By Frank Leone
Last fall, the FBA History Project was honored to be included in a program on neighborhood history at the DACOR Bacon House. Our presentation, “F Street: Six Blocks in Foggy Bottom,” reviewed the grand houses and row houses, and the government, university, and other buildings that have occupied the area since the 1820s. You can find a copy of the presentation HERE. Note that the historic DACOR Bacon House is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year (see notice below).
The area of Foggy Bottom west of 23rd Street was known as an industrial, working-class area. East of 23rd Street, and closer to the White House, was an upper-income neighborhood during much of the 19th Century. That area was sometimes called the West End and now is known as the “Old West End.” The F Street area was originally peopled by Native Americans. In the 1760s, Jacob Funk laid out the town of Hamburgh, also known as Funkstown, which included F Street from 23rd to 19th Streets. The town never took off and was incorporated into the new City of Washington.
Starting in the 1820s, the nation’s first powerbrokers – wealthy professionals and military and high-ranking government officials – built impressive homes in the shadow of the newly constructed White House. Houses still present today include DACOR Bacon, the GWU President’s House at 1925 F. Street, and Woodhull House, now the home of the GWU Museum’s Washingtoniana Collection. After the Civil War, the increasing DC population led to multifamily developments in Foggy Bottom and more people started to live in Washington year-round. One remaining rowhouse is Michler Place, constructed in Second Empire Style 1871 by Alexander Robey “Boss” Shepherd, a developer who became governor of the short lived Territorial Government of the District of Columbia. In the later 1800s, numerous row houses were built to house government clerks and other middle-class residents. In the 1950s and 1960s,
urban renewal led to demolition of many of the rowhouses to make way for new apartments and offices.
The early 20th century saw the development of apartment buildings and hotels along F Street. Government buildings also made an appearance, including the original Department of the Interior, now the General Services Administration building (b. 1917). The biggest impact on F Street today results from the expansion of the George Washington University, with buildings demolished, its rowhouses converted to offices and fraternities, apartments/hotels converted to dormitories (e.g. Thurston Hall), and new dormitories constructed (e.g. South Hall).
NOTICE: DACOR Bacon House presentation on the Enslaved and Free Staff of Washington’s Great Houses. To mark the Bicentennial of the DACOR Bacon House, it is sponsoring a series of programs throughout 2025 to highlight the role the House has played in social and political events in Washington DC. As part of this series, DACOR will host a luncheon program on March 19 at 12:30 pm on How a Great House Functioned in the 19th Century: The Enslaved and Free Staffs of the Washington Great Houses. The event includes program and lunch. In-person: DACOR member $45; non-member $55. Virtual: $10. For further information, visit the DACOR Event Calendar: https://tinyurl.com/28s2bev2.
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