2419 I STREET NW

This house was part of a group (Nos. 2413-2419) that were built by Duvall and Marr in 1885. All of the houses originally had two bays and two and half stories. In 1890, Thomas H. Alexander owned the four row houses from 2413 - 2419 I St.

At No. 2419 cast iron stairs lead to a raised 1st story main entry. The door is narrow wood frame with a transom. Four (2- pairs) of star-shaped tie rods are set at west edge of the façade. A brick watertable separates the first floor from the cellar level.

The mid-1950s were a transition period in Foggy Bottom. The 2415-2419 I St. 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. The No. 2419 house, windows and doors missing, was abandoned and condemned.

In the mid- 1970s, the house was completely renovated by husband and wife architectural team, Hunter and Shirley Kennard who lived in Foggy Bottom. "They saved it (the house) from the ravages of Metro construction which had shaken its foundation, separated walls and caused cracks which patching could not camouflage," as reported in Washington Star, Home/Life in 1977.