917 HUGHES MEWS NW

Hughes Mews - formerly known as Hughes Court - has a small collection of original picturesque alley row houses dating from the late 1800s. At one time this alley held as many people as nearby Snows Court and shared its bad reputation as being overcrowded, unsanitary, and unsafe. As with Snows Court, that reputation ignored the presence of the alley's low-income, but close-knit and vibrant community.

This corner of Hughes Mews is currently a lovely alley space with creative container gardens placed in front of the remaining row houses. In 1892, there were up to 300 people living in Hughes Court. Most of the old row houses were demolished and replaced by large apartment buildings in the mid-late 1950s. Only this group (911-923 Hughes Mews) of row houses remains. Nos. 911 and 913 were built in 1887 by Geo. E. Emmons for J.W. Payne. Nos. 915-923 were designed, built and owned by Danenhower & Sons in 1885.

No. 917 differs from the others in the row because the cornice was removed and a large third floor addition was installed flush with the front facade. (This addition occurred well before the Foggy Bottom Historic District was designated.)

In the early 20th century, Hughes Court shared Snows Court's reputation for overcrowding, disease, and crime. Housing "reformer" Rev. Wilbur V. Mallalieu wrote in 1912 that Snows Court, "a festering sore in the District of Columbia" was "almost immediately connected with Hughes Court, another interior alley. The two form one underworld community." Charles Frederick Weller in "Neglected Neighbors" (1909) (p. 246) included both alleys as part of "a large area of stagnation," noting that "[o]dors from the gas works and influences from large breweries are especially evident here."

These houses generally follow the pattern of typical Foggy Bottom historic row houses - they are brick, 12-16 feet wide and 26 feet deep, and two or three stories high. Most of the houses have fenced in gardens or patios in the back. From an architectural perspective, the “late Victorian” row houses generally have flat-fronts and simple ornamentation. Builders used pressed and molded brick detailing builders to make even modest houses appear distinctive.

In June 1966, the house and gardens were viewed by many as one stop on the first FB House and Garden tour.