2639 I STREET NW
Year Built
1877
Click photo below to see full sized image.

F. Leone, 2022
Documents
History
Following the construction of the Potomac River Freeway, the three isolated row houses (2635, 2637, 2639 I St.) are all that remains of the once-thriving neighborhood west of 26th Street. The houses were included in the original proposal for the Foggy Bottom Historic District, but omitted from the final designation, so they lack historic protection. The highway construction has left the houses difficult to access.
No. 2639 is a single dwelling that appears to have been designed as a double residence, and has a side entrance on 27th St. as well as two front doors. It was built by W.H. Serrin and owned by Edward Welsh in 1877.
The house has a raised front patio with an iron railing and canopy. Its cornice is dentilled and matches those of Nos. 2635 and 2637.
Resident/Owner
1983 - R. Barnhard and Y. Anderson
Recollections
Source Material
FBA History Project, Foggy Bottom Historic District Walking Tour, "Highway Overlook - Lost Foggy Bottom." https://theclio.com/entry/142862
Frank Leone, Funkstown, "The Highway that Ate Foggy Bottom." Dec. 3, 2022, https://www.foggybottomassociation.org/post/funkstown-the-highway-that-ate-foggy-bottom
EHT Traceries, historic area house survey, 1983
Street view of the three remaining row houses on 2600 block of I Street (F. Leone, 2022)
Corner view of 2639 I Street (F. Leone, 2022)