Then and Now: 2460 Sixteenth Street, NW

The structure located at 2460 Sixteenth Street, west of Meridian Hill Park, started to take shape in the mind of architect George Oakley Totten, jr., when he started drawing up plans for a four-story residence to be built by former Senator and Mrs. John B. Henderson in early 1907.

It was reported early on that the structure was destined to serve as the French Embassy, and this may have been in part why a Beaux Arts style was chosen. By early December of 1907, the building was completed and Ambassador and Mme. Jusserand took possession, leasing the home from Senator and Mrs. Henderson.

The French government did own a large tract of land in Kalorama Heights, but did not plan to erect a permanent home for the Embassy there for many years.

The dwelling was situated between the Henderson castle (now gone) and the the “Venetian” palace also built by the Henderson’s and leased to Secretary Oscar Solomon Straus of the Department of Commerce and labor.

The new Embassy was four stories high, with a frontage of sixty-five feet, and a depth of eighty feet. The exterior was of carved Indian limestone, with slate roof and copper cresting. Through the entrance on Sixteenth street, the entrance hall had white walls of caen stone and a marble mosaic floor.

The interior decorations were described as handsome, and the offices on the first floor were considered modern. A marble stairway with balustrades of wrought iron led to the second floor, where there was a large anteroom, a large drawing room, walls hung in silk, and a circular drawing room with windows on all sides. The floors were parquetry in quartered oak.

The Embassy stayed in this location until 1936, When the French government bought the John Hays Hammond property at 2221 Kalorama road northwest. Hammond had moved from the property in 1932 and during that time the wildlife from nearby Rock Creek Park had made the estate their home.

Today, the property at 2460 Sixteenth Street is the home of the Council for Professional Recognition.

Feeding my Love of Neon

Heres a neon sign on a restaurant on 14th Street in northern Columbia Heights. I admit I haven’t had the chance to eat there yet, but it looked like something I might want to go back and check it out.

Industrial Bank: Interior ca. 1934

Here’s a nice shot from the Smithsonian Institution. It shows the interior of the Industiral Bank at 11th and U Streets ca. 1934. I’ve never been in the bank, but I really love their sign out front with the clock at the bottom. Now, if only they would turn the neon on for me.

Serenity in Meridian Hill Park

While I was tooling around 16th Street over the weekend, I decided to peek into Meridian Hill Park. If you are familiar with the park, you may also be familiar with the sculpture Serenity by Jose Clara.

The sculpture was erected as a gift to the American people from Charles Deering in memory of William Henry Scheutze. William Henry Scheutze (1853-1902), a naval officer who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1873, went on to serve as navigator on the U.S.S. Iowa during the Spanish American War and was active in the U.S. Naval White Squadron in Chicago. This memorial was funded privately by a classmate and friend from the U.S. Naval Academy, Charles Deering. An identical sculpture by the same sculptor is installed in Luxembourg and is known by its Spanish title, “Serenidad.”

New DDOE Placards Popping Up

All in all, I’m really behind the District Department of the Environment placards I’ve been noticing around the City lately. While I’ve seen these in other jurisdictions, I hadn’t seen them here before. They remind folks that dumping down storm drains actually pollutes Rock Creek.Of course, not everything is as rosy as it could be. At 5th and Rock Creek Church Rd., I don’t know who they got to affix the placard, but they used way too much fixative.
Of course, the other problem is that several of the storm drains on Rock Creek Church don’t have placards yet, including the one that is frequently used for beer cans, etc. by the guy that lives in the house behind it.

Eastern Market Coming Along

I visited Eastern Market over the weekend, and I got to say, its really coming along. The colors are great … the windows being trimmed out in a pine green and the other trim being a sand color. You can get some idea from the image of the window here.

Another detail I liked was the new lighting. Not so much because its a style I like, but because its different than a lot of the lighting in the city. It also reminded me of the original streetlights you see in pictures of Park View taken in the 1920s. I also took the opportunity to peek inside, and it was a lot futher a long than I thought it would be.

The City Doesn’t Have Enough Mosaics

I’m sure this isn’t the only mosaic in town, but it is the only one I’m aware of downtown. Hopefully, I’ll be able to find some more before too long.

This Date in History

June 1, 1956: R. Roy Dunn, president of Potomac Electric Power Co., announced Pepco would construct a combination office building and power substation in the vicinity of 8th and E sts, NW.