The Rest
Armesleigh Park
Private residence

It is believed that the earliest house on this site was a log dwelling begun in 1700 by one Charles Jones. Over the years the house was enlarged and by the early 1800s had evolved into a mansion. Much of the construction would have been completed before building permits were required. The property abutted that of Clean Drinking Manor in nearby Maryland, which was also owned by a Charles Jones, probably a relative. The house is shown on the 1861 Boschke Topographic Map for which the field inspections were done in 1857-8. By 1878 The Rest was owned by Mrs. A. Lyles (Ariana Jones Lyles) and remained in the Jones/Lyles family until 1920.

Fort Reno
Bounded by Belt Road, Fessenden Street, Reno Road, and Chesapeake Street, NW

Fort Reno (originally called Fort Pennsylvania) was constructed in the winter of 1861and is one of a ring of Civil War defenses around the City of Washington. The site was selected as it is strategically located in relation to the Rockville Pike (Wisconsin Avenue) and had excellent sight lines, especially to the west. One could and still can stand at the top of the hill between Donaldson and Fessenden Streets and on a clear day see to what is now Tyson’s Corner, and even the Shenandoah Mountains. The addition of an advanced battery across what is now Fessenden Street, and a double line of rifle trenches contributed to making the fortification the largest and strongest of the ring forts. General Early’s advance near Rockville, MD on July 11, 1864 was first observed by soldiers at Fort Reno. Following the Civil War, an integrated suburban type development, Reno City, occupied a large area in the southwestern part of the Reservation. In the early 20th century, the stone water towers were built and a reservoir constructed underground. By the mid-1940s, Reno City had essentially disappeared. The highest elevation in Washington, DC is located at Fort Reno, on the knoll just west of Alice Deal Junior High School. (click here for pictures and maps).

Sears, Roebuck & Co.
4500 Wisconsin Avenue, NW

The Sears building is an example of the Art Deco commercial architectural style. It was designed with parking specifically in mind and the roof-deck parking was an innovative idea. A decade of research into the impact of the car on consumer buying patterns contributed to the store’s design. Other new features included air conditioning and poured-concrete construction. This and other stores built by Sears in the late 1930s focused on the essential functional requirements for retail success. The celebration of the distinguishing architectural features and use of the original building while adding new residential space above makes this building an excellent example of adaptive reuse. (click here for more pictures)

The Hilleary T. Burrows House
American University Park
Private residence

Built in the Queen Anne style, the Hilleary T. Burrows House is one of first homes built in the new American University Park subdivision and, because of its location at River Road and 46th Street, remains one of the more visible and familiar. It is an excellent example of a two-story Queen Anne-style home, notable especially for it unusual wrap-around porch and the fact that its original lot remains undivided. It may be the only documented example of a house in Washington, D.C. whose design was taken from a published pamphlet of architectural designs. Because of the house's proximity to Civil War Fort Bayard, it is likely that a rifle trench connecting Fort Bayard with Fort Reno, another Civil War fortification to the east, would have run close to where the house now stands.

Engine Co. #20
4300 Wisconsin Avenue, NW

Tenleytown Firehouse was designed by Leon Dessez in the Italianate style. Though rectangular in plan, from the front the original building looked like a foursquare. The original materials were buff colored brick and barrel tile for the roof. There were four periods of firehouse construction prior to WWII. Tenley Firehouse was built in the third of these, 1898-WWI, when firehouses were generally freestanding, located on main thoroughfares and with a one of a kind design. Tenley Firehouse is the second oldest of the nineteen pre-World War II firehouses still fulfilling their original use, and prior to partial demolition preparatory to expansion had the oldest intact interior. The bay built in 1913 to accommodate a motorized hook and ladder has been razed. (click here for more pictures)

Convent of Bon Secours
4101 Yuma Street, NW

Erected for the Sisters of Bon Secours, a nursing order founded in France, the building is an example of the late phase of the Italianate style. The walls are one foot in width, and the roof is variegated green clay tile. Its function is clearly expressed in its style. The main block resembles a house and served as a residence for the Sisters. The exterior of the west wing, which houses the chapel, looks like the apse of a church. A small campanile that served as a chimney joins the two parts of the building. After WWII, nursing evolved into a professional medical career and the need for nursing sisters lessened. In 1966, the convent ceased operation, and the building was sold to the French Embassy and became the French International School. From 1975 – 2000, the Oakcrest School occupied the building.  Plans are underway to renovate and add on to the building that will house a women’s study center.

Dumblane
Private residence

The design for Dumblane is loosely based on Craftsman House #10 (1904), and reflects both the design philosophy of Gustav Stickley and the preferences of the original owners. Occupied by its first owner until 1962 and altered very little by subsequent owners, the house retains its initial integrity. Though the size of the property has been somewhat reduced over the years, the still spacious grounds maintain the typical Craftsman relationship between interior and exterior space. (click here fore more pictures)

(Listed in DC Inventory of Historic Sites, 2005)

The City Church
(formerly Eldbrooke United Methodist Church)
4100 River Road, NW

In 2008 The City Church purchased Eldbrooke United Methodist Church. Eldbrooke Church was established in 1840 and played a vital role in the history of Tenleytown. The handsome 1926 Spanish Colonial Revival building, situated at the corner of River Road and Murdock Mill Road adjacent to the Sears Building in Tenleytown, is the fourth Methodist church building on this site. The first church, called Mount Zion Methodist, was erected in 1840 and was rebuilt after the Civil War. A larger church was built there in 1899, and the name was changed to Eldbrooke, honoring community members Aquila Eld and Philip Brooke.

The church is constructed of steel and tile, with a red tile roof and textured stucco exterior. All of the exterior ornamentation is cast cement. The roof retains its original red tiles. The gabled façade is ornamented with a bas-relief in the multi-curved Spanish Baroque style. A square bell tower is attached to the front southeast corner of the building. The sanctuary contains numerous stained glass windows donated by and in memory of church members.

The Methodist Cemetery
Murdock Mill Road (between River Road and Albemarle Street, NW)

In 2008 The City Church purchased Eldbrooke United Methodist Church. Eldbrooke Church was established in 1840 and played a vital role in the history of Tenleytown. The handsome 1926 Spanish Colonial Revival building, situated at the corner of River Road and Murdock Mill Road adjacent to the Sears Building in Tenleytown, is the fourth Methodist church building on this site. The first church, called Mount Zion Methodist, was erected in 1840 and was rebuilt after the Civil War. A larger church was built there in 1899, and the name was changed to Eldbrooke, honoring community members Aquila Eld and Philip Brooke.

The church is constructed of steel and tile, with a red tile roof and textured stucco exterior. All of the exterior ornamentation is cast cement. The roof retains its original red tiles. The gabled façade is ornamented with a bas-relief in the multi-curved Spanish Baroque style. A square bell tower is attached to the front southeast corner of the building. The sanctuary contains numerous stained glass windows donated by and in memory of church members.

City Church has embraced the history of its new home while adapting it to its own style of worship.

(Listed in DC Inventory of  Historic Sites, 2008)

Western Union Tower
4623 41st Street, NW

The Western Union Telegraph Company tower represents a milestone in engineering history. The main structure was constructed to serve as a “beam terminal,” i.e., a transmission and receiving station. It was to serve as the southern terminal station in the Western Union New York-Washington-Pittsburgh radio relay triangle, a significant step in the development of modern communications and the first commercial network of its kind in the U.S.

Constructed of limestone and brick in a style reminiscent of Art Deco and Moderne periods, this is very possibly the only architect-designed facility, designed solely as an antenna system, in the country. Purpose built, the Western Union Tower is a rare example of very specialized construction in its period. Based on an application submitted by Consulting Historian David Rotentstein this site had previously been deemed eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places by the DC Historic Preservation Review Board in 2003.

(Listed in DC Inventory of Historic Sites, 2008)

Garden Club Entrance Markers
Northwest and Northeast corners of Wisconsin and Western Avenues

Between April 1932 and October 1933, pairs of stone markers, designed by architect Edward Donn and constructed of Aquia Creek sandstone, were erected at six entrances to the city. Three pairs, and two isolated examples survive intact including the pair at Friendship Heights. The markers are decorated with the seal of Maryland on one side and, on the other side, a District cartouche with a bas-relief of George Washington standing with Lady Justice, a laurel wreath, rising sun and depiction of the Capitol dome. The dedication panel bearing the inscription “Erected by the Garden Club of America 1932” remains intact on the Wisconsin Avenue side of the marker on the east side of Wisconsin Avenue. The marker on the west side was removed during construction on the site and has been cleaned and reinstalled with a protective fence and planting.

(Listed in the DC Inventory of Historic Sites, 2008)

Janney Elementary School
4130 Albemarle Street, NW

Built to relieve overcrowding at the 1882 Tenley School, Janney Elementary School opened in 1925 during a period of growth in Tenleytown. Janney was described in The Washington Star (4/12/1925, Part 1, page 5) as “the last word in modern schoolhouse construction. It will have two distinctive features which other buildings of its type in the District lack – a combination gymnasium and assembly hall and adequate outdoor play space.” The new Janney school, consisting of its central block and east wing, still couldn’t accommodate all the students at the Tenley School. Initially, the third through eighth grade students moved from Tenley School to Janney and in 1926, Janney had 518 students. Its peak enrollment was 708 in 1951-52.

Jesse Reno School
4820 Howard Street, NW

The Jesse Reno School was built in 1903 for African American children. Designed by municipal architect Snowden Ashford, the school had four rooms on the first floor and four on the basement level. Its formal Renaissance-style design acknowledges the dignity of learning, and its large windows let in air and light, reflecting educational principles of its time.

The Jesse Reno School served kindergarten through eighth grade. The students were residents of Reno City, a community that came into existence during the Civil War, when enslaved people fled their owners and began to congregate around Fort Reno. Reno City was subdivided into building lots in 1869, and African Americans who were already living around the remains of the fort were joined by freed slaves from elsewhere. Reno City became a racially integrated working-class community that was about 75% black and 25% white. By the time the Jesse Reno School was built, Reno City had approximately one hundred buildings, including homes, churches, stores, and a Masonic lodge.