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HOUSE HISTORIES

The FBA History Project has created an interactive map of the Historic District. This innovative project, for the first time, brings together information on a D.C. neighborhood that offers new ways to research and uncover the past and contribute to the present. In November 2023, the DC History Center gave the map a permanent home on its server. They also have links to the project on their Digital Resources page. 

WHY IT MATTTERS

Foggy Bottom’s history stretches from its colonial origins through its German and Irish immigrant industrial era and vibrant African American community, to the transformations brought by urban renewal, gentrification, highway construction, GWU expansion, and modern development. The Historic District includes 135 houses, each with stories that illuminate neighborhood life from the 1800s to today. The map also highlights more than 100 additional “non-contributing” properties and land west of the district that was once occupied but is now covered by freeways. Our House History Map documents the community, its homes, and the lives of the people who lived there—and invites anyone to explore, learn, and contribute.

Historic image of the row houses in the historic Foggy Bottom neighborhood
Portrait of Butt Millett
Baist Map 1919, with Heurich brewery in lower left Library of Congress

The House History Map

This project combines individual House History pages for each building in the Foggy Bottom Historic District Study Area with an interactive map. Map layers display historic maps, census records, city directory data, and other information focused on the period from 1870 to 1910. Each property on the map links directly to its House History page, making it easy to move between the map and individual histories. Future updates will expand the map layers to include periods before 1870 and from 1911 to 1970.

Historic row houses in Foggy Bottom during Spring

House History DIRECTORY

To reach each individual house House History page:

1. Click on the house at the House History Page by using this link

2. Or, click on the house on the Foggy Bottom House History map (pan and zoom like any online map and click features for pop-ups).

Contribute to the House History Pages

Do you have an edit for our directory? Please email DeniseV@FoggyBottomAssociation.org. Submit information, documents, or photographs about your house or others in the neighborhood. After review, they will appear on the House History pages. We have designed the house pages format to allow for new information to be added at any time. Below are types of materials that enrich the history project. 

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  1. House History (e.g., physical description, original features, prior uses of the house)

  2. Owners/Residents (e.g., information from deed records, census, notable residents, and building uses)

  3. Recollections (personal experiences of current or former residents)

  4. Source Material (listing of sources of information)

  5. Documents (e.g., deeds, newspaper articles, letters from past owners, floor plans)

  6. Photo Gallery (vintage or current photos, include source, date, descriptive caption)

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House History Resources for Your Research
Start by reviewing any materials you have collected about your house. If you have neighbors or friends who have left Foggy Bottom but have information to contribute,   please share this page with them. 

 

For additional research, a good place to start is the DC History Center's Building Research Guide, and you can find more on our History Resources Page.

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Here's a downloadable presentation on using the mapping features:  Historic District House History Map -  Layer by Layer, House by House 

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Special thanks to The Foggy Bottom Defense and Improvement Corporation Trust, the DC History Center and Brian Kraft of Visualizing DC History.

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