Once again no body entered my contest. When you realize how easy it was you’ll kick yourself. It was:
Here’s the question, what is the address of a Ridge Street NW house that is still standing today but in 1940 was listed as “old and in poor condition” or “poor condition”?
473 Ridge Street NW is up for sale for $379K. In 1940 it’s assessed value was $1,557, and described as “1 2 story frame, 4 rooms; no improvements; very old and in poor condition.”
The house pictured is 425 Ridge Street. In 1940 for 425-425 1/2 Ridge Street the assessed value was $3,732. The description read as follows, “2 2 story bricks, divided into 2 3-room apartments or flats each; no improvements except inside water; old and in poor condition.” The monthly rental for it was $70 and it held 4 families, a total of 19 persons.
So seriously the only Ridge Street houses NOT described as being old and in poor or terrible condition were, 413, 457, 475, 458, 438, 440, 442, and 444. 458 was a blacksmith’s shop and garage, so it wouldn’t have mattered.
Ref- RG 302 P-1, Folder Sq. 512 & 513.
just wanted to let you know that someone (me)is reading and enjoying the posts, even though I hadn’t responded. I’m going to be moving to Ridge St this weekend, and its great to learn about the neighborhood. Thanks for blogging!
Welcome to the neighborhood M!
Me too – I'm new to the neighborhood (we're at New Jersey & Q St) and read your blog on daily basis. 🙂
Was Ridge street one of the old alleys where the “help” worked for the upper class on the main streets? I know that Bates and Hanover are prime example of that, but a lot of those old streets and homes are lost in most parts of the city.
The ‘Help’ lived all over the city. I’m currently looking at a color map from 1938 mapping out the white and black residences as well as alleys occupied by negroes below Maryland Ave in SW DC. All over.
I can’t think of the book’s name, but I know where it sits on my bookshelf, that says that laundresses were like independent contractors who had several clients, and a lot of AA women were laundresses in the TC. It was preferred over live-in or maid service, as a job. This was before the laundramat or the w/d set up we have in our homes today. Laundry was a heavy labor intensive chore.
Also, depending on the time period, a middle class woman could have ‘help’ come in an assist with the chores, like we can call up Merry Maids (or whomever) today. If it was only the upper classes employing, I’d see fewer laundresses and domestics in the census. You need a larger customer base to sustain those kinds of jobs.
so what was the address of the perfectly attractive BRICK shell on Ridge St that subsequently collapsed? Ha —
By the way the MSVNA secretary was very unfriendly to me when I was looking to buy a house on Ridge St. Glad I went elsewhere