Kennedy-Warren Apartment Building

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Kennedy-Warren Apartment Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location:	Washington, District of Columbia
Coordinates:	38°55′54″N 77°3′21″W / 38.93167, -77.05583Coordinates: 38°55′54″N 77°3′21″W / 38.93167, -77.05583
Built/Founded:	1931
Architect:	Younger, Joseph; Sonneman, A.H.
Architectural style(s):	Art Deco
Added to NRHP:	September 07, 1994
NRHP Reference#:	94001039 [1]
MPS:	Apartment Buildings in Washington, DC, MPS
Governing body:	Private

The Kennedy-Warren Apartment Building, also known as the "Old Lady", is a historic 11-story apartment building at 3133 Connecticut Avenue, Northwest between the Cleveland Park and Woodley Park neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., United States. The Art Deco building was constructed from 1929 to 1931 and is located beside the Klingle Valley Bridge and Smithsonian National Zoological Park. The apartment building overlooks Rock Creek Park and has been home to several historical figures including two United States Presidents. The Kennedy-Warren is considered the largest and best example of an Art Deco apartment building in Washington, D.C. In 1989, the Kennedy-Warren Apartment Building was listed as a District of Columbia Historic Landmark, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Construction 1.2 Expansion 1.3 Rent strike 2 Architecture 2.1 Exterior 2.2 Interior 3 Notable tenants 4 Gallery 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Construction

In 1929, Edgar S. Kennedy and Monroe Warren, Sr. chose Joseph Younger to design a new apartment building in NW Washington, D.C. The Kennedy-Warren Apartment Building's entry tower and north wing opened in 1931 with 117 rental units. It was the first building in Washington, D.C. to use aluminum trim on both the interior and exterior and the first apartment building in the country to use a forced, natural-air cooling system. A second wing was planned, but due to the Great Depression Kennedy and Warren fell into bankruptcy and construction of the second wing was put on hold. In 1931, the building's mortgage holders, B. F. Saul Property Company of Bethesda, Maryland, took over ownership of the Kennedy-Warren. A 200-unit addition to the back of the east side of the building was constructed in 1935 and designed by Alexander H. Sonnemann.^[2][3][4]

[edit] Expansion

A collection of Younger's drawings were discovered in 1987 and the building's owners decided to finish the Kennedy-Warren's original design. After several years of delays due to zoning laws, the B.F. Saul Company and Hartman-Cox Architects LLP began construction of the planned 300,000 sq ft (27,871 sq m) second wing in 2002 at a cost of $48.5 million dollars. The original drawings by Younger were incomplete, but the architects followed the same architectural style of the now "Historic Wing" and used most of the same type of building materials. Contemporary apartment layouts and the addition of balconies are the only change from Younger's original design. Apartments in the original wing were measured to create the floorplans for rental units in the new wing. In addition, the historic wing's exterior was refurbished and the main lobby, lounges, and promenade were renovated. The brick used for the new wing was specially mixed to match the color and variation of the original wing's brick. Hartman-Cox received a Palladio Award in 2006 for construction of the new 114-apartment wing and renovation of the older wing.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

[edit] Rent strike

In January 2008, Kennedy-Warren tenants began a renter's strike to protest a $233/month renovation surcharge that took effect at the beginning of the year. Tenants had already been paying a $179/month surcharge since June 2007, but the rate increase prompted what Washington, D.C. officials called the first large-scale rent strike of its kind in the city. The strike ended in February 2008. Tenants were refunded the $179 surcharge they had already paid and the B.F. Saul Company agreed to drop the surcharge rate altogether. The B.F. Saul Company began renovations of the vacated old wing apartments in 2008 in order to increase the rent. Apartments that now costs $1,430/month will increase to $3,333/month and those costing $3,974/month will increase to $8,400/month.^[7][8][9]

[edit] Architecture

[edit] Exterior

The Kennedy-Warren Apartment Building is considered the zenith of Art Deco architecture in Washington, D.C. The building is larger than it appears to someone walking down Connecticut Avenue due to the slope of the land on the eastern and northern sides of the building. There are six floors located beneath the entrance level. Two floors are residential, while the other four contain a ballroom, parking spaces, and service space. The decorative stonework found in the original wing was produced by the Edmonds Art Stone Company of Washington, D.C. Aluminum castings are used for rows of square-shaped, decorative spandrels on the entry tower and wings that mark each of the eleven floors. The spandrels found on the original buildings were produced by Alcoa, while the spandrels on the new wing were produced by the Boose Aluminum Foundry. Aluminum was also used for the lobby doors and portico. The building was made of brick and Indiana limestone. The forced-air ventilation system uses large fans at the back of the building to suck in cool air from the park floor and distribute it throughout the building's corridors.^[10][2][3]

The front portico features an aluminum, rounded marquee with a half-circle design topped with pointed spires. A stained-glass bay window is located above the entrance. On either side of the portico are two windows with a pair of limestone Aztec eagles located above them. Two more limestone eagles are located at each of the two portico wing entrances. At the top of the center tower are two limestone griffins located beneath a pointed copper peak. A frieze of elephants carved into the cement are located above alcoves along the building's facade.^[10][2][3]

[edit] Interior

The Kennedy-Warren main lobby contains a 20 feet (6.1 m) ceiling and features an aluminum stair railing and balcony. During the building's renovation, the lobby was restored to its original Art Deco appearance. A faux-painted wood paneling covers the lobby walls and a replica of the original chandelier hangs from the ceiling. The lobby ceiling features intricate, geometric designs and sunburst shapes painted onto the beams. A dark green and gold rug features a flower-shaped motif that matches the flower shapes found on the stair railing and the building's exterior. The elevator doors are made of black metal and feature a copper tree and flower design. Kennedy-Warren amenities include a small store located inside the entry tower which sells food staples, a pool, spa, sauna, conference center, ballroom, and concierge. A private members-only club located in the old wing contains a lounge and piano bar.^{[10][11][2][3]}

[edit] Notable tenants

Harry S. Truman rented a $150/month 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment at the Kennedy-Warren in 1937, while still a senator from Missouri.^[12] Another United States President that resided at the Kennedy-Warren was Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife Lady Bird Johnson before they moved to the White House.^[9][13] Other notable former residents include Harry Hopkins, H. R. Haldeman, P. J. O'Rourke, congressmen, senators, and several admirals and generals during World War II.^[13][11][2]

[edit] Gallery

Drawing design by Joseph Younger

Drawing design of the lobby by Younger

Historic photo of the entry tower

Historic photo of the lobby

[edit] See also

• List of Registered Historic Places in the District of Columbia

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Kennedy-Warren Residents' Association

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