An old house in Anacostia is beyond repair, but zoning law ensures that at least the front facade will remain to give a historic appearance to a new replacement home.

All that remains of an 1889 home in Anacostia. Photo by the author.

In June 1889, construction began on a two-story frame home at 1621 W Street SE, then Jefferson Street, in Anacostia, a block and a half from Frederick Douglass’ estate. 125 years later, DC issued a permit for the home’s demolition. It’s located just outside the boundaries of the Anacostia Historic District. All that now remains of the home is the free-standing facade.

“You can’t just go there and demolish everything,” said the inspection agent of record. “You have to keep the front up by law and by zoning or you lose the right to develop.” According to the agent, the home was in such a condition of neglect that “everything has to be replaced.”

According to city tax records, the current owner purchased the property in early 2005 for less than $82,000. It’s currently assessed at just over $150,000. The rebuilt home’s potential sale will serve as an economic barometer of East of the River property values for real estate watchers. But preservationists are closely watching how the reconstruction will happen.

The facade of 1621 W Street SE. Photo by the author.

“The best outcome will be for the developer to preserve the facade of the house and rebuild it in a way that compliments the historic character of the surrounding neighborhood,” wrote Charles Wilson, president of the Historic Anacostia Block Association and member of the Historic Preservation Review Board, in an email.

Wilson argued that preserving structures like this is the key to revitalizing Historic Anacostia, as it lends the area a unique character that can’t be found elsewhere. “When it comes to economic development in Anacostia we need to look at it from a short- and long-term perspective,” he adds. “Short-term is what it going to get us there and long-term is what is going to keep us there. Historic preservation is the long-term answer for economic development in Anacostia.”