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1114 H St. (Hospitality Community Federal Credit Union) – a modernist 1973-74 building, the first constructed after the 1968 riot, which housed a credit union that was organized by the United Planning Organization in 1965.

On Nov. 10, at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, architectural historians from the firm EHT Traceries gave a PowerPoint presentation to the community on the results of a survey they made of the buildings of the H Street NE commercial corridor, now commonly known as H Street Main Street.

The presentation, given by architectural historians Maria Dayton and Paul Weisher, summarized the results of the survey, which consist of a database covering every building along H Street from Second to 15th Street, as well as recommendations on H Street’s potential for individual landmark and historic district designations. The survey was funded through a collaborative effort by Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6A, H Street Main Street and Abdo Development, and managed by the Stanton Park Neighborhood Association (the Capitol Hill Restoration Society served as a technical advisor).

The survey consists of an individual building record for each building. The record consists primarily of building permit information (such as building owner, architect, style, materials, date of construction, cost, etc.), for those built after 1876, or building information from tax assessment records (owner, materials and value) for those older than 1876. The building permit information collected is limited primarily to “to build” permits and major alterations, so there is still the potential mine of sign permits to unearth by the interested amateur historian. The record also contains an architectural description and digital photo.

Survey Methodology
In explaining their research methodology – which relied on a combination of building permits, maps and tax records – Traceries illustrated how the Sanborn Fire Insurance map can show major changes to buildings over time. In the example of 822 H St., the map shows that it began as a dwelling unit with a carriage house in 1904; became a store by 1928; and by 1960, was a restaurant, while the original carriage house had become an automobile repair shop. All that information from viewing just three maps. They explained the use of the Faehtz & Pratt Real Estate Directory of 1874, which is the best tool for dating those buildings built just a few years before permits were issued.

Individual Recommendations
Traceries recommended five buildings for individual landmark status (these buildings could be listed on both the DC Inventory of Landmarks and the National Register of Historic Places):

1. 720-722 H St. (Northeast Branch of the Home Savings Bank) – a 1912 neoclassical building designed by notable architect Appleton P. Clark Jr.
2. 800 H St. (National Bank of Washington) – a 1921 Beaux Arts Style by prominent architect Stanley Simmons.
3. 1110 H St. (Hubert Newsom Real Estate Building) – an 1890 dwelling converted into a classically-inspired office building in 1920 by real estate developer and lawyer Hubert Newsom.
4. 1114 H St. (Hospitality Community Federal Credit Union) – a modernist 1973-74 building, the first constructed after the 1968 riot, which housed a credit union that was organized by the United Planning Organization in 1965.
5. 800 11th St. (Douglas Memorial United Methodist Church) – an 1898 Romanesque building constructed by J. C. Yost.

Historic District Recommendations
Traceries showed a series of then-and-now shots, which compared the streetscape of the 1940s with today and demonstrated what they determined to be a very much intact corridor. They noted that while there are a number of unfortunate alterations and gaps, the street still “reads” as it did in the past, so it is well worth preserving what is there. They also cited the relationship of the development of H Street to the streetcar line, which was built in 1871. The H Street corridor was and remains today a primary corridor into the city.

In making a recommendation for a historic district, both boundaries and a period of significance are recommended. For the boundaries, they recommend a historic district that would run from Third Street on the south side and Fourth Street on the north side, continuing eastward to the convergence of 15th Street, Maryland Avenue and Florida Avenue. For the period of significance, they recommend the period from 1869, when H Street was on the cusp of development, to 1968, when economic decline and the riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. stopped the growth of the once-flourishing commercial corridor.

What Comes Next
The presentation had 117 attendees, which is a testament to the community’s interest in H Street. The audience included ANC commissioners, the H Street Main Street director, the State Historic Preservation officer, and community leaders from the Stanton Park Neighborhood Association and Capitol Hill Restoration Society. Those who attended were predominately community folks, but there was a smattering of business and property owners from H Street.

H Street Main Street will have a copy of the database to share with its constituents, as will ANC 6A. The presentation has been posted on the CHRS website at www.chrs.org/images/H%20Street%20NE%20Presentation.pdf. The database can serve the community in a number of ways. It can be used to inform renovations and provide source material for historic tours and publications. If there is sufficient support from the community and property owners, the database can provide the basis for a landmark application for any of the buildings recommended for individual landmark status and/or for an H Street historic district.

The long-term future of H Street’s historic resources will depend on the level of commitment there is to retaining its attractive facades and low-scale streetscape that are so much a part of the corridor’s growing vibrancy. The success of several businesses housed in historic buildings will hopefully provide an incentive to other business and property owners on H Street to preserve their buildings, not just for their historic value, but as an integral part of the corridor’s economic development program. If the H Street community decides its best future lies in its past and becomes a historic district, its property owners can potentially reap tax savings from historic preservation tax credits and conservation easements, as well as have the satisfaction of contributing to their community’s sense of place and historic roots.