Posts by Kent Boese — Guest Contributor
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Then and Then and Now: Engine 23
Located at 2119 G Street, NW, the firehouse for Engine 23 is the District’s narrowest firehouse. It was designed by architects Hornblower and Marshall in an Arts and Crafts interpretation of the Italian Renaissance revival style and built in 1910. The images above show the Engine company shortly after the firehouse was completed, again on July 23, 1925, and today. Keep reading…
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Lost Washington: Hamburgh Village House
Image from the Library of Congress.Hamburgh Village was planned in 1768 by Jacob Funk, a German colonist who moved there from Frederick Maryland. It was created to be a suburb of Georgetown. The community was bounded by H Street, 19th Street, the Potomac River, and 23rd Street — roughly today’s Foggy Bottom. The house at 412 20th Street, NW, was constructed ca. 1780. Keep reading…
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Then and Then and Now: Harris & Ewing Studio
The Harris & Ewing photography studio was located at 1313 F Street, NW. The original studio was replaced with a new studio in 1924. Today, the building houses an Organic to Go. During the November 1924 celebrations of the new studio, which included 500 invited guests followed by an open house to the public, Harris & Ewing showed off the four studios, eight dressing rooms,… Keep reading…
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Then and Now: The Hibbs/Folger Building
Left: The Hibbs Building at 725 15th Street, NW, ca. 1920-1950. Image from the Library of Congress. Right: The Folger Building, today. Photo by the author. When the Hibbs Building was nearing completion in June, 1907, construction was advancing at a record pace to finish within ten months. Designed by Bruce, Price & de Sibour, architects, for William B. Hibbs, the lower… Keep reading…
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Then and Now: The Argyle
The Argyle, located at the intersection of Park Road and 17th Streets, was built in 1913 by Kennedy Brothers from plans by architect Alexander H. Sonnemann at the end of the Mt. Pleasant streetcar line. It was constructed of tapestry brick with limestone trimmings. The building contained 42 apartments and had an annual rental income of $26,000 in 1915. Today, the building… Keep reading…
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Then and Now: Engine House 6
The old firehouse at 438 Massachusetts Avenue, NW is the only remaining firehouse from the volunteer era. The building was built in 1855 for the Metropolitan Hook and Ladder Company. The company was predesignated Truck Co. No. 1 with the advent of the city’s first part-paid Fire Department in 1864. Six years later, with the abolishment of the volunteers, it became Truck… Keep reading…