Since its construction in 1893, this Gothic Revival church has been a dominating presence in its neighborhood of small two-story row houses. The first trained African American architect in DC, Calvin T.S. Brent designed various churches, but Third Baptist was the last and is the only extant church that is clearly credited as his work. However, although he worked during segregation, Brent completed a large body of work from 1876 until his death at the age of 45 in 1899, inspiring the next generation of black architects. The only substantial alteration to Brent's design occurred in 1919, when the church added a new choir loft, organ loft, and baptismal pool designed by African American architect Isaiah T. Hatton.
As one of the oldest and most active African American congregations in Washington (organized in 1858), Third Baptist strove to advance the political and educational rights of African Americans. Although Third Baptist did not include the oldest and wealthiest black families, it shared many of the concerns of the city’s most elite black churches. It was committed to temperance and education and was willing to work with sympathetic white churches.
Under the 41-year pastorate of Reverend George O. Bullock from 1918 to 1959, Third Baptist grew to become one of the largest and most influential churches in the city. During Bullock's tenure, the church actively supported the work of organizations like the NAACP and Negro National Educational Congress by organizing mass meetings, seeking voting rights, and pushing for desegregation of the public schools and armed forces. Third Baptist distributed aid to people in the surrounding neighborhood who were uprooted by the devastating events following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1968. It narrowly averted demolition during the Shaw urban renewal project.
DC Inventory: September 25, 2008
National Register: November 26, 2008
]]>While Black architect Isaiah T. Hatton (1883-1921) designed the building in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, Reginald W. Geare (1889-1927) designed the movie theater on the first floor of the 1921 building. Similar to other establishments in the U Street NW corridor, the Dunbar Theater supported the Black community as an important communal space in a time of racial segregation in the city. Discrimination denied Black Washingtonians opportunities to socialize in public establishments, so the movie theater and jazz venue offered recreational opportunities.
The Southern Aid Society-Dunbar Theater Building served as the DC headquarters for the Southern Aid Society, the oldest Black life insurance company in the country. The building also provided residential units, offices, and commercial space for Black people. This mixed-use building was an important element of the Black commercial area that developed around Seventh and U Streets in the early part of the twentieth century.
DC Inventory: May 16, 1984
National Register: November 6, 1986
]]>The Whitelaw Hotel showcases an early example of minority real estate development. It was financed and built entirely by African American entrepreneurs, investors, designers, and craftsmen. Associated with prominent businessman and civic leader John Whitelaw Lewis, the Whitelaw is a significant example of the attempt by civic leaders to counter the effects of racial discrimination and economic adversity in the early 20th century. Before Lewis established the Whitelaw, he arrived in the city during 1894 as a bricklayer’s assistant. Through the years he worked his way up the social ladder and in 1913 he founded the Industrial Savings Bank, the first successful African American banking institution in DC.
The building is a notable work of Isaiah T. Hatton, locally trained as one of the nation’s first African American architects. It serves as an example of a large apartment building in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and was important in the expansion of apartment living to a broader middle class. The building is four stories, U-shaped with facades of buff brick and limestone trim, classical details, and a stained glass skylight over the dining room. It was built in 1919 and extensively restored in 1991-1992.
The design and construction of the Whitelaw was very much a collective effort, not only by Lewis and Hatton, but by much of the black community as well. In order to fund his idea, Lewis was able to encourage the African American community to buy twelve dollar shares for the property. When the hotel officially opened on November 24, 1919 it joined other businesses on “Black Broadway” as an important social and cultural space for DC’s African American community. With 25 apartments and 22 rooms hosting a variety of amenities, the Whitelaw was the first first-class hotel in DC for African Americans that provided the marginalized community with permanent housing, public accommodations, and a space for communal events. The Whitelaw’s success continued up until the 1968, when violent protests following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. destroyed homes, businesses, and displaced many from the neighborhood.
The economic and cultural success of Black Broadway had been dealt a major blow and businesses like the Whitelaw felt its effects deeply. Like other businesses, the hotel was not able to bounce back quickly from the event and in the 1970s, it was shut down and abandoned. In the 1980s, the neighborhood was rebuilding itself and businesses were making a comeback in the area. However, a succession of organizations trying to bring life back into the Whitelaw experienced significant obstacles to redevelopment.
In 1990, MANNA, Inc., a non-profit with a goal to help develop housing for low to moderate-income individuals, garnered financial support from both private and public partnerships and restore the Whitelaw. Today, the Whitelaw Hotel once again houses DC residents and is a surviving reminder of the efforts made by black Washingtonians to create communal spaces in the face of segregation.
DC Inventory: September 16, 1992
National Register: July 14, 1993
Within Greater U Street Historic District
This site is a stop on the D.C. Apartment Buildings tour as an example of a Luxury apartment building, as well as a culturally significant apartment building.
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