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Most Endangered Places
2005

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Most Endangered Places for 2005

ANACOSTIA HISTORIC DISTRICT

Bounded by Martin Luther King Jr., Avenue on the west, Good Hope Road on the north, Fendall Street and the rear of Frederick Douglass Home on the east, and Bangor Street and Morris Road on the south.

STEWARD: VARIOUS PRIVATE OWNERS
DC HISTORIC DISTRICT (1973)
NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT (1978)

Located in Southeast Washington, the Anacostia Historic District contains 550 buildings dating from 1854-1930. It encompasses the area originally known as Uniontown, one of Washington’s earliest suburbs, which was incorporated in 1854. Because of its location across the Anacostia River, land was less expensive and allowed members of Washington’s working class, much of which was employed at the nearby naval yard, to purchase property and build homes. Most existing buildings are residences dating from between 1870 and 1930, including frame structures with Italianate detailing and brick row houses, as well as commercial buildings located along Anacostia’s main thoroughfares. These buildings comprise one of Washington’s richest collections of small scale working class housing. The Anacostia Historic District also includes Cedar Hill, the home of Frederick Douglass from 1877-1895, designated a National Historic Site in 1964.

New development proposed for city-owned lots and the nearby waterfront is inconsistent with the historic nature of the area. The Anacostia Historic District represents the plight of working class African-American urban neighborhoods in the District – communities where economic revitalization is long in coming. Despite the presence of the National Park Service’s Frederick Douglass Home and the nearby Smithsonian Institution’s Anacostia Museum, the deteriorating buildings and blighted landscape stand as unfortunate witness to decades of disinvestment. There are a number of vacant lots and many buildings are in serious need of rehabilitation due to owners’ neglect and lack of financial resources. The DC Preservation League supports the activities of the local community groups that are working to enhance Anacostia’s economic development.

Actions/Next Steps:

• Work with community members to seek specific funding for revitalization of the historic district from Congress as part of the annual appropriation for the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative;
• Seek to increasing funding to Main Street Anacostia for façade work;
• Work with the DC Historic Preservation Office and City Council to ensure that offset funding for the Historic Targeted Tax Credit is available and promote use of the credit to both affordable housing developers and residents;
• Advocate to City Council for adequate staff for the Historic Preservation Office to conduct inspections and provide technical assistance t historic property owners in the Anacostia Historic District;
• Work with community members to ensure that with the creation of a new Anacostia Waterfront Development agency, preservation of the Anacostia Historic District will become a higher priority.

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