2532 I STREET NW
Year Built
1889
Click photo below to see full sized image.
D. Vogt
Documents
History
The two houses at the bottom of I Street (2530-2532) were built in 1889 by Irish immigrant Peter McCartney. McCartney built a number of houses in Foggy Bottom in the 1880s. He began as a carpenter and soon established a successful contracting business. His skill with brick and wood is found throughout the historic district including in the corbelled brick cornices and delicate jigsaw work.
Nos. 2530 and 2532 share an unusual bricked arched entryway to the back yard garden and intricate brick cornice work. This pair of row houses is much closer to the street than those up the block. No. 2532 is two stories high and two bays wide, with elaborate brick work detailing at the cornice. The front entry door has wood pilasters and a broken pediment. The curved archway separates it from No. 2530 at ground level. The house is 13'6" wide with a flat roof.
No. 2532 still features the McCartney as-built interior floor plan, including a wood-burning fireplace and his hand-made mantle. Swiss artist Daniel Zeltner painted a colorful mural, with cows and the Capitol - it is located on the back retaining wall (behind the house).
In 2022 this house had 2 beds, 1 bath and was 954 sq ft.
NOTE: Across the highways, 2635, 2637, 2639 I St stand alone. In 1879, Peter McCartney built 2635 and 2637 for Gilbert Gannon. The last of the three, 2639 appears to be designed as a double residence.
Resident/Owner
1900 - Mary B. Hayes, Daniel Lee, clerk (City Directory)
1914 -- Daniel J. Lee
1958 -- Robert P. Warlick, Mr. and Mrs. W.A. Wellborn
2000 - Zach Cohen
Recollections
Source Material
Boyds City Directory, 1900, 1914
Foggy Bottom Association News, June 1958
EHT Traceries, historic area house survey and photo, 1983
FBA History Project, "Rows with Spacious Front Gardens." Clio: Your Guide to History. https://theclio.com/tour/2098/10
2528 to 2532 I Street, with Watergate in the background, Nov 1983 (EHT Traceries)
Swiss artist D. Zeltner, friend of the owner, painted mural as a gift. (D. Vogt, 2022)