This Date in History

July 29, 1922: According to an announcement made by the office of D. J. Dunigan, three groups of houses at Grant Circle on Varnum and Fourth streets had been completed. The homes were of brick construction, contained six and eight rooms, and had all the newest conveniences. The moderately priced homes were on deep lots, with some even having large brick garages in the rear.

Mr. Dunigan also stated that approximately 200 dwellings would be erected in this addition to Petworth. The tract covered six city blosck, with fifteen frontages. The boundaries of the development were Rock Creek Church Road to the east, Webster Street on the north, Grant Circle on the west, and Upshur Street to the south.

Then and Now: 824 Varnum St., NW

824 Varnum as it looked ca. 1920 (left) and as it appears today (2009).

Lincoln’s Cottage on NPR’s Morning Edition

NPR’s Morning Edition had a story on President Lincoln and the Lincoln Cottage this morning. You can read or listen to the segment here>>

While this historic site and the Soldiers’ Home where it is located is presently located between North Capitol Street and the neighborhoods of Petworth and Park View, it is hard to imagine that during Lincoln’s time the entire area was wilderness.

Fence Repair at Old Soldiers’ Home Continues

Following up on my earlier post that the Old Soldiers’ Home is finally repairing their fence that was struck by a car on July 4, 2008, yesterday workers were on site installing the fence itself.

Petworth Celebrates the 4th … in 1921

I love it when I’m able to find the story behind the pictures. Here, I’ve been able to match up the photographs of the Petworth 1921 July 4th festivities with the Washington Post’s account of the event.

The Post article, published the following day, reads:

Petworth Citizens Take Part in All-Day Program

An all-day program of patriotic exercises and athletic events featured the thirteenth annual celebration of Independence day in Petworth under the auspices of the citizen’s association. A gorgeous display of fireworks at Grant circle last night brought the celebration to a close.

Then and Now: 704 Quincy Street, NW

Left: Built ca. 1907, 702 and 704 Quincy are shown here ca. 1920. Right: Other than being brightly painted, the row of four that 704 belongs too is still in fairly good shape. As you can see below, each house has been painted to make it separate from the others. The only major change viewable from the street is that the corner house has been popped up and converted into multiple units. You can get a better idea from the second photo below.

Old Soldiers’ Home Repairing Fence

One day shy of a year, the fence is being repaired at the Old Soldiers’ Home along Rock Creek Church Rd.

On the evening of July 4th, 2008, a SUV lost control and hit the fence. Until now, it’s been nothing but a pile of scattered brick and bent ironwork.

I noticed the iron fencing is gone. I presume it is being straightened and restored for installation.

But, the stone and brickwork is currently being restored. In talking with the guys from P and P, they had to rebuild everything because the mortor was no longer holding.

From what I saw of their work, it is very good and historically accurate.

I thought it was also a good sign to see P and P doing the work. They have a good reputation in town and generally do good work from what I’ve seen and heard.

Police Helicopters Wednesday Night

For those of you that live in northern Park View or southern Petworth, you may have wondered what was up with the police helicopters last night. It’s my understanding that a liquor store on Georgia Ave. was robbed there was a robbery and the helicopters were part of the police response.

If anyone knows more about this incident, please share what you know.

Then and Now: 519 and 521 Rock Creek Church Road

Then: 519 and 521 Rock Creek Church Road, NW, newly completed and offered for sale in this ad from May 29, 1910. Ranging from $4,950 to $6,250, the only major differences in these homes besides the price is the size of the lot and the choice of smooth stucco, textured stucco, and red brick.

Now: 521 Rock Creek Church Road sold on March 26, 2009, for $525,000. It was originally listed nearly a year earlier for $703,500, if memory serves.

Get Your Fireworks!!! While They Last

The firework stand on the corner of Rock Creek Church Rd & New Hampshire Avenue is finally open for business … so get them while they last!