912 NEW HAMPSHIRE AVENUE NW

Year Built

1876

Click photo below to see full sized image.

D. Vogt, 2022

Documents

History

The two-story, six-bay white brick 7-11 store is one of the oldest buildings in the Historic District. It was originally built in 1876 as a dwelling (for C.M. Floyd). It continues the cornice of No. 910 and appears to have been built as row houses. It has been used a neighborhood food store for many years.

Around 1915, the property housed the Kolker family who operated the lower level as a store, and lived above it. The Kolker (original name ( Kogod) from Belarus, Russia) lived in Foggy Bottom for several years.

For less than a week in April, 1959, "Beatnik" Bill Walker operated a Greenwich Village-type coffee house, called "Coffee 'n' Confusion" at the site. The police terminated the operation.

In 1982, the 7-11 replaced the Nicholas Superette. (Although the area is zoned residential, the commercial use of this building preceded the zoning.)

The second floor of the building is used for residential apartments.

Resident/Owner

@ 1915 Benjamin and Anna Kolker (Kogod)
@ 1950 Gene Hurd family of six

Recollections

Joan Goldwasser, from metro DC, remembers her grandmother, Anna Kolker, living in the building around 1910 to 1940. Her grandfather, Ben, died in 1918. They came from Belarus, Russia and lived in Baltimore for a while. Then they moved to Foggy Bottom. She hopes her cousin has some photos to share. (From a conversation with Ms Goldwasser at the DC HIstory Conference, March 2023. )

Source Material

FBA History Project, Foggy Bottom Historic District Walking Tour, "Historic Houses and Modern Murals." https://theclio.com/entry/144542
U.S. Census, 1950
Joan Goldwasser memory, 2023