Langston Terrace Dwellings are historic structures located in the

Langston Langston is a name of English origin. People with the name include: People with the given name *Langston Galloway (born 1991), American basketball player * Langston Hall (born 1991), American basketball player *Langston Hughes (1902–1967), Afr ...

portion of the Carver/Langston neighborhoods in the Northeast quadrant of

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The apartments were built between 1935 and 1938 and they were listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1987.

History

Olney frieze at Langston Terrace Dwellings 1

Langston Terrace was the first federally funded housing project in Washington, D.C., and one of the first four in the United States. It was part of President

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

’s

Public Works Administration The Public Works Administration (PWA), part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by United States Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was ...

and was named in honor of

John Mercer Langston John Mercer Langston (December 14, 1829 – November 15, 1897) was an African-American abolitionist, attorney, educator, activist, diplomat, and politician. He was the founding dean of the law school at Howard University and helped create the d ...

, a 19th-century American abolitionist and attorney who founded

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

Law School, and served as a U.S. congressman from Virginia. The project cost the government $1.8 million and rooms were available for $6 per month or $4.50 per month without utilities. The complex was co-designed by

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...

-trained Washington architect

Hilyard Robinson Hilyard Robert Robinson (1899 – July 2, 1986), was an American architect, teacher, and engineer. He was a prominent early Black architect in the United States, and influenced a generation of students. Biography Hilyard Robert Robinson was born ...

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

-based architect

Paul Revere Williams Paul Revere Williams, FAIA (February 18, 1894 – January 23, 1980) was an American architect based in Los Angeles, California. Most of the buildings he designed were in Southern California and included the homes of numerous celebrities, s ...

in the

International Style The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...

. The site planning and landscape design were completed by landscape architect

David Williston David A. Williston (1868–1962) was the first professionally trained African American landscape architect in the United States. He designed many campuses for historically black colleges and universities, including Tuskegee University. He also tau ...

. Unlike Techwood Homes, the first public housing project in the U.S., Langston was open to African American families. Langston Terrace is on the National Register of Historic Places. Much like Aberdeen Gardens in Virginia, also designed by the famed African American architect Hilyard Robinson, the 274-unit complex was constructed primarily by African American laborers. The garden style apartment buildings were built around common areas (mews). Daniel Gillette Olney's ''The Progress of the Negro Race'' is a

terra-cotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramicOED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware object ...

frieze located in the central courtyard. The frieze depicts African American history from slavery to World War I migration. Olney's ''Madonna and Children'' is located in the same courtyard. Concrete animal sculptures located in the courtyard also serve as climbing structures for children.

References

External links

Langston Terrace - District of Columbia Housing Authority
{{National Register of Historic Places Residential buildings completed in 1938 Apartment buildings in Washington, D.C. Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. International style architecture in Washington, D.C. African-American history of Washington, D.C. Public Works Administration in Washington, D.C. Public housing in Washington, D.C. 1938 establishments in Washington, D.C.

History

See also

References

External links