Foggy Bottom Highlights

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By 1912, and faced with the need to reorganize and relocate, the University under the leadership of University President Charles H. Stockton sold the building at 15th and H Street and moved, with the exception of the School of Medicine, to inexpensive rental property at 2023 G Streets, N.W. (D.C. planning Square 102). The early growth of the University at Foggy Bottom was quite exceptional. The buildings, rented for the first year, were purchased by the University. The existing dwellings, the site of the former St. Rose's Industrial School, were remodeled into classrooms, becoming the first Lisner Hall (1912-1939).

After the First World War enrollment increased creating a need for additional space. The Board of Trustees decided to affirm its commitment to Square 102 and permanently develop the campus in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. This decision was also influenced by Maxwell Woodhull, a newly elected trustee member who lived close to the university's new location. In 1921 Maxwell Woodhull donated his residence to the University. The Woodhull House is one of the GW's most outstanding examples of mid-nineteenth century architecture. Woodhull House was constructed in 1855 as a family residence and located at the corner of 21st and G Street.

Under President pro tempore Howard Lincoln Hodgkins and President William Mather Lewis, the plan for the campus called The Harris Plan was proposed and implemented.

Albert Harris, Professor of Architecture at GW and DC's Municipal Architect, envisioned a campus of Georgian Revival style buildings in a continuous block around Square 102. Corcoran Hall, located on the western side of Square 102, was begun in 1923. Stockton Hall, the new home of the Law School, was begun in 1924 and completed in 1926. It is still located across the quadrangle at the eastern side. In 1983 the National Law Center classrooms, library and other facilities were added. Throughout President Cloyd Heck Marvin's tenure the University underwent physical change. He rejected the unified design concept of the Harris Plan and set out to develop a new image for the University. After his election as President, Dr. Marvin embarked on a campaign that stressed functional architecture. Under his leadership GW acquired nineteen additional properties in the areas surrounding Square 102. New modern buildings were erected that set a new style for the university's appearance. The new Lisner Hall as well as Stuart and Bell Halls, displayed this new modern architecture. Waldron Faulker, principal architect, designed not only the new Lisner Hall but also the School of Government and Lisner Auditorium.

These buildings are still excellent examples of the campus in Marvin's tenure. The Hattie M. Strong Residence Hall for Women was the only building constructed during the Marvin years which returned to the Georgian Revival style. Since Strong Hall was to be a residence hall it was decided to have the building more closely resemble the style often chosen for houses.

Funding for the new Lisner Auditorium was provided through the will of Abram Lisner, who served as a University Trustee for many years. Mr. Lisner's bequest of $750,000, combined with $200,000 turned over to the University by The George Washington Memorial Association, covered the purchase of the land and the building cost. Lisner is the same benefactor who provided for the construction of Lisner Hall, the University's library from 1939 until 1973. Lisner Auditorium served as the setting for the 122nd University Convocation, its first University use. In 1944 the Auditorium's first theatrical production was "And the Home of the Brave," presented by Cue and Curtain. Its first commercial use came in 1946 with the production of Maxwell Anderson's "Joan of Lorraine," starring Ingrid Bergman.

University President Lloyd Elliott (1965-1988) considered libraries to be the backbone of any campus. His proudest achievement was the building of the three libraries currently on campus: the Melvin Gelman Library, the Jacob Burns Law Library, and the Paul Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library.

Because Dr. Elliott believed that GW had a great need for additional space for student activities, the Cloyd Heck Marvin Student Center was one of Dr. Elliott's first building commitments. The Marvin Center opened in 1970. In the same year, the Charles E. Smith Center for Physical Education and Athletics, which replaced the old "Tin Tabernacle," was completed. The "Tin Tabernacle," a sports building had been located adjacent to Stockton Hall in the quadrangle.

In addition, the Academic Center (comprised of Smith, Rome and Phillips Halls), Funger Hall and the National Law Center's Theodore N. Lerner Hall were completed. In 1973 GW's medical training program was moved from 13th and H Streets to the Walter G. Ross Hall. With this relocation of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the University was for the first time since 1912 located on one area. Today, University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg (1987 - ) continues in the growth and improvement of GW's academic and physical quality. (Taken from a short article by G. David Anderson on GW buildings)

Selected Highlights in Foggy Bottom History

Credits: Information from the George Washington University Archives / Research by Alexandra Buckley

In 1904, Columbian University, by an Act of Congress, became The George Washington University. University President Charles H. Stockton provided guidance, reorganizing the University in 1911 to reduce expenditures and selling property to increase revenue. Through the urging of Dr. Stockton, the Department of Arts and Sciences was moved in 1912 to 2023 G Street, the area that George Washington himself selected as the site for "his" University. Foggy Bottom was established as the new central location.

One of the area’s oldest houses, 2500 Eye Street dates back to the Civil War. Some claim that is was associated with the so-called “underground railroad” that aided escaped slaves fleeing to the North. The house is constructed of wood which is unusual for Foggy Bottom, as most residences are made of brick.

The Foggy Bottom Historic District, designated as a D.C. Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was established in 1987.

John Philip Souza, composer and band leader, was baptized in the Concordia Lutheran Evangelical Church at 1920 G Street. (Now the United Church)

James Harvey founded the Gethsemane Baptist Church. On August 12, 1912, he with nine supporters, meeting in the home of Mrs. Liza Washington on 21st Street, between G and H Streets, organized the church. Services were held in a house on New Hampshire Avenue, between Washington Circle and I Street.

Gethsemane Baptist Church was at the corner of 22nd St. and Virginia Ave. - the church's second site - from April 18, 1922 to March 1959 This building was bought in 1922 for $45,000 from another denomination and renovated. (It is now the site of a GW Dormitory, converted from The Riverside Apartments.)

St. Paul's Episcopal Church was on 917 - 23rd Street below Washington Circle. The first building - from 1868 to 1945, was razed in accordance with the War Power's Act to build the George Washington University Hospital. The present church, on K Street, below 24th was dedicated in 1948. The founding meeting of St. Paul's Church was held in Scott's Hall, at 20th and I Streets (The Shops), October 28, 1866. The Sunday School Class of 1907 at old St. Paul's Church was taught by the daughter of President Teddy Roosevelt.

St. Mary's Episcopal Church was built in 1886, at 728 - 23rd St., NW. Originally in 1865, twenty-eight African-American men and women gathered to found the first Episcopal Church for Blacks in Washington. With the assistance of the rectors of St. John's and Epiphany Churches, St. Mary's was established at a service on June 9, 1867 and held in a wooden frame chapel . The original name St. Mary's Chapel for Colored People, was a place where African Americans could worship without being subjected to discriminatory rules. St. Mary's thrived as a mission and Industrial School under St. John's supervision, offering sewing, embroidery and cooking classes, a well-baby clinic, and facilities for retarded children; a brick school house was erected in 1881 behind the chapel. "Out of this grew a special mission in Snows Court, then the most disreputable and dangerous section of the city" The growth of the congregation eventually ensured its independence and the erecting of the present building, designed by Renwick.

Washington Circle and Camp Fry, 1861 / "Foggy Bottom-Western Wharves supply complex statue of General George Washington at the Battle of Princeton, by Clark Mills, 1860. Camp Fry is on both sides of 23rd St., NW, immediately south of the Circle. 'Old' St. Paul's fronted 23rd St., with the nave situated at the site of the flag pole base, now the site of the George Washington University Hospital. The Camp and barracks were dismantled in 1865, shortly after the end of the Civil War. Warehouses are grouped together near the Western Wharves on G St. Camp Fuller 1861-1863 was a remount depot and camp for wagon trains." (Taken from St. Paul's Parish Calendar, 1993)

The George Washington University, 1930 / Most of the University buildings are painted white and were grouped around the squares of 19th, 20th, G and H Streets NW Washington, D.C.

Old Glass Works / "The 'Old Glass Works,' The surrounding "Glass house settlement" took its name from the glass works. Situated on the bank of the Potomac River at the southeast corner of 22nd and Water Streets, Northwest, this glass factory was built about 1807 by a firm headed by Andrew and George Way. It continued in operation with some interruptions until around 1845." Proceedings of the Columbia Historical Society

Snows Court: Interior of block bounded by 24th, 25th, I and K Streets/ Snow’s Court was the first inhabited alley in Foggy Bottom (c. 1860) and was one of nine such alleys in the neighborhood. Inhabited alleys were a common residential pattern in Washington, D.C. beginning in the mid-nineteenth century. The typical alley dwellings which measured about 12 feet wide by 26 feet deep might have housed 13 people in the early 1900s. The homes you see today in Snow’s Court are some of the original brick structures built in the 1870s and 1880s. At the Glass House started by David M. Wilson, an elder of Fourth Presbyterian Church, on April 14, 1848. The 'Glass House Community,' which covered the area between 21st and 23rd Streets, Northwest, and New York Avenue and the Potomac River, was the natural growth around what was once considered a large and flourishing window glass factory." Taken from St. Paul's Parish Calendar, 1993

During the construction of Tompkins Hall, "Anchor" trees were transplanted to the grounds. Beginning the task of landscaping the half-block grounds of the new building, Dr. Cloyd H. Marvin, President of the University, and Mr. Boris Timchenko, landscape architect from A. Gude Sons, Co. went over the ground plan. Workmen prepared to roll the first of two, 20-ton, 35-foot tall, Incense Cedars (native to northern California) to the southern corner of the building.

President Marvin stated that "the trees often reach a height of 100-150 feet and, as they remain slim and compact, resemble great, graceful, green candles."

The Immaculate Conception Academy was a Catholic girls' school, at 24th and K Streets, from September 1954 to June 6, 1984 (now the St. James Apartment Hotel). Previously, this building had housed St. Stephen's School from September 15, 1924 to June 1954.

Students at Strong Hall could scan the skyline of old Foggy Bottom from the roof of Strong Hall. GW converted the Park Central Apartments, 1900 F Street, NW to a women's residence hall in the Fall of 1964.

The Virginia Apartments later became the University Inn and today the Graduate School of Education and Human Development.

In 1856 Washington Gas Light Company’s first storage facility was built. With its new gas streetlights (1853) the District of Columbia needed a ready and plentiful supply of gas. Foggy Bottom became the center for the power for Washington‘s first street lights.

The Christian Heurich Brewery was located between 25th, D, Water and 26th Streets. It operated as a brewery until 1954. The Heurich Brewery began in 1894. The building was razed between 1962 and 1966.

The first "horseless carriage," a Duryea, arrived as a curiosity with the Barnum and Bailey's circus parade on May 11, 1896. The auto passed by Washington Circle, at Pennsylvania Avenue and 21st Street. At the time the Six Buildings were present, which dated from the beginnings of Washington.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts opened September 8, 1971 on eighteen and a half acres formerly occupied by a brewery, a restaurant, and a riding stable.

St. Mary’s Court (725 24 Street) This 120 unit brick high-rise is the third structure to occupy this site on 24th Street. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries this land was the site of an alley called St. Mary’s Court. In 1936 the Alley Dwelling Authority purchased the land to make way for a public housing project of the same name. This building lasted until 1972, when it was demolished. It was replaced in 1978 by the present St. Mary’s Court, which was initiated by the Episcopal Diocese by obtaining funding from Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Since this is a federal facility residents from all over the country live here, including the great grandson of Leo Tolstoy, the famous Russian author.

The Arts Club of Washington (2017 Eye Street)/ The Arts Club of Washington is designated the Caldwell-Abbe House on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of the earliest houses, with an original wing in back dating to 1802, and the main house dating to 1805. President Monroe lived in the house during the first six months of his presidency while the White House was being restored after being burned by the British in August 1814. It is an excellent example of Federal architecture. The genteel touches such as the stone window lintels of splayed voussoir and keystone design shot construction costs way over budget for Timothy Caldwell, the original owner and builder, and he was forced to sell the house shortly after its completion.

The Titanic Memorial was located along the waterfront in the 1940s. It was relocated to the area of the Washington Channel and Fort McNair; now the site of the Kennedy Center. Catherine Fliene Shouse House (1916 F Street) / Today the Shouse House which is joined with another town house will form the new Alumni House—formerly the University Club. Catherine Filene Shouse was a well-known Washington socialite and philanthropist. She was a member of the family that founded the famous Boston department store, Filene’s, and a prominent figure on the Washington social scene. She is best know locally as the founder of the Filene Center for the Performing arts at Wolf Trap Farm Park in Vienna, VA, Mrs. Shouse was a resident here from 1946 until her death in 1994 at age 98.

Quigley's Pharmacy at 619 21st Street was operated by Dr. Richard Lucien Quigley and became a popular "hangout" for students at GW after the University relocated to Foggy Bottom in 1912.

The first World Bank offices were at 1818 H Street. This building was constructed in 1941 for the use of the U.S. Surgeon General. It was occupied during WWII by the State Department.

2000 Pennsylvania Avenue / The site o the north side of Pennsylvania Avenue on the wedge formed with I Street was declared The Western Market in 1802 by President Jefferson. Western Market was a 32 booth produce market with proprietors from all over the city. The development of 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue was originally related to Western Market, with one of the oldest stores to occupy the commercial strip being a grocery store. The use of these historic commercial structures today is an example of architectural adaptive reuse and historic preservation. As most of the buildings had become decrepit and unusable, there was prolonged deliberation as to what to do with the row. In November of 1979, GW agreed to build a large income producing office building that would be behind the row of historic structures, thus preserving the Victorian row houses. It is now the only block between the White House and Washington circle which retains is historic scale and character without intrusion. Today it houses many retail stores, restaurants, ice-cream and coffee shops. At the corner of 19th and F Streets, the American University opened its graduate school in 1920. There were streetcar tracks on 19th and F Streets (the American University Archives).

The Association of the Oldest Inhabitants of the District of Columbia was located in an old fire house, now the IMF building.

At the turn of the century the block was occupied with Victorian homes and well groomed gardens.

Before the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts opened in 1971, the Lisner Auditorium at The George Washington University was the cultural center of the area.

The President’s Home (formerly Alumni House) (formerly the F Street Club t 1925 F Street) / The building at 1925 F Streets will be converted to the President’s Home. Formerly the University’s Alumni House. Before it was the Alumni House it was a private club, housing the historic Alexander Ray residence which dated to 1849. It is an example of the affluent east side of Foggy Bottom. The Club was constructed in the early Greek revival style which was the dominant domestic building style from 1830 to 1850. The pediment above the door, small windows in the frieze-band, and the delicate cornice are all typical of this style. GW purchased the building in 1974 and leases it to the club, which keeps a low profile and remains exclusive.

The Watergate Inn - at Rock Creek Drive and F St., was a popular eating place owned by Margie Hendricks. A Wax Museum and a skating rink were located nearby.

The St. Stephen's Grade School was at 24th & K Streets. It became the Immaculate Conception High School for Girls and was demolished in 1970's to build the St. James Hotel.

20th and F Streets was the site of St. John's Orphanage, sponsored by St. John's Church at Lafayette Square.

University Yard / The roses n either side of the statue of George Washington are products of the University’s beautiful rose gardens. The University is the D.C. representative for the All American Rose Selection (AARS) and display their award winning roses. The flowers are at their peak bloom on Memorial Day and sometimes last until December! The life sized cast bronze statue of George Washington was copied from the original marble by Jean Antone Houdon in the state capital of Richmond, Virginia. It was purchased by GW in 1932 on the occasion of the Washington Bicentennial. The University Yard represents an effort at comprehensive planning by the University. The Yard is bordered on the east and west by colonial revival buildings of the 1920s. Corcoran and Stockton Halls replicate the style of the original Columbian College building of the mid 1800s, which was located on College Hill near Columbia Road, between 14th and 15th Streets. The south side buildings are 1930s modern. The buildings to the left are all part of National Law Center, unified in design by the addition of the Jacob Burns Law Library.

The George Washington University's first location at Foggy Bottom was the former St. Rose's Industrial School (on G Street). This was the location of the first Lisner Hall.

The Union Methodist Episcopal Church was founded at a meeting on February 13, 1846, in the Union Fire House on 19th and H Streets, NW. The church served as a hospital and shelter for the Union army during the Civil War, 1862-1863. Reconstruction of the church was in 1889 and 1910.

The meeting hall of the Association of the Oldest Inhabitants of D.C. was formerly the Union Fire House (built in 1832).

President Woodrow Wilson applied for membership in the West End Citizens Association. (GW area)

Community life up to the mid-fifties revolved predominantly around the activities of the original eleven churchesin a predominantly residential neighborhood.

Churches that have relocated:

• Nineteenth Street Baptist was at 19th & I Streets

• Mt. Lebanon Baptist was at 25 & H Streets

• Morningstar Baptist was at 925 - 26th Street

• Gethsemane Baptist was originally on New Hampshire Avenue, between I Street and Washington Circle

• Liberty Baptist was on 23rd Street, South of I (now part of the GW Gymnasium).

• Union Methodist Church was on 20th, South of I Street (now part of Communications Dept.) This congregation merged in 1965 (1973) with the Concordia Church (originally the German Lutheran) on G and 20th as the United Church, with the German congregation as a separate entity "Die Vereinichte Kirche." (1946 Pamphlet to Commemorate Anniversary)(The History of the Union United Methodist Church)

The original building of the Concordia Lutheran Church at 20th and G Streets was founded in 1833.

At the beginning of the 20th Century there was a race track where the Pan American Building now stands. The mansion beside the race track was built in 1816 by John Peter Van Ness, a congressman from New York. It cost $60,000 and was a showplace in its time. It was torn down in 1907.

Foggy Bottom residents waited for the first Metro train to stop at the Foggy Bottom/GWU Station, July 1, 1977.

The Inauguration of the Clark Mills statue of George Washington on Washington Circle was on February 22, 1860. There were meetings of the Washington Symposium on Theoretical Physics, sponsored by The George Washington University and the Carnegie Institute, 1935 to 1947.

Watergate (2650 Virginia Avenue) On the former site of the Washington Gas and Light Company’s huge storage tanks, the Watergate Apartment complex was built in 1971. The name Watergate derives from the sweeping arc of monumental steps between Rock Creek Parkway and Arlington Memorial Bridge leading from the banks of the Potomac up to the circle surrounding the Lincoln Memorial. The hotel became infamous in the early 1970s during the Nixon administration for the break-in of the Democratic National Committee which was headquartered there.

Concordia United Church (1920 G Street) / Concordia United Church was founded by Germans living and working in Foggy Bottom and represents the early ethnic diversity of the neighborhood. Church services were exclusively in German until 1909 when English services were added. Now there are two German services a month. Services are 9:30am, the first and third Sunday of each month in German and 11am every Sunday in English.

Lenthall Townhouses (606-610 21st Street) / These two row houses date to 1800 when John Lenthall, a supervising architect of the United States Capitol, had them built. Lenthall family members lived in number 606 for over 100 years. The pair was eventually moved from their original site on the 600 block of 19th Street in 1978 to make way for construction of a World Bank annex building. Today the townhouses are owned by GW and have been preserved as residences for visiting faculty.

Quigley’s Pharmacy 20th and G Streets / This building which now houses the Tonic Restaurant was a popular hangout for students from the late teens of the 20th Century until the early 1970’s when it featured a vintage fountain. When Voice of America made a program on the 150the Anniversary of GW, they called it, “The View from Quigley’s.”

Woodhull House (2033 G Street) / G Street was a middle to upper middle class area, as the size of Woodhull shows. This building is now home to the GW University Police. The house is an excellent example of Italianate architecture, a style popular in the United States form 1840-1885. Identifying features of the Italianate style are two or three stories, low pitched roof with overhanging leaves having decorative brackets beneath, and tall narrow windows that are commonly arched above with elaborate crowns.

Lisner Auditorium and Dimock Gallery (730 21st Street) / Lisner Auditorium, has been a important part of the arts and entertainment scene in Washington, D.C. since its opening in 1946. Designed by architect Waldron Faulkner, it is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is home to over 200 performances a year. The Dimock Gallery, located on the lower level of Lisner, has an impressive permanent collection of paintings, sculpture, and graphic arts from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, with a special emphasis on American art. It has a variety of changing exhibitions each year.

In 1855, Western Presbyterian was organized in the old glass factory at 22nd and E Streets, N.W., the current State Department site. Western had buildings on both sides of the 1900 block of H Street, N.W. during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In 1989 the church signed a contract with the International Monetary Fund to relocate to 2401 Virginia Avenue, N.W.

See also: Foggy Bottom Collection/MS0868[1]

Document Information

Images: 1
Photographic Credit: Foggy Bottom Collection/MS0868
Author or Source: Foggy Bottom citations taken from the exhibit: Fantastic Foggy Bottom 1996
Document Location: University Archives
Date Added to Encyclopedia: December 21, 2006
Prepared by: G. David Anderson, University Archivist and Historian

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