Columbia Heights Style Guide for Row Houses

Columbia Heights Style Guide for Historic Row Houses

Produced by:

J. Otavio Thompson

Jeffrey Soule

Washington DC Info Center T 202-316-8036 [email protected] www.dcinfocenter.com

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.dcinfocenter.com

http://www.dcinfocenter.com

Introduction

Why a Style Guide for Columbia Heights?This guide is meant to assist residents, owners, and retailers in maintaining the character and quality of their

neighborhood. While the examples in this guide are mostly from Columbia Heights, residents from other

neighborhoods in Washington, DC will find topics of relevance as well. As our discussion of the architectural

periods show, there are several types of row houses in Columbia Heights. Neighborhoods such as

Georgetown and Capitol Hill already have style guides that are more appropriate for the housing stock found

there. Our work is meant to demonstrate that a few simple principles can not only make economic sense

but can also help to maintain the long-term uniqueness and value of the neighborhood. The more people

that pay attention to their home, their street, and their community, the more that we will all benefit.

Benefits of Historic PreservationThe District of Columbia has a long and rich history in architecture. This is one of the many reasons that

people have sought to locate here or to remain in their neighborhoods. Columbia Heights has undergone

many transformations since it was first developed. The quality of the streets, the houses, and the

commercial centers are all very special and help to give Columbia Heights a vitality and livable character that

is hard to find in many suburban areas of the Washington, DC metropolitan region. It is also possible to find

Washington DC Info Center

D.C. Style Guide for Historic Row Houses 1

a wide variety of housing in Columbia Heights, including rental apartment buildings, cooperatives,

condominiums, and row houses.

Although older buildings tend to be built very well and with high quality in terms of materials and

construction, they do need regular maintenance and care. Our aim is to demonstrate that paying attention

to the original details and not making modifications which damage or diminish the historic nature of buildings

or the street makes both economic sense for the home owner as well as the neighborhood and city.

Obviously, we have rules and regulations to manage extreme examples of development that are out of

character, such as a gas station in a residential area or a ten-story building on a street with row houses. This

is the city’s responsibility. However, there are no requirements, at present, for design and modification at the

level of details such as porches, windows, doors, fences, and landscape materials. We believe these

elements are very important to maintaining the overall quality of the Columbia Heights neighborhood. The

value of these details benefit homeowners, businesses, and the casual visitor to the neighborhood.

One of the many benefits of this style guide is

that we encourage the use of local skill, such as

stonemasons, bricklayers, roofers, iron workers,

landscape designers, and carpenters, amongst

others. Using these skilled workers, many of

whom have contributed their business informa-

tion and a bit about what they do in our guide,

are an integral part of our city’s economy. We

hope that by focusing attention to their crafts-

manship, we can encourage children in our

neighborhood to consider learning these impor-

tant skills as a way to both earn a living and the

learn an art form.

We also ask that you contact your local Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) representatives or us if

you have questions about construction or modifications that you feel are of concern. While some alterations

and additions are legal, many of the additions to row houses that you sometimes see in the neighborhood

are in violation of zoning and other codes. Even when they are legal, we find the extra story additions, exten-

sions to the fronts, and sometimes to the rear of row houses damage the overall integrity of the block and

thereby reduce the value and quality. We have a lot of illustrations of these types of additions. Our advice: if

you want a bigger house, buy a bigger house - don’t bully the rest of the block!

Architectural Periods and Influence on D.C.Columbia Heights was largely settled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since then, the neighborhood

has seen a wide variety of changes, especially along the commercial corridors. The row houses have, by

large, been maintained although there are whole blocks that were destroyed during the period of so-called

urban renewal, which maintained, in the author’s opinion, a faulty belief that the buildings were the source of

blight rather than the underlying social and economic problems. Today, it is recognized that the original

building stock can and does contribute to the quality of life and is an enormous positive benefit to support



the social and economic fabric of the community at all income levels. Maintaining through streets, for exam-

ple, rather than cul-de-sac style closed developments help to provide better public safety. Houses with front

porches and shade-providing trees help parents to raise their children with a watchful eye on the street. We

can see remarkable contrast in the preservation of historic Bruce School versus the ugly bunker-style Bruce

Monroe school which has been demolished less than 40 years after it was built. The architectural and struc-

tural value of attractive historic buildings is what gives the school children and their parents an uplifting feeling

and makes them proud of their community. An ugly brutal building that was designed only to make some

kind of selfish architectural statement for the designer has no place in the future of Columbia Heights.

Early federal styleThe simplest row house in D.C.’s housing stock is the ear-

liest row house style, from the civil war up to the 1890’s. It

is called federal because its origins were in the greek re-

vival period that was so influential in the founding of our

nation’s capital. The major historic buildings in Washing-

ton, D.C. are the U.S. Capitol, the White House, and the

U.S. Treasury, amongst many others, and they were all

built in the Greek revival style. The early federal-style row

house has few decorative elements, but it has a very solid

and classic appearance, usually with its major decorative

element being the roof cornice with dentil moldings or

brackets. Subtle lintels of brick or stone and occasionally

a stained glass transom along with the typical porch com-

plete this house style. As with the Petworth-style house

which we will discuss later, the porches are designed as

part of the house and the street.

Where porches are removed, the street suffers as does the house, which needs the porch to soften the very

flat and simple facade of these smaller houses. In addition, the porch provides shade as well as a transition

from the street to the house itself. Most of these houses are two stories with an unfinished basement,

although three stories is not uncommon.

Victorian and Eastlake stylesThese are the largest and most ornate of the row houses found in Columbia Heights. After the simplicity of

the federal period, the new wealth of the merchant class and other members of the growing middle class of

Washington, D.C. was shown in the highly decorated, large row houses. Great examples can be found

throughout the neighborhood. The especially fine victorian row houses are along the 1500 blocks of Kenyon

and Irving Streets, NW.



The roofs often include a tower or turret, and the roof material is

usually slate, sometimes even decorative slate with many different

colors in bands. Our guide shows how you can economize here

without inflicting harm to the roof or appearance if slate is beyond

your budget.

These houses seldom have a large porch but rather a smaller

decorative stoop, often flanked by impressively carved stair posts

with stone or concrete planters atop. Decorative lintels over the

windows and doorways are common, and some have large bay

windows with a balcony atop the second floor bay which is

accessible from the third floor. The Victorian style was popular

from the 1870’s to 1900, and the Eastlake style, which overlaps the

Victorian style, was a bit later from the 1880’s to 1910. Eastlake is

a transition style between the more elaborate Victorian style and

the more modern Petworth-style house.

Petworth stylePetworth was the name of the estate that was converted into

housing developments around the turn of the twentieth century.

Because this was such a large-scale development, the housing

style is one of the most frequent types in the greater Columbia

Heights and Petworth neighborhoods. These houses are very

well built and marked the transition from horse-and-buggy to the

automobile age. Many of the later Petworth style had garages in

the basement that were accessible from the alley. Of course

back then, garages were used for buggies and carriages before

cars, but usually only grander homes could afford a separate

carriage house. Some Petworth houses do have detached

garages that were built around the same time as the house itself

or slightly later. The Petworth style was influenced by both the

arts and crafts era, sometimes known as “mission” style, as well

as Spanish revival styles, which had such features as red tile

roofs and curved parapets.



Many of these houses have small attics with dormer windows, but few have a full third story. The porch is

one of the defining features of the Petworth-style house, and through this guide, we will show how the

columns, the railings, the steps, the lattice work under the porch, and the planters all need to be considered

as a whole to maintain the character of streets with Petworth style houses on them. Because porches are

continuous as a design feature, the street character depends on the porches being there. Like we explained

earlier, where porches are missing, the whole street losses some of its quality. Similarly, roofs of these

houses are quite distinctive and apparent, and a dramatic difference in roof material makes an impact on the

whole street.

Eclectic and mixed stylesQuite often in the neighborhood, you will find houses that bor-

row from all of the aforementioned styles. There is nothing

wrong with this combining of historic elements - architects have

been doing this for centuries. Of course, most of the houses in

D.C. were not designed by architects in the first place but built

from pattern books. Seeing a Spanish mission roof with red

tiles with a Victorian door lintel or a Petworth style porch is not

unusual. In these cases, just try to maintain the character of

each individual element.



Street-scape

How important is the street-scape?The street-scape is the most important aspect of the neighborhood since it is the impression it makes on

visitors and residents alike. It is the unifying element that ties all the differences from house to house and

street to street together. There are three distinct sections of the street-scape: the public realm, the semi-

public realm, and the private realm. The public realm is the total public area including the street and

sidewalk. The semi-public realm is the area behind the fence and any front yard. The private realm is the

stoop, porch, and the inside of the house.

The street-scape is the introduction to the house. With its fence, gate, steps, and porch, the street-scape

should be in keeping with the semi-public nature of its purpose - to be seen yet provide a transition to the

private realm behind it. Many times, the fences have been replaced by either materials or styles that don’t fit

the overall character of the adjacent houses or the street itself. There are many great ways to express your

individuality in the neighborhood with the use of plants, planters or moveable objects, but the steps, fence,

and the yard should stay within the overall type for your block. Retaining walls also have a very important

visual impact as well as serving to keep your front yard from spilling into the street! In the back of this guide,

we have illustrated several typical retaining walls that are appropriate as well as some that are out of place.



Porches and Steps

Probably the most altered element in the

neighborhood is the porch. In many cases, the

porch is actually gone, which as we remarked

before, creates a very negative impact on the whole

street as well as reducing the salability and

functionality of the house itself. Luckily, there are

skilled carpenters who can rebuild a porch as it

once was. This is one of the best and most

reasonable improvements that you can make if

your house is one of the houses on the block that

is missing its porch.

The elements of the porch include the roof, the ceiling, the railing, the posts and steps, and the lattice work

below the porch. The posts can be brick, but they are most often made of wood. They should never be

metal, especially wrought iron. Wrought iron looks great in New Orleans but not here in Washington, D.C.

The roof material is usually standing seam metal or shingles, and the ceiling is narrow wainscoting.

Porch lighting should be understated. In keeping with the

fact that the later houses were electrified, there are plenty

of period reproduction light fixtures that are available both

for beside the door and the porch pendant lamp if that is

the type of house you have. The porch floor should also

be wood, usually tongue and groove tightly fitted and

painted, not stained, not carpeted, not tiled, or otherwise

covered. The same goes for the railing: it should be

wood spindles and top rail, all the way down the steps.

Metal and wrought iron abound in the neighborhood but is

not the correct material. The steps should be masonry in

accord with the block, whether brick, false stone, or concrete. In some cases, the steps are also wood. It is

common for the steps to be flanked with decorative masonry piers that are topped by removable planters.



Windows and Doors

In addition to the overuse of wrought iron on porches, many

residents have taken to wrought iron security doors that hide

their front door. As someone who has lived in much worse

neighborhoods than this one, metal security doors on the front

are definitely overkill. The front door should be simple and in

period even if it is a replacement. Many of the Victorian and

Eastlake row houses had double doors with each having a large

single pane of glass that were usually beveled. Federal and

Petworth style house doors are usually six panel without glass. A

pane of glass is usually in a transom above the door. This

transom is the right place to display your house number, too. It

should be painted on the glass, usually in gold. Please look at

the appendix page in the back of this guide to see the difference

between this and stick-on numbers, and judge for yourself! Old

English, or other period type not found in Washington, DC

should be found only on your emails if you insist but not on the

side of your front door or on the porch columns.

Windows have a huge impact on the visual character of a

building. Often, windows are replaced with single panels of

glass which are out of character with the scale of the house.

When possible, the original windows should be repaired and

retained as they are usually made with high quality

construction and often have a rope or chain counterweights

called double hung because they are hanging on ropes or

chains and have two movable windows one over the other.

The key is to ensure the window mass is broken up by the

sah (the frame around the glass) and mullions (the small

pieces of wood between the sections of glass. This helps

make the facade interesting and balanced and reflects the

overall character of the architecture.



Roofs and Cornices

Materials and shape are the two major characteristics of

the roof. As mentioned earlier, pop-ups and additions,

even though allowed in some cases by current DC Code,

are really bad for the character and feel of the

neighborhood. The complex rooflines of some row

houses are part of the design quality. Owners can

maintain these roofs with routine maintenance and care.

If you are fortunate to have an original slate roof or tile

roof, these can still be repaired by expert craftspersons

and will last the best. Asphalt and fiberglass shingles can

be used as well to replicate the look of slate if you need

to replace or resurface your roof. Some of the federal

style houses have built up composite roofs made of

rolled roofing that is covered with tar. These roofs need

to be re-coated on a regular basis, usually every five to

eight years. In addition, sometimes a standing seem

steel roof is found on porches and on federal style

houses as well. These steel roofs need to be painted

regularly, and they offer good protection and durability.

Color is very important. Of course, slate comes in different shades but almost always shades of grey. Darker

colors for shingles and paint on steel roofs often go well with the character of the neighborhood.

Nonetheless, depending on the building, it might be desirable to paint the roof or use lighter-colored shingles

in areas not seen from the street to reduce heating from the sun, as lighter colors reflect the heat better than

dark colors. Flashing is the metal that is used on edges and valleys and should be the best quality that you

can afford. Copper is the metal traditionally used,but there are other available.



Appendix

Great Examples

House number correctly painted on transom above door Lattice-work below porch on Petworth-style row house

Gorgeous retaining wall appointed with granite Nice planters adorning front entrance to house



More Great Examples

Stained-glass transom above door More nice planters

Finial atop a Victorian/Eastlake-style house Beautiful door and transom



Bad Examples

Stick-on, off-centered numbers on transom above door The window below should look like the window above

This wooden retaining wall overwhelms the street-scape Lattice-work would look better below the porch instead



More bad examples

House number should be placed above the door Posts made of wood or brick are more appropriate

Concrete or cinderblock retaining walls hurt the street-scape Steps should not be carpeted



Documents

Columbia Heights Style Guide for Row Houses