DC Inventory of Historic Sites

DC Inventory of Historic Sites
Name	DC Inventory of Historic Sites
Type	Historic preservation list
Location	Washington, D.C.
Established	1978
Governing body	District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office

DC Inventory of Historic Sites.

The DC Inventory of Historic Sites is an official list recognizing culturally significant properties in Washington, D.C. and protecting them under the District of Columbia Historic Landmark and Historic District Protection Act of 1978; it functions alongside the National Register of Historic Places and informs decisions by the DC Historic Preservation Review Board, the Advisory Neighborhood Commission, and the Department of Buildings. The inventory encompasses residences, commercial buildings, landscapes, and districts associated with figures and events such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Duke Ellington, and institutions like Howard University and Smithsonian Institution that shaped L'Enfant Plan and the city's development.

Overview

The Inventory identifies resources across neighborhoods including Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Anacostia (Washington, D.C.), Capitol Hill, U Street (Washington, D.C.), Shaw (Washington, D.C.), Adams Morgan, Foggy Bottom, Columbia Heights (Washington, D.C.), and Mount Pleasant (Washington, D.C.); it parallels listings found in the National Historic Landmark program, and intersects with designations under the Historic Districts Council and the United States Commission of Fine Arts. It documents properties linked to architects and builders such as Benjamin Henry Latrobe, James Hoban, Adams Morgan planners, I.M. Pei, and designers associated with the McMillan Plan and the City Beautiful movement.

History and Development

The Inventory emerged in the late 20th century amid preservation efforts following the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and local activism from groups like the Committee of 100 on the Federal City and the Dupont Circle Conservancy. Early nominations cited sites tied to the Civil War, War of 1812, the Great Migration, and the Civil Rights Movement; prominent hearings involved stakeholders from National Trust for Historic Preservation and the D.C. Preservation League. Amendments and policy shifts reflected interactions with federal agencies including the National Park Service and municipal planning bodies such as the D.C. Office of Planning.

Criteria and Designation Process

Designation requires evaluation against criteria similar to the National Register of Historic Places guidelines: significance in architecture, association with persons like Marian Anderson, Thurgood Marshall, Marian Wright Edelman, or events like the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom; integrity of setting in plans like the L'Enfant Plan; and representation of styles from Greek Revival, Federal architecture (United States), Victorian architecture, to Modernist architecture. Nominations originate from property owners, preservation organizations like the D.C. Preservation League, or federal custodians such as the Smithsonian Institution; reviews involve the Historic Preservation Review Board, public hearings attended by representatives from the Office of Planning and Advisory Neighborhood Commission members, and final registration with the Historic Preservation Office.

Geographic Distribution and Notable Listings

The Inventory covers individual landmarks and districts: landmark houses in Georgetown (Washington, D.C.) associated with John F. Kennedy, residences on Capitol Hill linked to members of United States Congress, commercial corridors like U Street (Washington, D.C.) tied to Duke Ellington and Shaw (Washington, D.C.) music history, religious sites such as Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church and St. Matthew's Cathedral (Washington, D.C.), educational campuses like Howard University and Gallaudet University, civic buildings including the Old Post Office Pavilion (Washington, D.C.) and Eastern Market, and landscapes like the National Mall and Rock Creek Park. Districts such as Dupont Circle, Penn Quarter, Adams Morgan, and Anacostia Historic District illustrate diverse architectural and cultural narratives, while sites associated with Eleanor Roosevelt, Paul Laurence Dunbar, W.E.B. Du Bois, Langston Hughes, and Sojourner Truth are noted for associative value.

Preservation and Management

Preservation involves coordination between the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office, the National Park Service, local nonprofits like the D.C. Preservation League, advocacy groups such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and municipal agencies including the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and D.C. Office of Planning. Management strategies address rehabilitation under standards inspired by the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, adaptive reuse seen in projects like the conversion of Old Post Office Pavilion (Washington, D.C.) and revitalization initiatives in Penn Quarter/Chinatown and Anacostia (Washington, D.C.). Funding and incentives draw on mechanisms used by the Historic Tax Credit (United States), grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and partnerships with entities like DC Preservation League and private developers.

Public Access and Educational Programs

Public engagement is delivered through walking tours organized by D.C. Heritage, educational curricula coordinated with institutions such as Howard University, exhibitions at the Smithsonian Institution museums, interpretive signage akin to National Park Service markers, and events tied to anniversaries of Emancipation Proclamation, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and local commemorations. Programming partners include community organizations like the Anacostia Community Museum, historical societies such as the Georgetown Historical Society, and cultural institutions including Arena Stage and Kennedy Center, all contributing to outreach, oral history projects, and preservation education.

Category:Historic preservation in Washington, D.C.