A Tour of Near Northeast Row House History

Acting on a tip from the Corner Forum, last Saturday, Sept. 6, my husband, Libo, and I went to a D.C. Preservation League lecture and historic tour of row houses in Near Northeast, "Name that Row House Near Northeast Tour."

The tour covered the area just north of H Street to around Florida and 14th Street NE. The lecturer, architectural historian Kate Farnham, noted that the D.C. Preservation League is now trying to establish some landmarks in the area—the first step in marking the area as a historic district.

Following the lecture, architectural historian Nancy Schwartz gave a fascinating walking tour of the area. She led us by old coal yards, an old Chinese laundry, one of the earliest public schools, custom built by a local architect, and wood-frame, Italianate, Victorian, post-Victorian, and pre-World War I row houses.

The buildings in the Near Northeast area date from no older than the 1870s. Most buildings in the Corner Forum area probably are from around the turn of the century, presumably after the streetcars began running. Early on, buildings were built one at a time, rather than developing in rows. For this reason, some of the buildings in the Northeast area were built earlier, and spaces between the buildings were filled in later. Based on what the tour guide said, and the similar style of most of the buildings, however, it seems like most of the buildings on Emerald Street NE went up in development blocks (by contrast, 14th Street NE has some mixed styles).

A few row house styles became particularly popular in Washington. For example, the square bay fronts are characteristic of Washington and did not take off elsewhere. They began around the 1870s and were characterized by simpler masonry as the 19th century progressed. The square houses on 13th Street and elsewhere with large front porches date from the pre-World War I (1910-1920) era. They were called "daylight houses" or "box plan houses" and probably originated from Philadelphia. They were very popular as semi-suburban "commuter houses" after the streetcars took off. They generally emphasized letting in lots of light and fresh air. Some had screened-in sleeping porches on the second floor in the back of the house. Most of these have since been turned into rooms.

I don't know much about the history of this area, but I am eager to find out more. If you are interested in a particular building (such as your own home), there will be a follow-up event, "Research Row House Histories," held on Thursday from 6-8:30 p.m. at The City Museum.

Gail Redmann, Vice President of the Research Library and Collections of the Historical Society of Washington/City Museum will teach participants how to use Historical Society of Washington resources and public records to uncover the history of your home. (See the Calendar on page 4 for details.) §