History of the site Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site

pennsylvania avenue , 7th street in 1839. first unitarian church (situated on northeast corner of 6th street , pennsylvania avenue) can seen in background.

prior settlement of area european colonists, piscataway tribe of native americans occupied northeastern banks of potomac river, although no permanent settlements known in area encompassed city of washington. region began settled, david burns obtained first title area become pennsylvania avenue nw in 1774.

article one, section 8, of united states constitution established district... [to] become seat of government of united states... residence act of 1790 (as amended), established district , gave president of united states authority fix location of site somewhere along potomac river. president george washington chose current site of city in 1791, , surveyed later year. @ time, not foreseen city of washington coterminous district of columbia, , washington set northern boundary of city pennsylvania avenue today. washington chose pierre (peter) charles l enfant plan new city. although unnamed @ time, pennsylvania avenue designed in l enfant plan critical thoroughfare bringing existing roads heart of new city. designed link president s palace capitol building planned jenkin s hill (now capitol hill).

pennsylvania avenue created on april 14, 1792, when 3 commissioners overseeing district of columbia ordered middle of avenue president s palace capitol cleared. origin of name pennsylvania avenue obscure. name first applied avenue in letter surveyor , map-maker benjamin ellicott district s commissioners in december 1791.

the actual clearing of pennsylvania avenue did not begin until spring 1796. of pennsylvania avenue below 9th street swampy , unusable, tiber creek curved north border avenue @ 9th street , again @ 5th , 4th streets before crossing @ 2nd street. damp earned street nickname of great serbonian bog. (this marshy area filled in , dried beginning in 1816.) in fall of 1800, pennsylvania avenue cleared of underbrush, , 6-foot-wide (1.8 m) raised footpath covered in stone chips built. stone bridge on tiber creek @ 2nd street built during time, being replaced brick arch in 1817. on march 3, 1803, president thomas jefferson ordered pennsylvania avenue widened , road completed. benjamin henry latrobe, architect newly hired supervise avenue s reconstruction, built 3 lanes separated 4 rows of black poplars.

additional improvements street made throughout 19th century: avenue macadamized in 1832 (and poplars removed), repaved round stones in 1852, , repaved wooden blocks 1st 15th streets in 1870. wooden blocks required such extensive repair, however, between 1876 , 1877 replaced rock 1st 6th streets nw, , grahamite asphalt 6th 15th streets nw. avenue repaved in 1890 , again in 1907.

growing development of pennsylvania avenue district

watercolor of pennsylvania avenue @ 6th street in 1860. unfinished u.s. capitol building can seen in distance; national hotel left.

the historic site saw limited growth prior 1850s, although number of firsts occurred in area. james greenleaf, land speculator in city, erected first buildings (six row houses) on pennsylvania avenue in spring , summer of 1794 @ corner of pennsylvania avenue nw , 22nd street nw, , 7 similar buildings erected same time general walter stewart. 6 buildings erected greenleaf served first headquarters of united states department of state , united states department of navy in 1800, while 1 of buildings across street housed united states department of war. 2 of city s first 3 street lamps established in area near capitol hill in december 1801.

center market, city s first food market, built same year on lot on south side of pennsylvania avenue between 7th , 8th streets. became hub of city s commercial district. on time, business district moved north, southern boundary continued marked pennsylvania avenue. center market moved block west along pennsylvania avenue larger, more modern facilities in 1872. second inauguration of thomas jefferson, occurred on march 4, 1805, first host inaugural procession down pennsylvania avenue.

the city s first school, western school, opened on south side of pennsylvania avenue between 17th , 18th streets nw in january 1806. city s first sewer pipe laid under pennsylvania avenue in 1829. 1835, pennsylvania avenue largely lined two- four-story federalist row houses. baltimore , potomac railroad converted house @ corner of 2nd street nw , pennsylvania avenue city s first train station. abandoned in 1851 when station moved more long-lasting location @ new jersey avenue , c street nw. same year, national theatre opened on december 7. followed 400-seat odeon in 1846, 1,000-seat adelphi in 1847, , metzerott hall in 1860s. president andrew jackson approved construction of treasury building in 1836 (it completed following year), size , height of building forced rerouting of pennsylvania avenue , blocked view of white house l enfant s grand avenue. city s first stock brokerage opened william w. corcoran @ 15th , pennsylvania avenue in 1837. city blocks national gallery of art stands became fashionable residential area in 1830s.

horsecars on pennsylvania avenue



c street nw near 13th street nw in 1912: known mid-1800s 1920s murder bay, area home numerous brothels.

in 1860s, area saw significant deterioration despite continuing improvements pennsylvania avenue itself. pennsylvania avenue lit coal gas streetlights in 1851. avenue 1 of few lit streets in entire city of washington. in july 1862, horse-drawn trolley line built along street between capitol , white house. despite these many improvements, of pennsylvania avenue historic site south of pennsylvania avenue had become disreputable slum known murder bay, home extensive criminal underclass , numerous brothels. during american civil war, many prostitutes took residence in murder bay serve needs of general joseph hooker s army of potomac area became known hooker s division. 2 trapezoidal blocks sandwiched between pennsylvania , missouri avenues (now site of national gallery of art) became home such expensive brothels gained nickname marble alley. in 1870s , 1880s, avenue site of significant competition between horse-drawn streetcar , chariot companies. pennsylvania avenue saw first electric streelights give light on october 14, 1881. small number of additional lights north of avenue along 10th street nw lit later month.

the southern part of pennsylvania avenue district flooded many times in last 3 decades of 19th century. major floods occurred in october 1870 (during chain bridge destroyed), february 1881, november 1887, , june 1889 (the same storm caused johnstown flood). floodwaters high enough rowboats used on avenue, , horse-drawn streetcars saw water reach bottom of trams.

washington s first chinatown emerged on northern edge of murder bay section of historic site. d.c. s chinatown established in 1884, although chinese , other asian immigrants began moving area in noticeable numbers 1880. chinatown existed along south side of pennsylvania avenue between 4th , 7th streets, heaviest concentration of residences , businesses near center market site 4th street, c street, , pennsylvania avenue met. chinatown existed vibrant community until 1935, when construction of national archives building , apex building (which houses federal trade commission) forced chinatown move current location on h street nw.

although area south of pennsylvania avenue nw notorious crime , brothels, 1892 guide book city recommended pennsylvania avenue , surrounding streets 1 of few sites see in washington, d.c.

looking south down 12th street nw in 1911 @ post office building, built spur economic development in area.

limited attempts transform area eliminating crime , encouraging upscale economic development occurred 1890 1910. congress approved construction of new, 12-story romanesque revival headquarters post office department (to include new central post office district of columbia well) in 1880. building designed spur economic development in murder bay. construction on post office building began in 1892 , completed in 1899. @ time of completion, post office building contained largest uninterrupted enclosed space in city. city s first building have steel frame structure, , first built electrical wiring incorporated design. unfortunately, anticipated economic development never occurred. in 1899, washington board of trade, local organization of business leaders, proposed clearing murder bay of existing structures , building government office buildings in area. spurred centennial of transfer of seat of government philadelphia district of columbia, in 1900 united states congress formed senate park commission (also known mcmillan commission after chair, senator james mcmillan) reconcile competing visions development of washington, d.c., , pennsylvania avenue, national mall, , nearby areas. commission s plan development, mcmillan plan, proposed beautifying pennsylvania avenue , placing new government office buildings along new centennial avenue run length of national mall.

district building (1908-1910)

the district building built in 1908 between 13 ⁄2 , 14th streets nw on south side of avenue.

federal triangle area facing east in 1923. pennsylvania avenue in left, district building in foreground , post office building , center market in background.

over next few years, president , congress established several new agencies supervise approval, design, , construction of new buildings in district of columbia: commission of fine arts in 1910 (to approve design of new structures), public buildings commission in 1916 (to make recommendations regarding housing of federal agencies , offices), , national capital parks , planning commission in 1924 (to oversee planning district). in mid-1910s, congress appropriated , government spent $7 million acquire land on pennsylvania avenue nw between 14th , 15th streets nw , several blocks south. no demolition or construction conducted, , government merely collected rent tenants in area. in 1924, public buildings commission recommended new series of federal office buildings built near white house. effort saw success in 1926 passage united states congress of public buildings act, authorized construction of federal triangle complex of buildings new u.s. supreme court building opposite united states capitol, major extension of u.s. government printing office building on north capitol street, , significant widening of b street nw on north side of national mall (eventually renamed constitution avenue). construction of federal triangle enabled pennsylvania avenue national historic site become monumental core of city.