Tour of Washington, D.C.'s Woodley Park

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William Howard Taft Memorial Bridge, formerly known as the Connecticut Avenue Bridge, was completed in 1907 in Washington, D.C. It extends Connecticut Avenue over Rock Creek Park and connects Woodley Park to the neighborhoods of Sheridan-Kalorama and Kalorama Triangle. It was the first masonry bridge in Washington, D.C. and was the largest unreinforced concrete bridge in the world at the time. The Taft Bridge is 1,341 feet long with seven arches, five of which are 150 feet wide and two are 82 feet wide. It was designed by George S. Morison, who appreciated the strength and persistence of concrete structures, and contains notable decorative elements including lamps with bronze eagles and four concrete lion sculptures known as the Perry lions. Renamed in memory of President William H. Taft in 1931, the bridge signaled an artistic era of building in Washington, D.C.

2. Perry Lion Sculptures

Two pairs of concrete lion sculptures have guarded the William Howard Taft Memorial Bridge over Rock Creek Park since 1906. Innovative at the time for their use of pre-cast concrete, these sculptures were designed by Roland Hinton Perry and are known as the Perry Lions. The original sculptures were installed in 1906, though they deteriorated over time due to weathering and lack of proper care. They were restored once in 1965 and then permanently removed in 1994. Using the original design, the Perry Lions were recast and placed on the bridge in 2000. These are the lions at the Taft Bridge today. Additionally, two bronze copies of the Perry Lions guard the National Zoological Park.

3. Duke Ellington Bridge

Built in 1935, the Duke Ellington Bridge carries Calvert Street NW over Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., connecting the neighborhoods of Woodley Park and Adams Morgan. It was originally called the Calvert Street Bridge until renamed in 1974 in honor of jazz musician Duke Ellington, who was born in Washington, D.C. The bridge’s construction was part of a larger local trend of replacing old iron-truss bridges with robust masonry structures.

4. Wardman Tower

Wardman Tower is a historic wing of the Washington Marriott Wardman Park hotel in the Woodley Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Built in 1928, Wardman Tower is the only surviving section of the Wardman Park Hotel, a luxury residential hotel built by D.C. developer Harry Wardman. Functioning mostly as a private residence in the early twentieth century, Wardman Tower has been home to Vice Presidents, Congressmen, government officials, diplomats, and socialites of Washington, D.C. It was recently converted into a condominium in 2017 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

5. Cathedral Mansions South

Built in 1922, Cathedral Mansions South is one of the three apartment buildings constructed by Harry Wardman as part of the larger Cathedral Mansions complex. Located in D.C.’s scenic Woodley Park, Cathedral Mansions South was designed by Wardman, Eugene Waggaman, and Mihran Mesrobian. It was the first building of the Cathedral Mansions complex constructed and may be the first project in which Armenian architect Mihran Mesrobian participated. Today it is known as South Cathedral Mansions and independently owned and operated.

6. Cathedral Mansions Center

Cathedral Mansions Center was built between 1923 and 1924 as the central building of a larger apartment complex built by Harry Wardman. In 1925, some of its residences along Connecticut Avenue were rezoned for commercial use. Today, the Center building is known simply as the Cathedral Mansions and its businesses along Connecticut Avenue are popular among visitors to the National Zoo.

7. Smithsonian's National Zoological Park

The National Zoological Park, more commonly referred to as the National Zoo, is one of the oldest zoos in the country. Originally conceived as the National Museum’s Department of Living Animals in 1886, the National Zoo was formally established in 1889 by an Act of Congress that sought to provide scientific knowledge to the public and a place for recreation in the city. The National Zoo is part of the Smithsonian Institution and thus admission is free. Visitors can enjoy and learn about wildlife from around the world.

8. Cathedral Mansions North (Cathedral Park)

Cathedral Mansions North, now known as Cathedral Park, was built between 1922 and 1923. While today it is independently owned and operated, Cathedral Mansions North was originally one of three buildings in the Cathedral Mansions complex built by developer Harry Wardman.

9. Kennedy-Warren Apartment Building

The Kennedy-Warren Apartment Building is an art deco apartment complex between the Cleveland Park and Woodley Park neighborhoods in Washington, DC. Built in 1931, the building has undergone numerous expansions in the years since then. In 1994, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places, considered "one of the most significant examples of the luxury apartment house type in Washington, D.C." Today, the Kennedy-Warren still rents out apartments to tenants, who have recently advocated for the building's preservation.

10. Klingle Valley Bridge

The Klingle Valley Bridge, formally known as the Connecticut Avenue Bridge, is an art deco bridge in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Constructed in 1931, the bridge replaced an 1891 streetcar viaduct and eased the pressures of increased transportation along Connecticut Avenue. The Klingle Valley bridge is 497 feet long with a 250-foot steel arch, and its decorative features are bronze and stone. The bridge rises 50 feet above the wooded Klingle Valley, where a new multiuse trail provides a local recreation spot and access to Rock Creek Park. The Klingle Valley Bridge represents an important era of city planning and suburbanization in Washington, D.C. and is a contributing property to the Cleveland Park Historic District.

11. Tregaron Estate

The Tregaron Estate, also known as the Causeway, is a twenty-acre estate located between Washington, D.C.’s Woodley Park and Cleveland Park neighborhoods. Built in 1912, the Tregaron Estate was designed by famed architect Charles Adams Platt, and it remains one of his most well-known works of architectural design in Washington, D.C. The historic estate includes a mansion, carriage house, greenhouse, gardener's residence, a Russian-style dacha, and numerous landscaping features designed by Ellen Biddle Shipman. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990 for its significance in architectural and landscape design and its notable homeowners. It is also a contributing feature of the Cleveland Park Historic District. Today, the buildings are home to the Washington International School and the Tregaron Conservancy. The Tregaron Estate is in the midst of a restoration project by the Tregaron Conservancy and is open to the public.

12. Woodley

Woodley is a Federal mansion in Washington, D.C. constructed in 1801 by Philip Barton Key. As a private residence, it was home to well over a dozen influential individuals, including Presidents Grover Cleveland, Martin Van Buren, and James Buchanan, and Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson. Since 1952, Woodley has been home to the Maret School, a private K-12 school founded in 1911 by three French sisters.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Tour of Washington, D.C.'s Woodley Park

Created by Pamela Curtin on November 17th 2017, 1:45:52 pm.

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Woodley Park, a historic neighborhood in northwest Washington, D.C., continues to be an urban retreat for both locals and tourists alike. Once home to sprawling woodland estates, Woodley Park became a thriving, stylish suburb in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. New bridges and transportation methods connected the neighborhood to downtown and nearby suburbs. Beautiful homes and apartment buildings provided private residence for some of Washington's socially and politically elite as well as access to public spaces such as Rock Creek Park and the Smithsonian's National Zoo. On this Clio tour, explore Woodley Park's history through the places and people that helped create what it is today.

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Tour of Washington, D.C.'s Woodley Park

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