Top 5 Village National Register Historic Places in Washington, DC

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Highlighting geographies and themes from across the country, the National Park Service’s (NPS) National Heritage Visitor Register invites visitors to experience a variety of sites of historical, architectural, and heritage. American architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture. Each of the approximately 60 itineraries is a self-guided tour of more than 3,000 historic sites, most of which are listed on the Village National Register of Historic Places. These are the top 5 of the Village National Register Historic Places.

Contents

1. Cleveland Abbey House
2. Newton D. Baker’s House
3. Joseph Beale’s House
4. Mary Ann Shadd House Cary
5. Forrest-Marbury House
Conclusion

1. Cleveland Abbey House

Cleveland Abbe House, also known as Timothy Caldwell House and Monroe-Adams-Abbe House, is a historic mansion in Washington, D.C., located at 2017 “I” Street NW. It was built in 1805 and is a remarkable example of Federalist-era architecture, with an illustrious list of inhabitants. Most famous are historians Henry Adams and James Monroe, who served as Secretary of War of the United States and President of the United States while the White House was renovated during the War of 1812.

It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1975, however, because of its connection to Cleveland meteorologist Abbe (1838–1916), the creator of the National Weather Service, who resided here for five years. From 1877 till his death, The Arts Club of Washington currently calls it home. Cleveland Abbe House is located northwest of the White House on the George Washington University campus, on the north side of “I” Street, across from James Monroe Park and near its intersection with Pennsylvania Avenue.

It was a row of three-room brick buildings made of red bricks with crumbling gable roofs. The entry is in the leftmost bay, which is four bays wide. The house was listed on the Village National Register Historic Places as “the Art Club of Washington” in 1969. It is designated a National Historic Landmark as “The House” Cleveland Abbey House” in 1975.

2. Newton D. Baker’s House

Newton D. Baker House, commonly known as the Jacqueline Kennedy House, is a historic mansion in Washington, D.C., located at 3017 N Street NW. It was built in 1794 as the house of Secretary of State Newton D. Baker. During World War I, from 1916 until 1920, “he presided over the tremendous mobilization of America’s personnel and supplies.” After President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, Jacqueline Kennedy purchased the house and resided there for nearly a year.

Thomas Beall erected the home in 1794. The home was built on a big plot of land and had a servant wing erected to the east side in its early years. N Street was known as Gay Street at the time and was placed higher than it is now.

In 1796, rich businessman John Laird lived in this mansion, and subsequently, Major General George Peter, commander of the War of 1812 and Maryland Congressman, purchased it and stayed there for five years. In 1827, the same Laird purchased a home for his son. It was bought in 1834 by William Redin, the first auditor of the Circuit Court for the District of Columbia.

3. Joseph Beale’s House

The Joseph Beale House is a historic property in the Embassy Quarter of Washington, DC, situated at 2301 Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest. On May 8, 1973, it was listed on the Village National Register Historic Places.

Glenn Brown, a Washington architect who created numerous structures along Massachusetts Avenue, designed the home between 1907 and 1909. Brown employed 18th-century Romanesque Renaissance architecture in his design for his grandparents Joseph Beale. Margaret KC Brown sold the property to the Egyptian government for $150,000 in November 1928. It has since served as the official home of Egypt’s ambassador to the United States.

4. Mary Ann Shadd House Cary

The Mary Ann Shadd Cary House is a historic home in Washington, D.C., situated at 1421 W Street, Northwest. It was the home of Mary Ann Shadd Cary (1823–93), a writer and abolitionist, one of the first African-American female journalists in North America, and one of the first black female attorneys following the American Civil War, from 1881 until 1885. On December 8, 1976, the home was named a National Historic Landmark and is included on the Village National Register Historic Places. It also contributes to the Greater U Street Historic District.

The Mary Ann Shadd Cary House lies on the southern end of Washington’s Columbia Plateau, approximately north of W Street between 14th and Florida Avenue. It is one of a row of brick residences erected in the 1860s. It is three floors tall and three bays wide, with a brick roof and tiled roofs projecting around the house’s windows. Mary Ann Shadd Cary lived there from 1881 until 1885.

5. Forrest-Marbury House

Forrest-Marbury House is located at 3350 M Street NW in Georgetown, Washington, DC, not far from the Potomac River’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. This was the location of a meeting on March 29, 1791, between President George Washington and local landowners to discuss the federal government’s offer to acquire property required to create the nation’s new capital city. The United States of America is a young country. The conference was a huge success, and the site was quickly purchased.

The Forrest-Marbury home itself was built in 1788 and is one of the most historic sites in the District of Columbia. Uriah Forrest, an early mayor of Georgetown, lived there originally. The next owner of the house was real estate investor William Marbury, who lived there in 1800 while purchasing huge amounts of property in the Anacostia portion of the county. Marbury’s conflict with President Thomas Jefferson over President John Adams’ federal appointments resulted in the landmark 1803 United States Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison, written and decided by Chief Justice John Marshall against Marbury, establishing a judicial review of the executive and legislative branches of government for the first time.

Conclusion

This is a list of properties and counties in Washington on the Village National Register Historic Places. There are more than 600 listings, including 74 National Historic Landmarks of the United States and 13 other sites designated by Congress or the President as historic sites of national importance. We hope that the information we share here will be useful to our readers.