2415 I STREET NW
Year Built
1974
History
This house was part of a group (Nos. 2413-2419) that were built by Duvall and Marr in 1885. Metro construction, which excavated I Street in front of the house in the early 1970s, caused the façade to collapse, and it was rebuilt in a more modern style.
The mid-1950s were a transition period in Foggy Bottom. The 2415-2419 I Street houses, built 1885, provide an example - No. 2415 was occupied by several families totaling more than 25 people. It was heated with a wood-burning stove and had an outdoor toilet. The No. 2417 house had just been gutted and was being renovated. In 1890, Thomas H. Alexander owned the four rowhouses, 2413-2419 I St.
In June 1966, the 2415 house was viewed by many on the first FB House and Garden tour with Morella Hanson as owner.
Resident/Owner
1890 - Thomas H. Alexander, owner
1914 - Jas Brockman
1917 - Ella H. Ridgeley (42 yrs old) death reported, Washington Post, August 14
1958-1996 Morella Hanson
1996-2021 Douglas Hansen and Russell Conlan
2021-Present Jackson Odonye owner
Recollections
" On one side of me was 2415, that darling little air-conditioned house with the arboreal garden that Morella Hanson now lives in alone. At that time [ 1954] it was occupied by several families totalling more than 25; it was heated by a wood stove, the odor of which filtered through the walls, and it was serviced by an outdoor privy, ditto." Excerpt from Foggy Bottom News, "From the Bottom Up," by Rhea Radin, June 1959
Source Material
Foggy Bottom News, "From the Bottom Up," by Rhea Radin, June 1959, Vol. 2, Number 8
George Beveridge, "City's Foggy Bottom See Test Ground of Urban Renewal," Evening Star, Oct. 23, 1955
FBA History Project, Foggy Bottom Historic District Walking Tour, "Working-Class Row Houses." https://theclio.com/tour/2098/3
Boyds City Directory, 1914
Foggy Bottom News, June 1958
Foggy Bottom News, "Foggy Bottom Readies for its First House and Garden Tour June 5," May 1966
The Washington Star, Home/Life, "Recreated Rowhouse," February 20, 1977
FBA History Project, "Working-Class Row Houses." Clio: Your Guide to History. https://theclio.com/tour/2098/3
FBA History Project, "The Historic District's Longest Row." Clio: Your Guide to History. https://theclio.com/tour/2098/18
Street view (D. Vogt, May 2022)
2419 - 2415 I Street, during renovations, July 1955 (Vogt Collection, Wash. Star)
2419 - 2415 I Street, 1960s (Vogt collection)
2415-2419 I St. during renovation (Progressive Renewal), Wash Post (Nov. 1959)