While COVID-19 prevents us from offering our annual house tour event this year, DCCA is determined to continue to celebrate the rich history, architectural and otherwise, of Dupont Circle through a special eblast series. It is our hope that these featured homes and stories of notable individuals will encourage you to further explore our area’s history and help us all appreciate the character and beauty of our neighborhood.

We are kicking off our monthly home feature in October in honor of our traditional House Tour date and will share a monthly installment in our email communications and will compile the collection here for your enjoyment.  Click the links to read about these neighborhood homes and for those living locally, we consider you to head outside for a stroll to admire the exterior architecture and history in person.

OCTOBER: 1707 New Hampshire Ave NW – Delta Sigma Theta Sorority

Starting off DCCA’s new series of featured homes and/or notable individuals is the four-story, light stone brick building located at 1707 New Hampshire Avenue--home of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Founded in 1913 by 22 women at Howard University, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority has grown to more than 300,000 initiated members and over 1,000 chapters around the world. Read more about the building’s architects, earlier occupants, and current residents. 

NOVEMBER:  1721 S Street NW - Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. & Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.

In honor of the men and women who unselfishly served and are currently serving in the military, it is fitting that we celebrate all veterans by recognizing two of the greatest. Continue reading about this father and son who both rose through the officer ranks and by actions and leadership were instrumental figures in the desegregation of the U.S. military.

DECEMBER: 1624 Riggs Place NW – Dr. Eleanor Traylor

House Tour is about our neighborhood homes and the interesting people who occupy them.  Up next in DCCA’s continuing series on the Dupont Circle neighborhood is 1624 Riggs Place NW, home of Howard University professor emeritus, scholar, and literary critic, Dr. Eleanor Traylor. Be inspired by Dr. Traylor’s many accomplishments, glimpse at the building’s history, and imagine the existence of the old neighborhood.

JANUARY: 1708 S Street NW - Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity

This DCCA-featured house is the four-story, Georgian-style row mansion located at 1708 S St NW. Completed in 1908 as a private residence, it has been home to the Washington DC Alumni Chapter, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity (ΚΑΨ) for over seventy years. Read more about the fraternity and its location in the story that follows.

FEBRUARY: 1439 Swann Street NW - John Wesley Cromwell (History Hat video)

In celebration of Black History Month, DCCA’s continuing neighborhood series features lawyer, scholar, and publisher, John Wesley Cromwell. Step inside his former home at 1439 Swann Street with current owner, Ken Patterson, and DCCA member and local historian, Marc Langston.

MARCH: 16th and U Street NW - Car Dealership

While digging in her back yard, DCCA member Marcy Logan, found a small piece of local history. Marcy shares her story as part of DCCA’s continuing series on the Dupont Circle neighborhood.

APRIL: 2000-4 17th Street NW - Frederick Douglass

Did you know thatthe “Second Empire-style” rowhouses proudly sitting at the corner of 17th and U streets, were previously owned by social reformer, abolitionist, and writer, Frederick Douglass? Read more about Douglass, this property, and the neighborhood in this month’s installment of DCCA’s continuing series on the Dupont Circle neighborhood.

MAY: 1615 S Street NW - Mary Church Terrell (features History Hat Video)

Unbeknownst to most passersby, 1615 S St was the former home of civil rights pioneer and champion of women’s suffrage, Mary Church Terrell. Listen to DCCA member and local historian, Marc Langston, as he describes Terrell’s connection to Dupont Circle and her struggle to live in the neighborhood.

JUNE: 1752 Swann Street NW - Former Lindsay’s Jazz Club  

Long before neighborhood noise ordinances were in place, talented artists like Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Cab Calloway performed into the wee hours of the night at a home located in Dupont Circle. Read more the after-hours jazz club once located on what now is charming and peaceful Swann Street.

JULY 1712  R Street NW - Elder Lightfoot Solomon Michaux

1712 R Street was once home to an important resident of the neighborhood. This home belonged to real estate developer, businessman, newspaper publisher, and restaurateur, Elder Michaux. He was also an early pioneer in radio and television evangelism and founded the Gospel Spreading Church of God. Read more about his contributions to Washington, D.C.

1749 S Street NW - Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes was an African American writer whose poems, columns, novels, and plays made him a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. In 1925, Hughes was working as a busboy in a Washington, D.C. hotel restaurant when he met American poet, Vachel Lindsay. Hughes showed some of his poems to Lindsay, who was impressed enough to use his connections to promote Hughes’ poetry and ultimately bring it to a wider audience.  Click here to watch!