houses – Page 7 – Truxton Is In Shaw

House history in the most unlikely places

Okay the disclaimers:
Disclaimer #1- There are people out there who do house history for a living, I’m not one of them. If you’re doing research on your house, I’m not the best resource, so please don’t expect much if you ask a question.

Disclaimer #2- There are some reflections I make regarding archival theory that I just have zero interest in explaining to the layperson. In the end this is a personal blog, so if you find some things disturbing, express it elsewhere.

/end disclaimers

Doing random search for my house and my neighbors’ houses, just to get a sense of the neighborhood, see if anyone else is blogging or what have you, I came across something quite interesting. It seems that a notable person, not exactly in your middle school history book notable, but notable enough to have a place accept her papers, owned my house. Quickly, I need to state that Dr. Euphemia Lofton Haynes, the 1st Black woman to receive a Phd in Mathematics never ever lived in my house. Never. Ever. She might have looked at it from time to time. My house, as well as several other Shaw, Bloomingdale, and general DC houses were in her investment portfolio, which are included in her personal papers, which wound up at Catholic University, which decided at some point to put up the finding aid on the web, which made it possible for me to stumble upon.
Now as someone who has processed personal papers for a university, I wondered if this would be the kind of stuff I’d keep. Because the items that I was looking at fall outside of the topic that makes Dr. Lofton-Haynes’s papers valuable to the institution holding them, makes the accessioning archivist in me wonder. However, areas of income, income production and other aspects that allow the subject to engage in activities because of the freedom that extra money can bring, thus making these off topic files valuable. Yet, this would be the last place I’d even think of looking to find out about my house and neighborhood.
Just glancing over her real estate holdings, and almost all the files about particular houses have sales contracts showing the price she bought and later sold the property for, she did pretty well. Some files have correspondence and bills/invoices about repairs and improvement, which may not reflect all the money she poured into a place, but if those were the big major repairs, she made a decent buck on the sale. She bought a cluster of four houses Truxton Circle for $22,000 in 1945, and sold three of them individually for $8,000 in 1949; $9,500 and $12,000 in 1950. The sales contract also mention how much the houses are to be or were renting for, and the 1940s rents hovered between $40 and $45 dollars a month.
Besides sales contracts, there are title insurance papers, bills, loan receipts, correspondence about repairs, and very mundane things. Of course one property did have a notice from the DC Board of Condemnation of Insanitary Buildings informing Dr. Haynes-Lofton that her property had saggy floors, defective plumbing and electrical, broken door parts and ill fitting windows. Was the good Professor a slum lord? Don’t know, some of the houses she sold the buyers had intended to live in them, so she couldn’t have been that bad. She did upgrade some of the houses, installing gas in the kitchens, replacing roofs, and making repairs.
What I found most interesting was a non-Shaw property that involved her in a legal case with the federal government. One file labeled “Rental property, 1523 M st., lawsuit, speak easy, legal document, 1931” has letters and legal docs about a place she leased/rented that the Feds busted as a speak easy. She, through her lawyer, stated that she knew nothing about the activities of what was going on there. Considering the number of holdings she had all over the city and her professional activities in DC education, it is completely possible she did not know that she had a gin joint in her investment portfolio.

Not with the Historic Districting of Columbia

I have faith that the Invisible Hand will ball up into a fist and smite the creators of the ugly.
Yes, I saw the Washington Post article about ugly tops. Pop up roofs are ugly in suburbia when they plopped on top of bungelows, and they are ugly in the city. It’s just ugly all around.
However, I don’t believe, that the hammer of historic districting is the solution. Maybe the screwdriver of zoning, is a better tool. And then there is the chisle of legistlation to allow just banning, if not regulating, the use of the hated vinyl siding, like single beers and go cups?
Really, what inch of the District isn’t historic? Okay, maybe bits of Ward 8 which were developed in the middle of the 20th century, but what isn’t over 50 years old with some sort of from the bottom up people’s history?
Instead, I believe the truly ugly will come at a price to the developer and the seller. For one tack off points for curb appeal. Yes, they get to say that they’ve added a bedroom, more space, what have you, but then they are also competing with other say 3 bedroom, 2,000 sq ft houses that were designed to be those kinds of houses. Secondly, even when the market was hot, I’ve seen ugly houses just sit. But that’s only in my area, maybe ugly sells like hotcakes in Columbia Heights. There are also other things that developers, or others getting a house ready to sell do that are useless, like large decks off bedrooms.
Also, I believe what has been done can, with the will and money, can be undone. True window sizes can be restored, proper turrets returned (unless there is something in the DC building code against them), bricks replaced, siding removed, and better design implemented. We renovate kitchens, transform yards, add things, remove things over the years, as occupants change things. You truly lose something when the thing is completly demolished.
So lets start the petition to ban vinyl siding and regulate extra floor additions to pre-exisiting housing since the goal isn’t to preserve some vague history but rather to prevent that which is an abomination in your eyes.

Home and Garden

Home– Well I have invited a few of you over to take a look at the house. Some of you have made it over, some, not. For whatever reason you haven’t stopped by to visit here is the short picture tour.

Garden– Purslane. You’d think something labeled as a weed would be flourishing. But nooooo. A few weeks after taking purslane found on the streets and sidewalks of Shaw and transplanting them into happy little pots, they just, I don’t know. The leaves looked like something attacked them. I was thinking the flies, maybe something to do with water on the leaves and the scorching heat. But maybe, they hate pots. So I’m transplanting them to the front yard where they have to take whatever nature can give ‘e because the handle on the spigot is broken.

Better living through Real Estate

Y’all west of NJ Ave won’t be interested in this, but my TC brethren, particularly those of you who showed up at the last BACA meeting ( the notes are up at the super secret site user-thismeeting/ psw- neverhappened).

I remember the houses or vacant apartment building on the unit block of Q St mentioned during the public safety section of the BACA meeting. It seems that there have been some squatters who invaded the buildings and caused concern for some of the neighborhing residents. There were some fire marshall signs up but someone mentioned that those signs went missing. Anyway, it appears that those problem houses are up for sale. So if you have a couple of mil laying about the house you could buy 1/2 a block.
The phrase ‘better living through real estate’ came up in a conversation with a Realtor and TC resident, who believes purposeful RE transactions can aid in the betterment of the neighborhood. Well a row of tall townhouses with 2,000 sq ft per lot, are 30, 32, and 34 Q St (MLS DC6490583, DC6490599 & DC6490587) offered at $440K each. According to the listing you can try for a whole package deal. I wonder if you get a discount?

U.G.L.Y. you ain't got no alibi

Uglyhouse
Originally uploaded by In Shaw

This picture was taken some 3 years back of a house on the 1500 block of 3rd Street, NW. Since this picture was taken and I ranted about it’s ugliness in 2004, I have yet to see anybody living in it. Three years and nothing, all that ugly for naught. Of course the house might have other problems.
Another house that has seemingly sat vacant for years is at the corner of Marion and Q Sts NW. It is not so much ugly as it is confusing. There are two windows, one sitting on top of the other, allowing light into a space, well I’m not sure how that space is to be used. It would make a lovely spot for a spiral staircase, but I’m not sure where one would be going and the reasons for traffic flow in and out are not obvious. Now, it looks like there might have been a door there long time ago, and maybe the house was renovated to look like this but it just don’t make no sense.
Lastly, not a house but a business, is the Check ‘n’ Go or the rob people of their paycheck with usury fees. Note the top portions where windows have been busted in and out and the masonry (you may need to click on the photo to get to a bigger image). Yes, I know Historic Districts would prevent the remuddling, and make my whites whiter, my brights brighter and reduce crime by 98%. But some of you know how I hate history being prostituted out for reasons other than strong history. Besides, ugly remuddling would be true to the historic slum look because the ‘Shaw’ identity seems to be more 1960s urban renewal than 1890s Victorian. And what’s more true to the story than a check cashing place in a messed up building?
I believe in the invisible hand of the market coming down and smiting those who would make the ugly. They have been punished by their wickedness with properties that bear little fruit. May those who screwed up residential properties wail and nash their teeth and pay the vacant property tax. As for the ugly commercial property, maybe location, location, location may override the ugly when a business is looking for a place to be (and I don’t see a long life for the check cashing place), or maybe not.

Your house is crap

Today’s theme negativity. I must be in a mood.
Anyway, I hope my host has been able to find, or will be able to find, a MICCO survey done in the late 1960s of Shaw houses. I saw parts of the survey and hopefully the complete survey is located somewhere in the George Washington Univ archives.
From the portion I saw, here’s the deal. Each square was surveyed for the condition of the all the houses on that square. Unfortunately, what little I saw, a majority of houses where in poor condition, deteriorating or needing extensive repair. A small percentage were solid. Now, taking that to the next conclusion, if those houses weren’t satisfactorily repaired or renovated, or if the renovations were as crappy as the one done on my house (renovated in the 80s), then y’all should be a little bit concerned about your house.
Have a pleasant weekend.

Friday wrap up

Instead of going to work I went to Ocean City, MD (for a professional meeting) and grabbed some seaweed and small shells for the compost bin. I’ll wash off the salt and throw what I have in compost bin tonight. Seaweed (once you wash off the salt) is very good for compost and the shells I guess provide calcium.

If you spend more than 10 minutes on Google and can’t find what you’re looking for it may be time to consult a librarian.– Lesson learned at conference.

Has anyone noticed that a bunch of houses on Bates are up for sale? Has anyone also noticed that it seems to be the same realtor? Or is it just me?

Lastly, I’ve been thinking of the whole, well now our Truxton/Shaw houses are worth 2x or 3x as much so such and such should happen. The fault I find in this is that houses in more established DC neighborhoods are also worth 2x to 4x as much. It is not that anything has happened. There have been improvements in transitional neighborhoods such as ours that make the price raises just more than inflation. However, my $300K (formerly $100K) fee simple house with yard is worth as much as a studio sized condo in Dupont with no parking or balcony. On the plus side I could trade it in for a small detached house with a lawnmower worthy yard in the uncool section of College Park, MD (PG County). I guess my rambling point is although we know how much our own and our neighbors’ houses are worth, we should also know the comparables across town.

Big Weekend House Tour

Ah, you know Spring is here when there are more open houses in the hood than you can shake a stick at.
1536 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Price: 429,000
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 1
Fireplace: ?
Basement: Yes, unfinished
Parking: Carriage house
Well I sort of already covered this in yesterday’s post but to repeat, this is a purchase for investors. No wide eyed young dreamers, this house requires some serious work. There is a big hole on the first level where a bathroom was. The basement, was the very definition of unfinished, it was anti-finished. The carriage house, serviceable but in need of saving. The only thing that resemebled looking liveable was the upper apartment level (see picture). If I had to guess at what happened I’d have to say someone started trying to live on the 2nd floor and renovate the rest of the property but clearly was way over their head.
If one had the time and money, one could carve out 3 or 4 apartments. The basement and the 1st and second levels have separate entrances and are completely separate from each other. They all access the carriage house. The carriage house is 2 levels and would make an excellent loft, suped up garage space, mom-in law apartment, guest house, whatever. But all you need is time and money. Oh, and tolerance, as it is next door to a storefront church that can get a bit rowdy.
I was alerted to this house by a postcard the RE agent sent out and by neighbors B. and IT. IT took most of the pictures as I didn’t have my Palm on me. B. was useful as structural lab rat. He climbed the dodgy looking stairs to the second floor of the carriage house, and walked across the bridge. A lot on the property looked dodgy and will require a lot of work and money to fix up.
Offers taken March 23rd. Sold As-Is.

1642 4th St NW

Price: 270,000
Bedrooms: 1 (was 2)
Bathrooms: 1
Fireplace: no
Basement:no
Parking: Rear
B. had to admire the agent’s honesty when describing 1642 as a shell. ‘Cause that is what it was, a shell, a condemnable living space. You could live in this squalor, but for $270K, why? The nice thing about the first floor was the exposed brick (link to picture). In the right light it looked quaint against the faux paint plaster. Yet the house will need about $150K-$200K worth of work to make it livable and nice.
What’s wrong
The nice exposed brick cannot make up for all that is wrong and all that makes it a total gut job. Let’s start with the floors. Very dodgy. There were patches of linoelum and other odd bits and the floor was uneven. The upper level’s floors were worse. It seemed as if you could fall through. Some folks who had followed us took one look at the floor upstairs and turned around. I was with B., the fearless, he rides his bike through traffic without a helmet and walks across floors of question. The floors will need to be ripped up as there is nothing and no part of the floor that can be saved.
Another problem are the ceilings. The first floor’s main rooms had no ceilings, just the bottom of the semi-not there floor of the 2nd level. See the picture to the right and notice where the wall meets the ceiling sort of? Well it doesn’t. The wall stops where it stops. The ceiling is dodgy too(see picture).
Stairs. The stairs in the carriage house at 1536 New Jersey seemed more secure than the ones here. I was afraid to walk on them if another person was on them as well.
Last in the grand list of why the house needs to be totally gutted, is the layout. The only bathroom is on the first floor, behind the kitchen. There used to be 2 bedrooms, and one could carve 2 small bedrooms out in it’s current layout, but the best thing would be to knock out the back wall and build up from it’s current footprint up to the second level. From there a bathroom on the second floor could be put in, as well as a two decent sized bedrooms (or 1 bedroom 1 office), and if keeping the same footprint, one could still have parking in the back, replacing the huge 1960-1970s behemouth sitting out there now.
At $270K, if this thing goes under contract today (today they take bids) and sells for the going price, I will not question my tax assessment.

1614 New Jersey Ave
Price: 669,900
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2.5
Fireplace: 1 or more
Basement: no
Parking: back
On this block there was this and another house. The other house was a FSBO (for sale by owner) and not an open house. I only go to open houses as I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. Nothing I can really say about the house’s structure, the things that make me want to comment is how the current owners have furnished and use the space. Any way I have pictures.Pix no. 1 and pix no. 2. It is in move in condition (once the owners move out) and doesn’t have any glaring issues with paint or moulding. It is a very contemporary looking house.

425 Q St, NW
Price: 549,000
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2.5
Fireplace: ?
Basement: no
Parking: off street
Curvy, is a way to describe this house. Well done and ready to move into. It has a nice feel. I particularly liked the stairwell and hallway to the kitchen as they had windows and touches that were nice. Anyway, pictures below:
425_Qa.jpg
425_Qb.jpg
425_Qd.jpg
425_Qc.jpg

Truxton Circle houses for sale

Well two Truxton Circle Houses had open houses today.
1403 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Price: $485,000
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 3.5
Fireplaces: none
Basement: yes
Parking: Street
The house is being sold “as is” but apparently has been renovated. Things do look new. New white carpets, new paint, new fridge, new. The basement is finished and could possibly a rental unit, but the separate door to the outside was kind of small. The basement unit is a very tiny studio apt. Very tiny. With no appliances. A positive thing was that this place had light, and lots of it. Looking at the promotional material it says that “offers presented Tuesday, January 18.” Is that another way of saying let the bidding war begin?

23 N St, NW
Price: 459,900
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2
Parking: Off Street & gated
Fireplaces: wood burning stove and fireplace like mantles

Buy. This. House.
This house has character. The good kind. The woodwork in this house is *gasp* amazing. It is one of those must sees, that you really must see because the pictures I took don’t do any justice whatsoever.
When I first approached the house I was unimpressed. It was too close to the busy section where N meets that street of DEATH, New York Avenue. The front door seemed small too. Also from the street there was a lovely view of Covenant House and if you squint you’d see the New York Avenue metro station.
Inside it was a little better but the first floor is not the wow you floor.
With it’s homey dining room

and small kitchen.
The second floor is.
The second floor is where the wood work shines and is all over the place and makes you say yes this place has character. Now the house is currently occupied so I didn’t take a lot of pictures out of respect for the occupants.
There is this center room lined with large wood cabinets or doors.
I have dreamed of rooms like this. It is functional and pretty. In a Shaker sort of way. If it were on the first floor it would be better as a mud room, but it is just far too nice for mud. The floor if I can remember right is tile and is very nice. Light streams in from the couple of skylights in the ceiling and just bathes the upper floors making it all warm and wonderful on this frigid day.
I really liked the bedroom with the loft (below).

I am a sucker for wood bookshelves, even as a librarian I know wood is bad for books. But here, who cares, it’s pretty. It’s warm. In the corner the unique stairs takes you up to the loft where you can have a separate area for reading or gazing out the window.
This “as is” house is very distinct and definitely not cookie cutter. It has a lot of original character (the good kind). If houses must sell in the $400K range then this house is definitely worth it, or at least a look.

Neighborhood Research

It all began with my house. My house. The one they told me was built in 1900. Liars. I went to the MLK Library’s Washingtoniana section up on the 3rd floor looking at building permits. I could not find a permit for my house. I guess no one bothered, or if they did it was lost to time. So I had to find another way of figuring out the age of my house.
The library has a resource guide (PDF file). Now I had already looked at the permits so I looked at the Baist, Sanborn and Hopkins real estate maps. Maps helped(see above). However they only go back to 1887. My house was on it so, well at least a brick house shaped like my house. So, my house existed in 1887, being 13 years older than I thought.
At some point, and now I have forgotten the true inspiration, I decided I’d try my hand at a neighborhood history. I’d look at the demographic changes of Truxton Circle from 1930 to as far back as I can go and see what happened. I bit off more than I could chew. I never got a real feel for how F’ing big the project would be. At some point it dawned on me that Truxton Circle had over 1000 houses, for each census year, with lots of people in each of the houses. That’s a lot of work. So now I’m just doing 1880, when (I believe) the census started recording the street addresses and I am going block by block to make sure I have done everything.
If you wanna know about your Truxton Circle house you can e-mail me or comment in this post and give me the property square number and I’ll try to give you the enumeration district. In the above photo you can see that the property square number for P, O, North Cap & 1st street is Square 616. With the enumeration district number you can look for your house on microfilm at the MLK. Or you can all wait till I’m done collecting my research.