D.C.'s Most Endangered Places Identified

A new list of endangered places for the District was just released for 2010.

Each year the D.C. Preservation League provides its list of the most endangered places within Washington, D.C.  These sites are chosen based on their historical, cultural, and architectural significance.  The buildings are considered endangered because they are subject to demolition, alteration, neglect or abandonment. 

The list of this year's endangered places in DC are:

Anne Archbold Hall (19th St. and Massachusetts Ave. NE)

The Hall, constructed as the nurses' residences for Gallinger Municipal Hospital, is on the list for the third time (2002 and 2003).  The building has been vacant for a decade and suffers from lack of maintenance and water damage, according to the Preservation League. 

The District's historic firehouses

 The pre-World War II firehouses were put on the 1999 list, and are back again with hope of getting more attention to their deteriorating conditions.

Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church (1518 M St. NW)

The building is home to the District's oldest A.M.E. congregation, as it was dedicated in 1886, and was the church of Frederick Douglass.  The Preservation League says the church needs extensive repairs and the original stained glass is deteriorating.

2228, 2234, 2238 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE 2253 Mount View Place, SE

The properties in Southeast are located within the Anacostia Historic District.  The Preservation League said they are rare examples of prosperous single-family detached houses from around the turn of the 20th Century, and that they are for sale and could be demolished for commercial uses.
 
This year’s list differs completely from the 2009 list.  That list included the following sites:

  • Foundry Branch Trolley Trestle
  • Third Church of Christ, Scientist
  • Barney Circle neighborhood
  • Mead’s Row
  • Superintendent’s House -- Dalecarlia Reservoir, Washington Aqueduct
  • The Maples (Friendship House)

The Preservation League’s hope is that by drawing attention to these sites, there will be a push to preserve and protect historic buildings in the District. 

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