#PreserveAnacostia
Projects
When new development or rehabilitation projects arise in Historic Anacostia, HAPS engages with members of our community, civic leaders, government officials, and developers to provide valuable input on how to best align their design with the tenets of historic preservation in the Anacostia Historic District.
HAPS champions historic preservation by providing comments on the proposed designs, materials, massing, inter alia, to ensure compatibility with the Anacostia Historic District's unique character.
Here are some of the projects we've contributed to thus far!
Transfer & Rehabilitation of Four DC Government-Owned Houses to
The L'Enfant Trust
Alongside residents of our Historic Anacostia community, HAPS actively campaigned for the transfer of four abandoned, blighted, historic homes from the DC Government to The L'Enfant Trust.
The blighted homes were owned by DC Housing and Community Development and abandoned for years, posing dangers to our Anacostia neighbors. The L'Enfant Trust hoped to do the rehabilitation of the homes at zero cost to the DC taxpayer, and sell them to members of the workforce.
With support from DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, Councilmember Anita Bonds, our Historic Anacostia community, and residents across DC, the legislation pushed through!
The homes now belong to the Trust, who will rehabilitate the structures and sell as workforce housing.
Once a household name for furniture in Washington, DC, Curtis Brothers also became known for creating the landmark Big Chair in Anacostia. Curtis Brothers' flagship furniture store, an art deco building located along Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE, is now the headquarters of the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative, a community-based non-profit organization. The building is also home to Anacostia's newest sit-down restaurant, Busboys and Poets.
HAPS worked with the Collaborative and its architect to ensure that the story of the historic building's past would be preserved, while also incorporating modern architecture that would complement the existing structure and make it functional for the Collaborative headquarters and restaurant it would house.
Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative HQ / Busboys and Poets
Image from The Menkiti Group
MLK Gateway Project
(1909 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE and
1201-1215 Good Hope Road SE)
The MLK Gateway Project, located at a main entry point into the Anacostia Historic District from the 11th Street Bridge, will feature offices, a creative workspace, and much-needed retail. The development is also intended to serve as an anchor for a DC-based technology company.
HAPS worked successfully with the MLK Gateway Partners in developing a design for the Project that is compatible and complementary to the existing structures and the character of the Anacostia Historic District. This included creating a design that was inspired by the facade of the 1909 MLK location, which collapsed in 2015, which was later approved by the Historic Preservation Review Board. The resulting design provides a fresh perspective on the positive impact of preservation coexisting with new development.
DC Prep: Anacostia Campus
DC Prep's Anacostia Campus was previously the Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, and the building had been abandoned since 2007. The abandoned building was under consideration to be redone as condominiums, but HAPS advocated its continued use as a school; a positive contributor to the community.
HAPS commented and provided input on the materials, design, and landscaping, while ensuring that the new, connected structures were compatible with and did not take away from the character of the original building.
HAPS also worked to ensure that the sidewalks would be restored using brick and sand.
Image from Google Street View
2100 MLK / 1200 V Street SE
HAPS not only provides comments on existing historic structures, but we also work to help develop potential infill projects that are compatible with and reflect the characteristics of the Anacostia Historic District, such as on 1200 V Street SE.
What was initially designed as an imposing structure that did not fit into the fabric of the historic district, the end design is a building that does not overwhelm or diminish, but rather enhances the surrounding historic homes. This project, although it has since been cancelled, was intended to create affordable housing for seniors to age in place, in the middle of the Historic Anacostia District.
"The Big K"/Maple View Flats
HAPS fought to keep the three historic homes on the "Big K" lot, encouraging rehabilitation and repurposing rather than relocation. However, the relocation of the historic homes was approved to make way for a five-storey, multi-use building on the lot, located on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE corridor.
HAPS provided significant input on the height, massing, and materials for the structure, known as Maple View Flats. HAPS fought for better-quality materials, although we remain concerned about the quality of some of the final materials used.
The Maple View Flats project was approved by the Mayor's Agent on the grounds of providing the Anacostia community with affordable housing and much-needed amenities, including Class A retail. Today, HAPS continues to work with the DC government to ensure these promises are fulfilled.
Image from Google Street View
HAPS helped ensure that the façades of the structures along Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave retained their historic character, and that the storefronts remain in line with the historic preservation guidelines.
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2122 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE
Formerly Cheers at the Big Chair -
2200 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE
Chase Bank (formerly Uniontown Bar & Grill) -
1916 - 1922 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE
We Act Radio, Check-It Enterprises, and surrounding storefronts
Preservation and Revitalization of Historic Façades
Image from Google Street View
HAPS has worked with The L'Enfant Trust, a non-profit organization that aims to protect DC's historic neighborhoods and streetscapes, on their Historic Properties Redevelopment Program. HAPS helped the Trust find suitable, possible candidates for the Program. The Program's first two projects involved the restoration and rehabilitation of homes in Historic Anacostia.
The first project was a 1912 wood-frame home that was in severe disrepair; and the second project was an 1887 Queen Anne Victorian home suffering from demolition by neglect.
HAPS continues its involvement with The L'Enfant Trust as they progress with their Historic Properties Redevelopment Program.
Work with The L'Enfant Trust
HAPS is privileged to work alongside organizations that advocate historic preservation and support our mission to #PreserveAnacostia.
Capitol Hill Restoration Society
Historic Anacostia Block Association