For the rest of the week, maybe the rest of the month, I haven’t decided, I will refer to Shaw by one of its original names, the Shaw School Urban Renewal Area. Okay, that’s too many words, for the rest of this post SSURA.
Anywho, while going through some papers, I came across something mentioning the Shaw PAC. In 1984 the PAC appears to recognize the borders of Shaw as the city did when it was starting to renew the Shaw School U.R.A., being 15th to N. Cap, Florida to N, M, & NY Ave.
Yet the reason I write, I decided to look up info on the Shaw PAC on the web and found a resource that has some decent DC history, the George Washington University Library. Within their archive are the papers of David A. Clarke, and they have a folder list which lists the Shaw PAC, as well as some other things of interest. I am curious as to what they have on BACA and the Bates Street block club and other community groups. So besides the Washingtonia room at the MLK and the Washington Historical Society’s archive, you can find materials about DC neighborhood history at the various universities (Catholic, Georgetown, & George Washington) and federal institutions like the National Archives and the Library of Congress.
Month: April 2007
Fun with ProQuest: Truxton Circle pt 2
Find part 1 here
The name Truxton Circle is somewhat controversial. There are residents of the TC who loathe the name and will on occasion mention how offensive the name is. Personally, I have no problem with the name, and it was the name on the map at the Washingtonia room at the MLK Library. It is a decent description of this eastern side of Shaw
The circle that Truxton Circle is named after is long gone. The man the former circle was named after, Revolutionary war vet Thomas Truxtun, is long dead, and we couldn’t bother spelling his name right and nobody ’round here really cares who was anyway. Regardless of all that, the name has stuck. Fun with ProQuest is simply tracking the name and its use in the Washington Post.
So up until the 1940s Truxton Circle was a traffic circle. Then circle go bye-bye. The next time Truxton Circle appears in the paper is in the 60s when it is a Post Office area. In 1964 the Truxton Circle postal annex at 17 Florida Avenue NE was robbed at gunpoint. Most of what I found in the 60s was in relation to the post office. The closest in this period of it being a neighborhood name or an area name is a classified ad in 1963 listing an address as “Box 26001, Truxton Circle, Wash, D.C.”
Nothing in the 70s. Nada.
Then in 1984, the city somehow christened the area as Truxton Circle when it was launching a subsidy program to encourage home buying in the District. Truxton Circle was one of the target areas, which also included “Columbia Heights; Shaw-Westminister, Carollsburg, Capitol Hill South….” Yeah, now I’m wondering what was so wrong about the area that it had to be a target area. The other funny thing about the 1984 article was the description of the program:
What the loan terms are: Fixed interest rate of 11.39 percent for 30 years. Buyer pays 1 point and seller pays 2 points.
Eligible candidates were to be first time District home buyers making less than $42,960. I was making less than that in 2000. Anyway, from 1984 on Truxton Circle was a neighborhood as far as the city was concerned.
I’m open to researching (light researching) the other possible alternate names the area may have held.
Bibliography:
All Articles from the Washington Post
“Classified Ad 343” Sept 22, 1963 p. G6
“2 Gunmen Rob DC Postal Annex of $2000, Shut 8 in Rest Room” by Alfred E. Lewis. Sept 3, 1964 p. A1
“Postal Machines, Men Move Mountain of Christmas Mail” by William Clairborne. Dec 7, 1972. p.A36
“Subsidy Program’s Nuts and Bolts” August 2, 1984. p. A15.
Monday Miscellany
Well the dinner honoring Our Great Leader Jim James Jimmy Berry, former ANC for the TC, this weekend was successful. A fair number of mucky-mucks, like David Catania, showed up to honor Jim. Some of us learned a lot about Jim that we didn’t know. Like, hey he got married 4 months ago and she’s quite pretty. But the main thing was Jim’s leadership, not just with the ANC but in his professional and personal life. He is a humble man who serves, and his leadership was for all, newbies, old timers, all races, everyone. He was what was right with the ANC system.
Mentioning the ANC system, I’m a little fuzzy on aspects of the history of ANCs in the District, but I gather they came in with Home Rule (I dunno) and did what the various civic and citizens associations were trying to do. I will post a “Fun with ProQuest: Truxton Circle pt II”, but while trying to figure out what was going on with the citizen’s association covering the area that can be now described as the TC, I learned a little (just enough to be dangerous) about the neighborhood associations. I knew, because of B.’s research on DC stadiums, that citizen’s associations were the white groups and the civic associations were the African-American groups. Whatever citizen or civic association held sway over the area, so far what I’ve found are really dull names, North Capitol Citizens(?), Northwest Civic, Central Civic, and Central Northwest Civic Associations. So, I’m going back to searching just Truxton Circle.
If you are just dying for me to mention something about the house, well Sunday we taped out the layout of the upper floor. It appears that I might have an extra foot that I didn’t think I had. When I was measuring I had to employ my poor math skills. So the plans I drew up were more of a guide, because I’m using that extra foot for the small bedroom. Looking at the 2nd floor with no walls made me realize how friggin small these houses are and every inch is valuable. Which is why I nixed (along with financial concerns) the contractor’s idea to make the stairs normal sized. The stairwell is less than 3 feet wide, and probably is a little over 2.5 feet. He mentioned widening the stairwell would make it easier to get furniture and other bulky things upstairs. Um, bulky stuff don’t belong upstairs, because that whole not having a whole lot of space to begin with thing.
Renovation 2007: If I were a rich man, ha deedle deedle
….bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
Got my first bill from the contractor. Yikes!! We are going with the system of labor and materials and labor was a majority of the expense. Because they kept finding crap. Crackhead crap that had to be addressed. Like the window sill whatever thing that was dry stinking rotted because it had a slight tilt that when it rained, water was led towards the house. The wood to replace the dry rotted stuff, pennies. The guy to fix it, not so cheap. The nasty hole in the wall. Bricks, got ’em all over the place, no problem. The mason to fix it… yeah. The contractor has a small crew of guys, guys who have to be paid.
So maybe the week coming up we will get to the fun part, designing and framing. I haven’t given much thought to the fun part or designing the bathrooms. All I know is I like the tiny white tile for the floor. And I really, really need to get out to the various building supply places to pick out what I want before it gets chosen for me.
This would be more fun if I had a bigger budget. Which I don’t have. I have to figure out what can be changed out later for higher quality stuff and what is more permanent, where I have to do it right the first time around.
No new pictures this week till I get batteries for the camera.
BACA Transport committee needs vols
From Jim:
Neighbors,
BACA Transportation Committee Chairperson Ephrem Minasse is currently soliciting members to work with him on transportation issues in our neighborhood. For your specific information, work of the Transportation Committee is described as follows:
“The Transportation Committee shall be responsible for keeping an inventory of the transportation needs of the community and of making recommendations to the body as to how they might be appropriately addressed, including but not limited to streets, alleys, traffic patterns, traffic signals, traffic signs, residential parking, curb cuts, and the like.”
Some of the preliminary goals that the committee has established for 2007 include (1) the recommendation of four way stop signs at the intersection of First and Bates Street, N.W.; (2) the recommendation of four way stop signs at the intersection of First and N Street, N.W.; the recommendation of a left hand turn signal for North Capitol Street, N.W. onto P Street, N.W., or non-rush hour left turning ability at this location; and the recommendation that participation in the Residential Permit Parking Program be expanded to include more blocks in the community.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Transportation Committee, in making suggestions for Committee’s consideration, and/or in spear-heading a project that is under their purview, please contact Chairman Minasse at eminasse at verizon dot net.
Best,
Jim Berry
Bates Area Civic Association, Inc.
Fun with ProQuest: Truxton Circle pt I
I ‘heart’ ProQuest. It allows me to post on things historic without having to do to much work. Anyway, another part of my lazy posting because I have no pictures of the renovation right now….. Fun with ProQuest: Truxton Circle.
Using the all articles prior to 1968 in the Washington Post and all other papers it ate (like the Washington Star), the first mention of Truxton Circle is August 1891 regarding the District Surveyor. Then the name appears again in 1900 regarding shrubbery, which then just makes me think of the Holy Grail. A cursory look at the rest of the articles bringing up the TC in the 1900s refer to the circle as just the circle or a park, not so much a neighborhood, unless you count “near Truxton Circle”.
That “near Truxton Circle” thing appears in an April 27, 1919 article regarding house sales where it is written:
For Robert M. Harper, 51 Q Street northeast, an attractive six room and bath house near Truxton circle, at consideration of $3,500. Mrs. Henry Price has purchased this property and will occupy it as her home.
The same article does mention “1766 Church street an attractive residence in the neighborhood of Dupont circle….” So Dupont is a neighborhood, the TC, not so much. And we see it again more as a landmark than as a neighborhood designation in another house sales article from November 20, 1920, where a house on the 100 block of Bates street is “located near North Capitol and Truxton Circle” and 1842 North Capitol Street was “located in Bloomingdale.”
However I do see something very interesting in an April 26, 1925 article “Ryan Quits Central Citizens’: Will Head Movement to Form Another Association in Same Territory. Section called too big” The section Francis J. Ryan decides to chop up for himself was to “have as its approximate boundaries New York avenue to Truxton circle, and New Jersey Avenue to North Capitol street.” My, that sounds awfully familiar.
Well I need to pursue this further, doing another search, so maybe part II.
Bibliography:
THE DISTRICT SURVEYOR.; Recommendations About the Preservation of Plats and Records.
The Washington Post (1877-1954). Washington, D.C.: Aug 1, 1891. p. 5
ASKS DISTRICT TO PAY; Dog Catchers Caused Injury to a Bicycle. CHASED BULLDOG, BROKE A WHEEL Animal in Attempting to Escape the Net Ran Into the Bicycle of P.J. Nee, Who Claims Damages — District Auditor Approved Application and Recommends Payment — Plants from Mount Vernon Square to Decorate Other Reservations.
The Washington Post. Mar 15, 1900. p. 12 (1 page)
SALE OF SIX HOMES SHOW PRICES HIGH
The Washington Post (1877-1954). Washington, D.C.: Apr 27, 1919. p. R6
$110,500 IN SALES OF HOMES IN CITY; Houses Fetch $17,500 Disposed by Hartung & Gibbons.
The Washington Post (1877-1954). Washington, D.C.: Nov 7, 1920. p. 34
RYAN QUITS CENTRAL CITIZENS’ PRESIDENCY; Will Head Movement to Form Another Association in Same Territory. SECTION CALLED TOO BIG
The Washington Post (1877-1954). Washington, D.C.: Apr 26, 1925. p. 2
Renovation 2007: 3/4 bath bites the dust
In my renovation plans and drawings I’d planned to put in a shower. Well that’s bit the dust.
Mainly because I’m really concerned about keeping the costs down and all these hidden surprises cost money to address. The new find, located under what was my main bathroom floor, joists that were seriously gouged. One of the joists looked as if there was just 1 inch of wood keeping it together.
So, I’ve decided is to keep enough space, in what was to be the 3/4 baths, to put in a shower later. Yes, I know I will save money by putting it in now. However, in the here and now where I only have X amount of dollars and when I run out of X amount, that’s it. No 3rd mortgage. No selling of the kidneys. So I’m cutting out the shower and before this is over I’m sure it won’t be the only thing cut out of the plans.
Good bones is a f*ing lie
I’d been thinking about what Justin B. said to me some time ago and he restated it again when I emailed him yesterday in response to his mass “we’re OK” email. He said that you don’t know if your house really has good bones until you’ve gone through your crawlspace and looked at them. Basically, the line ‘these houses have good bones’ is a crock unless those bones have been examined. Don’t assume that just because your house has been standing for 100 years it isn’t itching to self destruct in the next few years.
I’m now afraid to get calls from my contractor. I swear every time he calls, he’s telling me he’s found some fresh new horror. And we’re just starting. Yesterday’s find was more missing brick behind drywall. He’s amazed at how whoever did it chose to hide the problems rather than fix them. Then later he says we need to ‘talk’ about the windows.
I just wanted to move the bathrooms around. Maybe have a nice wood floor, that’s all. Some insulation here. A new door there, and I’m done. Instead I’m addressing whatever emergency endangering the structure of the house because in the 130 years the blasted thing has been standing, it hasn’t occurred to anyone to do more than the odd crappy patch job. Bathroom floor rotting? Cover it with tile! Massive hole in walls? Cover with drywall! Sagging joists? Water damage? Cracked plaster? Hide ’em all with drywall.
Yeah, I’m bitter.
Fenty at Shaw Cardozo meeting
The Cardozo Shaw Neighborhood Association is hosting the mayor this Thursday (4/12/07) 7 pm, 1200 U St. NW
UPDATE Move to MAY 10th
FYI Justin is OK
Some of you who live in the TC knew Dr. Justin Barone and his wife Lindy who moved away several months to take a job at Virginia Tech. Yesterday, a gunman went on a shooting spree on the VT campus and killed about 32 people. If you didn’t get his mass email, Justin’s fine, writing:
We are ok. It is an eerie day here. The wind is blowing at 60 mph+. The university was on lockdown and I was just able to get home.