash's stable, the horses were taken up a ramp to the second level (as indicated by the horse stall windows). The carriages were housed on the first level and hay on the top level. The top-level windows were also used for ventilation. The stable's office door is on the narrow side of the building, facing the alley. The office side features intricate wood trim pieces around the windows, door and roofline. Inside, the lower level ceiling has stamped metal ceiling tiles with a "square in square" pattern and decorative metal crown molding.By the 1940s, the stable was primarily used as a warehouse. It also housed an illegal all-hours crap game, until new apartments blocked the view of approaching police. In 1959, Marshall Coyne, the developer of Washington's Madison Hotel, bought the property and built the 925 (25th St.) Apartments. The company that owns the 925 building continues to use the stable for storage and the same company owns the short term Zip Car rental parking lot.

Built in 1914, Wilber Nash's large brick commercial livery stable rented horses and carriages to the community. It is one of the few remaining livery stables in D.C.'s alleys, and the only one in Foggy Bottom. By 1914, the automobile was becoming more popular, reducing the need for stables. The building has functioned as a warehouse since at least the 1940s. It is a protected historic building and has the potential for future adaptive re-use.

Nash's Livery Stable

Starting in 1952, new residents and developers started buying and renovating the neglected Snows Court row houses, following the example of the nearby Georgetown neighborhood. These small, but geographically desirable, homes are now valuable. One realtor recently suggested potential buyers think of it not as a small house but as a large condo.To the left is 1-7 Snows Court - seven original red brick row houses, built in 1890. They maintain their historic facades as well as original brick rears. The houses are 13 feet wide and 28 feet deep. They were built by James H. Grant for developer Samuel Norment. (Norment was the same developer responsible for the Fitzgerald and adjoining row houses featured at the start of the tour.) This grouping of homes helps us visualize how the entire alley must have looked during the late 1800s. In 1905, these very basic dwellings with four to five rooms rented from $6.50 to $9.30 a month. They may have been occupied by at least two families and additional boarders.To the right, don’t miss the tiny red row house at 8 Snows Court - it is 11 feet wide and measures 528 square feet. The cluster of houses at 8-20 Snows Court were designed and built in 1884 by Oliver Cox for developer Edwin Greer.Around the corner (on the right) is 11 Snows Court -- in 1959, seven concerned neighbors met here to form the Foggy Bottom Association (FBA), as noted by a plaque. The FBA is active and has approximately 240 members and always looking for more! The FBA succeeded the Foggy Bottom Restoration Association, founded in March 1955, at 21 Snows Court. By the mid-1950s, the industries that made Foggy Bottom foggy had shut down and the area became attractive to new development. The new development would either demolish or renovate the historic row houses, many of which were substandard. Either way, the remaining low-income residents, mostly African American, would be displaced. The FBRA fought for the preservation of the historic houses and blocked the enforcement of the City's ban on alley dwellings. Some of the historic neighborhood survived, but citizens were not able to prevent the construction of several new high-rise apartment buildings.At the furthest end of the brick paved court (once home to wooden horse stables, clothes drying on lines, and fenced yards) is the rear entrance for St. Paul’s Parish. St. Paul’s was originally located on Washington Circle from 1866 until its 1948 demolition to make room for the GW Hospital (demolished and relocated in 2006).Return to the street in front of Nos. 1-7 to exit the allay towards 25th Street.

Continue walking through Snows Court to see additional 1880-era row houses, including the much photographed row of Nos. 1-7. This area also includes the alley's smallest house and the site of the founding of the Foggy Bottom Association, which since the 1950s has worked to preserve the neighborhood's history, maintain its green spaces, and advocate for the community on issues of concern.

Snows Court Row Houses 

This corner is currently a lovely alley space with creative container gardens placed in front of the remaining row houses. In 1892, there were up to 300 people living in Hughes Court. Most of the old row houses were demolished and replaced by large apartment buildings in the mid-late 1950s. Only this group (911-923 Hughes Mews) of row houses remains. Nos. 911 and 913 were built in 1887 by Geo. E. Emmons for J.W. Payne. Nos. 915-923 were designed, built and owned by Danenhower &amp; Sons in 1885.In the early 20th century, Hughes Court shared Snows Court's reputation for overcrowding, disease, and crime. Housing "reformer" Rev. Wilbur V. Mallalieu wrote in 1912 that Snows Court, "a festering sore in the District of Columbia" was "almost immediately connected with Hughes Court, another interior alley. The two form one underworld community." Charles Frederick Weller in "Neglected Neighbors" (1909) (p. 246) included both alleys as part of "a large area of stagnation," noting that "[o]dors from the gas works and influences from large breweries are especially evident here."There is a folktale concerning a notorious resident of Hughes Court named Sam McKeever. He worked as rag merchant by day. But by night, he was a grave robber and body-snatcher, who sold the bodies to medical schools. The story is one night in 1918, he came upon a woman in a park, jumped her from behind, threw a bag over her, knocked her on the head, and sold her to a medical school. When he got home to Hughes Court, his wife was missing and he realized what he had done, but it was too late.In the 1950s, couples like Ben and Dorothy Burch purchased and began to renovate houses in Hughes Court, now changed to Hughes Mews. According to author Kim Prothro Williams, "as part of the process, they brought in gas, electricity, and indoor plumbing, repointed and painted the brick walls and replaced windows and roofs." (p. 68)The modern square brick house (909 Hughes Mews) replaced a garage in 2004. It is currently occupied by artist/writer/story-teller J. Ford Huffman.

Hughes Mews - formerly known as Hughes Court - has a small collection of original picturesque alley row houses dating from the late 1800s. At one time this alley held as many people as nearby Snows Court and shared its bad reputation as being overcrowded, unsanitary, and unsafe. As with Snows Court, that reputation ignored the presence of the alley's low-income, but close-knit and vibrant community. The alley currently features a large mural hand-painted by artist Elizabeth Graeber, "Garden," featured in the 2014 Arts in Foggy Bottom bi-annual exhibition.

Hughes Mews - Foggy Bottom's Other Alley

The three-story red brick corner house at 26th and I Streets (901 26th St.) was built in 1878 as a house and store. In 1914, it was a saloon operated by Robert Stauber. But by 1923 - after Prohibition took effect - the building housed the Universal Holiness Church. The house has been renovated and the elaborate painted ironwork gates were installed in 1981. The gates were created by sculptor Albert Paley, who also created the "Portal Gates" in 1974 for the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery near the White House.26th Street overlooks the Potomac Freeway (I-66). In the 1960s, planners intended to connect this highway with additional roads to form an "Inner Loop Beltway" within Washington D.C. Fortunately, the effort was blocked and funding went to the Metro subway system instead. But this section of highway was built before the plan was abandoned and the highway wiped out about one-third of the neighborhood and displaced over 270 families. Demolished buildings included: The Briggs-Montgomery Elementary School, originally an African American School built in 1903 (named for Margaret Briggs, an African American educator and contemporary of Frederick Douglas, and H.P. Montgomery, an African American school administrator from the late 1800s), the Sharon Baptist Church (900 27th St.); Green’s Court (Square 5, between 26th and 27th, I and K Sts.), which had houses that had been recently renovated; and the Robert Peter House at 27th and K Streets, owned by the Mayor of Georgetown, where George Washington actually slept on his visits to D.C. in the 1790s (including on his last night in Washington, August 5, 1799).It could have been worse – the original plan was to route a six-lane highway down 25th Street, displacing even more people and wiping out more historic homes. After protests from the community and developers, the highway was relocated to the west.The three isolated row houses (2635, 2637, 2639 I St.) in the distance are all that remains of the neighborhood west of 26th Street. Nos. 2635 and 2637 were constructed in 1879 by Peter McCartney for owner Gilbert Cannon. The houses are relatively simple and are two stories and three bays wide. The façade of No. 2635 has been replaced. No. 2639 is a single dwelling that appears to have been designed as a double residence, and has a side entrance as well as two front doors. It was built by W.H. Serrin and owned by Edward Welsh in 1877. The houses were included in the original proposal for the Foggy Bottom Historic District, but omitted from the final designation, so they lack historic protection. The highway construction has left the houses difficult to access.Looking toward Georgetown is the Whitehurst Freeway (b.1949). Excavation for Whitehurst renovations in 1996 unearthed a Native American burial site that contained the cremated remains and grave goods of a high status 30 to 40 year old woman. Artifacts included a comb carved from antler, fossil shark teeth, beads, and cloth. The site dated from between AD 640 and 790, towards the end of the Middle Woodland period. The Site was located beneath the historical remains of what was Reed Alley, about 15 feet below ground surface. Other artifacts, including potsherds and stone tools found throughout the area show native people camped here as long as 5,000 years ago.Across the highway to the South is the Boathouse condominium and the Watergate office-apartment-hotel complex. The Boathouse (b. 2019) replaces a Howard Johnson’s hotel (b. 1960). The Watergate break-in team monitored the June 1972 bungled DNC burglary and wire-tapping from room 723 of that hotel. From 1999 to 2016, The George Washington University owned the building and used it as a dormitory, The Hall on Virginia Avenue.The corner park area includes a stately heritage tree that survived all the transitions in the neighborhood. This corner also hosts an elevated multi-mirrored sculpture. Entitled “Watching Post,” it was created by artist Graham Caldwell and installed in 2014 as one of the exhibition sculptures in the Arts in Foggy Bottom Biannual event. It was purchased with funds from the FBA and some residents. With all its mirrors, it's also highly functional.

The corner of 26th and I Streets offers a view of the Foggy Bottom area that was destroyed when the Potomac Freeway - an extension of I-66 from Roosevelt Bridge - was built in the mid 1960s. The highway construction wiped out several blocks of historic Foggy Bottom, including renovated row houses, alleys, and an elementary school. Three remaining historic row houses are visible on I &amp; 27th Streets, across the Freeway. The area also included an ancient Native American burial site, a reminder of the area's first residents.

Highway Overlook - Lost Foggy Bottom

The first two houses at the bottom of I Street (2530-2532) were built in 1889 by Irish immigrant Peter McCartney. The houses feature an unusual bricked arched entryway to the back yard garden and intricate brick cornice work. McCartney built a number of houses in Foggy Bottom in the 1880s. He began as a carpenter and soon established a successful contracting business. His skill with brick and wood is found throughout the historic district including in the corbelled brick cornices and delicate jigsaw work. No. 2532 still features the McCartney as-built interior floor plan, including a wood-burning fireplace and his hand-made mantle. Swiss artist Daniel Zeltner painted a colorful mural, with cows and the Capitol - it is located on the back retaining wall (behind the house).The right side of the I Street features nine row houses, built in 1911 (2512-2528 I St.). They are set back from the street allowing room for terraced gardens. Even though these houses have more land than others in the neighborhood, they were built as low cost housing for working people. Nos. 2512-2518 were designed by local architect A.H. Beers and built by H.A. Kite. They are modest brick structures, although a bay window has been added to No. 2526. The George Washington University's Rohr Chabad Jewish Student Center is located in a renovated house along this row. The rear of the house has been expanded to offer room for Torah study, classrooms, and large gatherings. Nos. 2520-2528 were designed by Washington architect N.R. Grimm. These houses are slightly wider and have slightly more ornate brickwork.At the top of the hill are two narrower row houses - No. 2508 is another Peter McCartney house, built in 1887 for Thomas Cahill. Note the restrained brick cornice and delicate jigsaw work above the windows and door. This house also has an unusual side-entrance.The houses on the lower left side of I Street were built since the 1950s. They replaced wood houses, including the ones shown in the 1940s pictures of a family (who resided across the street from 1918 to 1957). Further up the street are some original houses. No. 2513 (b.1925) is interesting because it has two wooden front doors and a bay window. At one time, the house was divided into two residences, each with its own door. Nos. 2503-2507 were designed in 1892 by Thomas Francis Jr. and built by George W. Dove for T.B. Harrison. They feature large projecting bays and a strong vertical brick cornice. No. 2507 is currently being extensively renovated, while keeping the façade – the one next to it (No. 2505) needs renovation.

The 2500 block of I Street features a variety of sizes and styles of working-class row houses. Irish immigrant builder Peter McCartney built several of these houses. The largest group of houses is unique because their set backs from the street allow for a variety of terraced landscaping. At the top of the street are three imposing row houses, in various stages of renovation. This stop also features historic photos of members of an African American family who made their homes here in the early-mid 20th century.

Rows with Spacious Front Gardens

At the corner, the blue house with the paved front yard (830 25th St./2500 I Street) is the oldest house in the Historic District. It is recorded as built in 1872, and is the only remaining wood frame house. It has been reported (but not confirmed) that the house was built before the Civil War and was a stop in the Underground Railroad for freedom-seeking African Americans.The Foggy Bottom neighborhood does have confirmed Underground Railroad sites. A plaque marks the location of the house of Leonard Grimes at H and 22nd St., on what is now the GWU campus. Grimes (1815-1873) was a free African American who operated as hackney – or horse-drawn cab driver. He assisted enslaved people in gaining their freedom in the 1830s. For this, he was arrested and served two years in the Virginia State penitentiary in Richmond, Virginia. Upon his release, he became a minister and moved to Boston, Massachusetts, becoming a prominent abolitionist leader.Also, 13-year old Emily Edmondson had been hired out as a maid on 21st and G Streets. In 1848, she joined 76 other enslaved people in an attempt to seek freedom on schooner The Pearl. The ship was captured before it could exit the Potomac and most of the escapees were re-sold into slavery in the deep south. But funds were raised to buy freedom for Emily (and her sister Mary). Emily attended Oberlin College, worked at an African American school in D.C., and later started a family in Maryland. The Pearl incident was commemorated by artist Lynda Andrews-Berry in a sculpture, "Pearl Dream," installed as part of the 2021 Arts in Foggy Bottom exhibition.Although originally built as a residence, the blue wood frame house had commercial uses. In 1914 it was a saloon operated by Jane McInerney and William Biggs. By 1971, it had operated as corner grocery store for some time. Later the house was co-joined with the adjacent red brick house (with the entrance on 830 25th Street) and it is currently used as an apartment building.On the other side of 25th Street, 2428 I St., was a grocery store in the early 1900s. In the early 1960s, the Marg-Ann Beauty Salon occupied that corner. Next door, 2426 I Street, is unusual because it is the only house in the district that has a brownstone facing (instead of brick). It was built in 1880 as a residence, but by 1917, it was operated as a funeral home by undertaker Phillip Barbour. These close to home, owner-operated small businesses addressed the needs of the neighborhood's residents.On the corner is a red fire alarm box, one of four located in the area. Cast iron police and fire call boxes were located throughout the city in the 1880s and were connected by cables to emergency centers. The boxes were taken out of service in the 1970s with the invention of the 911 emergency call service. Throughout the city, many of the alarm boxes have been repurposed and display neighborhood artwork.

The central cross-roads of the Historic District (25th and I Street) provides a view of variety of row houses styles, including the blue wood-frame house, which is potentially associated with the Underground Railroad. In the past, this corner also hosted bars, grocery stores, a funeral home, and a beauty parlor. Currently the corner houses a mix of owner-occupied, rentals, a small apartment building, and a few Airbnb's.

The Center of the Historic District 

Looking across the to the west side of 25th St. (Nos. 822-828) are four relatively plain individual buildings with varying roof heights and greater depth than the houses across the street. The first three were built in 1886 by John Scanlon, a prosperous saloon keeper. The last one (No. 822) is two stories high and three bays wide - it was built in 1878 for P. Hough. To the south of those buildings is the Plaza Co-op, but from at least the 1920s to the 1950s, it was the site of the African American Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church (814-816 25th St.). Walking past the back entrance of the Arc Hotel are four typical Foggy Bottom row houses (815-821 25th St.). They were built in 1885, with similar flat facades, brick arches, and a cornice that connects the four buildings.The next group (803-813 25th St.), built in 1890, are very unusual. As stated in the Historic District Nomination, the houses' "vernacular design elements" include "bellcast roofs, lancet windows, Flemish gables, and peaked lintels." Neighborhood lore indicates that photographs of the houses were circulated in Germany to attract brewery workers. In fact, the houses were built five years before the Heurich Brewery arrived in Foggy Bottom, relocating from 20th St. (five blocks away), in 1895. But the "story book" houses could have appealed to German immigrants. The houses were designed by architect Chas. E. Burden, and built by Frank N. Carver for Chas. Early and J.P. Jones. This team was also responsible for 801 25th Street.No. 811 displays part of artist Dalya Luttwak's sculpture, "Five Tap Roots." Ms. Luttwak's metal sculptures reveal what plant nature prefers and needs to conceal, its roots. At the time of the Arts in Foggy Bottom exhibition, the installation included several yellow root like sculptures of varying sizes.The distinctive, multi-sided corner house (801 25th St.) features a turret-mansard roof combination – common in D.C. Victorian houses, but relatively rare in Foggy Bottom. Built in 1880, the Budd family lived in this large house with their adult children and some of their spouses in the 1900s. During the 1920s-1940s, the house was occupied by laborers, messengers, a charwoman, a driver, and an undertaker. In 1960, accomplished architect Melita Rodeck was hired to renovate the house - she liked her renovations so much that she moved there from nearby Potomac Plaza.Ms. Rodeck lived here for 43 years, moving out only when she became unable to navigate the flights of stairs. When she purchased the house, it was deteriorating and a risk to visitors. She made several changes to the improve the stability of the structure and create a more functional modern living space. The house still had a total of six rooms on three floors. Ms. Rodeck is same architect who designed the row houses on Queen Anne’s Lane. She sold the house to novelist Thomas Mallon. His works include "Two Moons" (2001), a historic novel story set at the Naval Observatory in 1877. The observatory at that time was located in Foggy Bottom on the hill across 23rd St. from the State Department.

The row houses of 25th Street transition from the typical Foggy Bottom facades to a group of six houses with unusual and fanciful combinations of architectural elements, which may have appealed to German brewery workers. This group of narrow houses represent the creativity and the skill level of builders and craftsmen. No. 811 features a vertical yellow sculpture, "Five Tap Roots," installed as part of the 2014 Arts in Foggy Bottom exhibition. At the end of 25th Street is a distinctive yellow turreted house built in 1890, sometimes referred to as "Foggy Bottom's Octagon House."

Story Book Row and Foggy Bottom's "Octagon" House

The view from this corner from the 1850s to the 1950s was dominated by the Washington Gas Light Company's gas works. Built in the 1850s, its facilities dominated the skyline (and the smell) of the southern part of Foggy Bottom. The Heurich Brewery was another massive facility that operated from 1895-1956. The Abner-Drury Brewery at 25th and F Street also operated from 1898 to 1938. Other industries included cement plants and lime kilns. But the area also hosted The Watergate Inn, a popular Pennsylvania Dutch restaurant known for its pop-overs. Nearby was Pete's Irish bar, and its frequently visiting goat that lived at a nearby riding stable. And after the Heurich Brewery closed, the Arena Stage theater presented shows at its hospitality reception room until their new theater opened in southwest D.C. The current Arena Stage recalls this heritage through its "Old Vat Room" theater.After the gasworks closed down in the 1940s, the first project to go up was the Potomac Plaza Co-op in 1957 (2475 Virginia Ave.). The redevelopment project was originally planned to reach the Potomac River and rival New York's Rockefeller Center, including a skating rink and a yacht basin. That plan did not work out, so the developers sold the southern part of the property to the builders of the Watergate Complex. The Watergate residences, offices, and hotel opened in phases from 1965-1971. Famous Watergate residents included Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Robert Dole, and Placido Domingo.Beyond the Watergate Complex is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, completed in 1971, on the site of the Heurich Brewery. The statue of Mexican President Benito Juarez gives its name to the traffic circle. It was installed in 1969 and was a gift from Mexico, in return for U.S. gift of a statute of President Abraham Lincoln. Behind President Juarez is the Saudi Arabian Embassy, which was originally constructed for the Peoples Life Insurance Company in 1959.

Standing on the corner of 25th and H Streets prior to the 1950s, you would have seen a very different view. It would be dominated by the Washington Gas Light Company's gas works, including its huge round gas holding tanks and smoke-emitting coal gasification plant. Other nearby industries included the Christian Heurich and Drury-Abner breweries, cement plants, and lime kilns. Industry closed down in the 1950s, making the neighborhood a more desirable place to live. Soon the Watergate and other modern apartments and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts replaced the old industries.

View from the Bottom of the Historic District

The house at 800 New Hampshire Ave., built in 1890, wraps around the corner, and has been expanded to incorporate the house to its left. In 1914, it housed one of two dressmakers who operated businesses from their houses on this block.The next group of houses, 800 to 810 New Hampshire Ave., were all built in 1890 by Frank N. Carver, designed by Chas. E. Burden, and owned by Chas. Early and J.P. Jones. (The same team responsible for the 25th St. story book and turreted houses.) They were built "on speculation" - that is for a builder, who would then sell them to the public. The brick facades use brick and iron cornices, mansard and flat roofs, and slate and tin to create a variety of picturesque buildings.No. 802 has a first story with pointed arch windows and doors. The second story uses rectangular windows with peaked lintels. The cornice is articulated in projecting vertical rows of brick. Nos. 804 and 808 feature mansard roofs with two gabled dormer windows. The first floors have recessed doorways and peaked lintels. No. 806, the bright yellow house, has a corbelled gable, with a pseudo-chimney, set into a mansard roof. The first floor has a small window set between the door and a normal window. No. 810 reflects the massing of No. 802. It has what the Historic District nomination describes as "a romantic castle motif. Its painted-blue flat façade is broken at the second story by an oriel window, with a crenellated cornice. Note the cross motif created in recessed brick."812-818 New Hampshire Ave. were built in 1885 for R.A. Beuchler. The two-story, two-bay houses feature brick molded arches above the windows and doors, and decorated cornices.The Arc Hotel, 824 New Hampshire Ave. (back entrance at 825 25th St.), opened in 2016 and was recently renovated. It was built in 1960 and opened in 1962 at the Channel House Apartments and Hotel. It housed the Intrigue Restaurant and the Channel House Beauty Salon. It later converted to a hotel, known as The Inn at Foggy Bottom. GWU owned the building from 1994 to 2016 and operated it as The George Washington University Inn. The curved metal sculpture was installed in 2021.828-838 and 842-44 New Hampshire Ave. (as well as 2400-2416 I St.) were designed and built in 1886 by James H. Grant, for speculator Samuel Norments. The houses are two bays wide and two stories high and feature decorated cornices and segmental arches over the windows and doors. As noted in the the Historic District Nomination, "they are simple buildings, but pleasant in scale and proportion."

New Hampshire Avenue forms the eastern border of the Historic District. Going up (north) New Hampshire Avenue, there are three groups of five row houses each built between 1885 and 1890. These colorful groups present a variety of architectural features including decorated cornices, bay windows, brickwork designs, arches, and landscaped front yard areas. The Arc Hotel in the middle of the block, built in 1960, breaks the link of historic row houses.

Architectural Variety on New Hampshire Avenue

The brick house at the corner of I and 24th streets (2403 I St.) dates from 1958, as do the next four row houses (900-906 New Hampshire Ave.) and the tall office building (No. 906) was added in 1984. The current owners of No. 2403 are widely loved by neighborhood dogs for their brick ledge dog biscuit bar.The two-story, six-bay white brick 7-11 store is one of the oldest buildings in the Historic District. It was originally built in 1876 as a dwelling (for C.M. Floyd). It has been used a neighborhood food store for many years. For less than a week in April, 1959, "Beatnik" Bill Walker operated a Greenwich Village-type coffee house, called "Coffee 'n' Confusion" at the site. In 1982, the 7-11 replaced the Nicholas Superette. (Although zoned residential, the commercial use of this building preceded the zoning.) The pink brick house next door (910 New Hampshire Ave.) was also owned by C.M. Floyd, built in 1883. Neighborhood opposition in the 1980s kept that house from operating as a dry cleaners.Continuing north, there are several new developments. Foggy Bottom Mews (900 24th St.), which extends into Snows Court, was built in 1976. Next is the large Jefferson House Apartment Building, built in 1965 for major D.C. developer Oliver T. Carr, Jr.. It was designed by architects Corning, Moore, Elmore, Fischer and built by Donohoe Const. Co., Inc. D.C. artist Kelly Towles painted a colorful rooftop mural that decorates a Foggy Bottom Mews unit - it is visible above the 7-11, and is best seen from across the street.24th Street has four colorful historic row houses (Nos. 936-942), which were built for A.D. Elliot by Oliver Cox in 1884. The brick buildings are two-stories and two-bays. They share a continuous frieze running above the top windows connecting the houses. They also feature triple-brick arches over the window and doors, and three retain transom windows over the front doors. The houses back onto Snows Court. No. 942 has an addition reaching into the Court.The Varsity apartment building (940 24th St.) was built in 1986. The building was originally used as an extended stay hotel, the St. James Suites. It was owned by the Potomac Hospitality Services (PHS) group, the owners of the nearby One Washington Circle and The River Inn hotels. In 2001, GWU signed a 15-year lease to use the building as a dormitory, called "City Hall." It was then converted to apartments.In 2017, the Varsity funded a mural by artist Aniekan Udofia, who has completed over 30 murals in D.C., including at Ben's Chili Bowl. The mural reflects Foggy Bottom history focusing on the central figure of a glass-blower, a reference to the Glass House, an early Foggy Bottom industry. It shows factory smoke, the D.C. Flag, and George Washington and pencils, references to the George Washington University.From 1884 to 1911 the site of the Varsity was occupied by St. Savoir, "a place of refuge for fallen women" operated by the Association of the Works of Mercy, Inc. The next owner was St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church, which is located at the corner of Pennsylvania and 25th St. (north of the Historic District). During World War I, the site was used by Catholic University as place for recreation for single women working for the federal government. It operated as St. Stephen's parochial school from 1921 to 1954. From 1954 to 1985, the building housed the Immaculate Conception Academy, a school for girls run by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent DePaul. It also housed a convent for the Sisters of Notre Dame from 1927 to 1954, when the convent was also taken over by the Daughters of Charity. The school/convent was sold, demolished, and replaced by the current apartment building in 1985.The Daughters of Charity also established the city's first foundling home, St. Anne's Infant Asylum in 1863. It was located across the 24th Street in what is now the GWU Public Health building. President Lincoln signed St. Anne's charter to establish "an institution for the maintenance and support of foundlings and infant orphan and half orphan children, and also to provide for deserving, indigent, and unprotected females during their confinement and childbirth." A maternity hospital was attached to the asylum. The building was demolished in the late 1940s and used as GWU parking lot. St. Anne's is now located in Hyattsville, MD.The Varsity and the Circle Arms Apartments (2416 K St.) (b. 1964) are not included in the historic district, but the District resumes with historic buildings on K Street.

Heading north, towards Washington Circle, is a white brick 7-11 convenience store (912 New Hampshire Ave.), which is one of the Historic District's oldest houses (b. 1876). Above the 7-11 you can see a rooftop mural by D.C. artist Kelly Towles. Turning left onto 24th Street, there are four colorful row houses built in 1884. Don't miss Aniekan Udofia's "Foggy Bottom" mural on the left at the Varsity Apartments. The corner of 24th and K Streets once housed a large Catholic school, a convent, a women's refuge, a WWI women's recreation center, and an orphan home, all of which are now gone.

Historic Houses and Modern Murals

The historic buildings are located in the middle of the 2400 block of K Street. The three-story yellow brick building, No. 2420, was built in 1890 by James H. Grant and designed by architect N. R. Grimm. (One of many Historic District houses designed or built by them.) It is rectangular with a projecting square bay. The intricate wrought iron front staircase embellishes the otherwise simple dwelling. To the right, a narrow passageway leads into Snows Court.The Manila House (No. 2422) was built in 1874 in an "Italian Villa" style. It is the most ornate in the Historic District. Built of concrete-block, the house is three-stories high and three-bays wide and features a prominent oriel bay window with hood molding. It also has decorative insets with cupids in relief above the door and windows. It was a gathering place for Filipino-Americans in the 1930s-1950s and featured a garden in Snows Court that grew native Filipino vegetables. In 2017, Filipino-American activists worked with the American Library Association to recognize the Manila House as a literary landmark, with a plaque in honor of author Bienvenido N. Santos. Santos (1911- 1996), wrote about the Manila House in a collection of short stories, "Scent of Apples," the winner of the 1981 American Book Award. St. Paul's Church owns the building, which houses the Acton Academy, a Montessori-based school.Next are two salmon-colored brick buildings with projecting bays (originally Nos. 2424-2426, now marked No. 2430). They were built in 1885 for Louise A Veerhoff. They now serve as the Parish House for St. Paul's Church. Note the diamond-pattern leaded glass transom window of the house on the left. The house on the right also has leaded glass in the lower narrow window on the right side of the house.St. Paul's Parish (2430 K St.) was founded in 1866 and built its first church in 1868 at Washington Circle (917 23rd St. NW, now the block with Whole Foods grocery store). In 1944, the U.S government moved to condemn the block that included the Church and use the property to build a hospital for The George Washington University. The Church filed a lawsuit challenging the condemnation. The challenge failed, but the Church received $152,500 in compensation and was allowed to remove its organ, pews, and other furnishings that were stored at government expense. Other residents of the block also sued unsuccessfully to stop their evictions. About 25% were African American residents who argued since the GWU Hospital would not admit them because of their race, government funds should not be used to build the hospital. The old church was demolished in 1944 and the congregation moved into the current building in 1948.The current church was designed in the Gothic style by Philip H. Frohman, who had been the architect of Washington Cathedral since 1912. St. Paul's was built by W.E. Mooney &amp; Co. The church is faced with irregular sized rectangular field stone and its tall vertical windows feature pointed arches. Since its founding, the Parish has followed the Episcopalian Anglo-Catholic tradition. For years, the Parish has had a strong musical tradition. It hosted the first vested choir (associated with a choral or sung service) in Washington and has a notable Schoenstein pipe organ.

The 2400 block of K Street was once the most prosperous section of what is now the Historic District. No. 2422 is one of the Historic District's oldest, built in 1874. From the 1930s to 1950s, it served as "The Manila House," a gathering place for Filipino-Americans (as noted in the landmark designation plaque). The adjoining row houses (1885-1890) feature decorative iron stair risers and leaded stained glass windows. St. Paul's Parish Episcopalian Church has a long history, with its first church built on Washington Circle in 1866. The current church was built in 1948, when the George Washington University demolished its original building to build the (since relocated) GWU Hospital.

The Manila House and St. Paul's Church

The first group of five row houses (955-963 25th St.) were built in 1911 by Harry A. Kite and designed by architect A.H. Beers. They are simple, two-floor, two-bay brick rowhouses, built towards the end of the district's historic period (1915). There are lintels over the windows and doors. The fan connecting the front doors of Nos. 959-961 and white pilasters are likely a subsequent addition.The next house, No. 953, was designed by architect R. Ough and built Geo. W. Ray in 1909. It features a polychrome Flemish bond brick pattern and three decorative wreaths below the roofline.The blue brick building (No. 951) was built by Peter McCartney for Jas. Gowens in 1883. It is McCartney's tallest building. The three story building with an English basement has a large projecting bay. It has a pediment roof capping the projecting bay and brick arches over the windows. Note also the stained-glass transom window over the front door, and string courses on the first and second level. The house recently sold for $1,225,000 and is being renovated.The white building next door, No. 949, was built by H.F. Morris for Jas. Gowens in 1880. It has four stories and is crowned by a gable dormer window in the mansard roof, making it one of tallest row houses in the Historic District. It displays elaborate ornamental brickwork in a variety of patterns. Its four metal "star bolts" connect the façade to the joists behind the brick to stabilize the structure.The adjoining red brick house, No. 947, was built in 1879 for Leo McGraw. It is a two-story brick house, three-bays wide, with decorative brick arches over the windows.The next building (Nos. 939-945), built in 1959, features elegant curved brickwork. It has two stories and eight units, with large semi-circular projecting bays and Palladian fans over the doors.At the Snows Court entrance, No. 933 and the adjoining three buildings were all built in 1979. In the mid-60s, No. 933 housed the Plaza Food Mart, which served Snows Court.Looking across to the west side of 25th Street is the Claridge House Cooperative (950 25th St.) (b.1966), which has annexed the adjoining 1957 apartment (940 25th St.). The building was designed by architects Corning &amp; Moore. The combined co-op buildings contain 352 studio and one bedroom units. To the left of the entrance to Hughes Mews is The River Inn, an-all suite hotel. It was built as the Alamac Apartments in 1957, designed by architect Edwin Weihe. The River Inn converted to a hotel in 1978, just before a 1980 zoning change prevented such conversion. The hotel attracted tour buses and Foggy Bottom residents persuaded the city to ban such buses on residential streets. The ban was challenged, but upheld, creating a national precedent. These buildings are not included in the Historic District.

Turning left onto 25th Street, the first half of the 900 block features row houses built from 1879 to 1979. The three-story (plus basement) row houses feature a variety of decorative brick work. One of these, No. 951, is the tallest of the remaining seven Peter McCartney-built houses in the neighborhood. Three-story plus row houses are present in Washington, but rare in the Historic District.

The Tallest Row Houses

On the East side of 25th Street, the first two houses after the 925 Apartment building (917 and 915 25th St.) were built in 1909 by E.T. Crismond, with architect A.H. Beers, for Harry A. Kite. Kite and Beers collaborated on a number of building projects during that time period (including 2512-2518 I St.). Over his career, developer Kite was responsible for constructing over 1,400 houses and apartment buildings in the D.C. area. The next houses (Nos. 911 and 913) were built in 1956. No. 909 has a brick foundation with vinyl siding, and was built in 1874. Note the exquisite tulip pattern on the front cast-iron stairway. The remaining blue two story apartment building (Nos. 901-907) was built in 1940 by E.W. Beck for Edwin Shelton and K.J. Hardy, and designed by James J. Baldwin. In 1914 that corner was occupied by a saloon owned by Hugh J. McGinniss, which faced the saloon on the opposite corner of 25th and I Streets.Looking to the west side of 25th Street, the continuous row of 14 similar style houses provides a contrast to the eclectic group of houses just described. The first six buildings on the west side (Nos. 900-910) illustrate how decorative brickwork adds visual interest to modestly-scaled buildings. The houses are two-stories high and two-bays wide. They feature alternating front door placements, and a variety of arches, pediments, and broken pediments above the doors. Note the corbel motif at the eves of the brick cornice and the segmental arched six-light grid windows. The next group of taller houses, Nos. 912-914 1/2, were built, designed, and owned by B.H. Warner &amp; Co. as a speculative project in 1887. Danenhower &amp; Son built, designed, and owned Nos. 916-922 in 1885. The narrow arched passageway between Nos. 918 and 920 has a brick pavement. It allows access to the back yards of residents of these houses and borders the back yards of the houses on Hughes Mews alley.Dr. Joseph Giordano, who lived at No. 912, treated President Ronald Reagan at GWUH after his 1981 assassination attempt. Further down the block were more row houses, which in 1914 included two grocers, an oyster seller, and a shoemaker. The presence of so many small businesses in the primarily residential neighborhood no doubt contributed the welfare of the residents and made the area more self-sufficient. Details of the lives of those who lived here, however, have not been well-documented.Take a left at the corner onto I Street and towards the tour's starting and ending point. The first two houses, with the entry alcoves (Nos. 2435 and 2433 I St.), were built in 1956. The white house next door (No. 2431) features a plaque indicating that Peter McCartney built the house for owner John Casey in 1881. It has a one-story polygonal bay, and currently operates as an Airbnb. The green house next door, No. 2429, was built for John Scanlon in 1885 and features a large projecting bay. The next row, Nos. 2427-2421 were built in 1889 for Wm. Tayloe Snyder, designed by Chas. Burden, and built by Joseph Burden. According to the Historic District Nomination, these houses "offer simple interpretations of the English vernacular design that gained popularity with the emergence of the English Arts and Crafts style. This early use is unusual and indicates a level of stylistic awareness that was not typical of Foggy Bottom.... The recessed entries and individually proportioned fenestration add to the charming character of this row." The next group (Nos. 2419-2413) were built by Duvall and Marr in 1885 (although note the new façade on No. 2415). Wide lintels accenting the windows and corbelled brick that decorates the cornices distinguish Nos. 2407-2411. This row was designed in 1909 by A.H. Beers for builder Simon Oppenheimer. They are two-stories high and three-bays wide.

Continuing on the east side of 25th Street, past the 925 Apartment building (b. 1959), are more modern buildings. One exception is No. 909, which was built in 1874 (although renovated in 1938). Across 25th Street – on the west side – stand 14 houses all built in the 1880s (900-922 25th St.). This is the longest row of original houses in the Historic District, and includes the house of the GWU Hospital surgeon who treated Ronald Reagan after his 1981 assassination attempt. Walk up the 2400 block of I Street, past additional historic row houses, to the Tour starting/ending point.

The Historic District's Longest Row

To the east is the Foggy Bottom Metro station, bracketed by the GWU Hospital on the left and GWU Medical School on the right. Continue east to the heart of the GWU campus, which relocated to Foggy Bottom in 1912. The campus includes both pre-existing and GWU-constructed notable and historic buildings. The GWU Museum (701 21st St.) incorporates the Maxwell Woodhull House (b. 1855), one of the campus' first buildings. Across the street is Tonic Quigley's Restaurant (2036 G St.) (b. 1891), formerly a pharmacy, soda and lunch counter and later GWU's Geography Department. The 2000 block of I Street features the Western Market food hall, on the site of the original Western Market (built 1803) and fronted by 1880s row house facades.South of University lies "The Northwest Rectangle," which contains the Departments of State and the Interior and other Federal buildings, including the Federal Reserve, which fronts on Constitution Avenue. Further southeast - off 17th Street - are beautiful buildings including the Octagon House and the Organization of American States, with its rear formal garden and reflecting pool.Once past the Watergate Complex, tour the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It offers free performances every night at 6:00 p.m.at the Millennium Stage. And visit its new THE REACH outdoor performance and rehearsal areas and cafe. Access ramps connect pedestrians and bikers to the Potomac River and other bike paths. If you go south on 23rd Street towards the Lincoln Memorial, you will see the dome of the old Naval Observatory on your right.To the north of the Historic District is Washington Circle, with its 1860 statute of George Washington. Beyond the Circle is the area known as the (new) West End, which includes the former Columbia Hospital for Women and a plaque marking Duke Ellington's birthplace. To the west is Rock Creek Park which forms the dividing line between Foggy Bottom and Georgetown.We hope you enjoy your extended tour!

Thank you so much for selecting this walking tour. For a small neighborhood, I bet you were surprised there's so much to see. By now, you must be ready for a beverage. Head to 23rd and I Streets, just past the Foggy Bottom Metro station, to Circa Restaurant or another neighborhood eatery. There, you can take your time, re-read some of the backstories and spend more time looking at the photos. We'd like to keep you surrounded by our row houses as long as we can, but both of our amazing hotel restaurants closed due in part to the reduction of visitors to the area because of COVID. Keep checking back as they may reopen soon.If you want to learn about Foggy Bottom's rich history, check out the Foggy Bottom Association "History Project" (link below). If the tour sparked your memories of the area we'd love to hear them. For comments about the tour and/or your interest in getting involved with the History Project, email: FLeoneDC@gmail.com or denisev@foggybottomassociation.org.The Historic District is a small, relatively quiet part of the Foggy Bottom area. Greater Foggy Bottom runs from 17th St. (west of the White House) west to Rock Creek Park. And from Pennsylvania Avenue on the north to Constitution Avenue on the south. Foggy Bottom features a number of historic and monumental sites easily visited by foot or bike.

Foggy Bottom Historic District Walking Tour

Queen Anne's Lane - a New Addition to the Historic District

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information