Tracing the Origin Of Spaces

Owner-Sleuths Uncover the History Behind Their Homes

The handsome gray building at 1629 16th St. NW was built in an architectural style known as Richardson Romanesque, popular in the late 19th century and characterized by massive stone construction and deep-set arched doorways. Inside, five upscale condominiums offer all the 21st-century amenities the Washington professional could want: elevator, high ceilings, granite counters, Sub-Zero fridges, gas fireplaces and sleek faucets.

Listing the condos at $450,000 to $2.5 million, developer Ken Taylor wanted to offer potential buyers something else: a sense of history.

Well-off, educated home buyers often think historical background "adds a different level of intrigue to the property," he said. "The more information we have to give them, the more they like it."

Seven blocks away, the owner of a red brick rowhouse on 13th St. NW is also curious. Scott Pomeroy has lived there for 17 years and is fixing his house up. He already had some sense of his home's past; for example, he knew that years ago the building had been divided into medical offices, because of its proximity to Children's Hospital. But he wanted to know more.

Both men consulted a professional architectural historian, Paul K. Williams, whose company, Kelsey & Associates, has been researching historical buildings in the Washington area since 1991.

But Williams and other experts say any homeowner who wants to delve into a house's history can make use of a wide range of publicly available resources. Matthew Gilmore, who maintains a Web site on District history, has taught classes on researching houses for the D.C. Preservation League and says most of his students are new homeowners.

Maps, deeds, building permits, census data, and many other records are on file in different jurisdictions throughout the area; libraries and historical groups can provide guidance that, combined with persistence and some luck, can lead a house to yield its secrets.

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Research starts with a walk through the house, looking for clues. Variations in stone or brickwork could signify an old window, or an old staircase, or an old fireplace, and give a sense of what might be in the building's past.

The house on 16th Street held relatively few clues, Williams said; it had been too thoroughly remodeled over the years. So he took the next step all researchers should take -- going to the local library or historical society. In the District the primary source of information is the Washingtoniana room at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library at 901 G St. NW.

There, Williams consulted old maps to pin down the property's square and lot numbers, the legal definition of any property in the District. Being south of Florida Avenue, the 16th Street building still had the square number assigned in the original design by Pierre L'Enfant. Other parts of the District have been renumbered, but those numbers can be tracked over time by checking subsequent maps.

Williams then looked up the property in the library's archive of microfilmed building permits. From them, he learned that the house's first owners, Henry N. Manney and his wife, Anteinetta, had it built in 1887 for the then-steep sum of $15,000. It was designed by architect Robert I. Fleming, and the builder was Frank N. Carver. The house was 50 feet deep by 28 feet wide, with an ornate slate and tin roof and a facade in the front to give the illusion it was taller than it was.