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The Celebrities of Woodley Park, Part I This is Part I of a multi-part series on known in their field. 1801 which is located at 3000 Cathe- celebrities who have lived or now live in In Part I, I cover Cathedral dral Avenue, now part of the Maret our community of Woodley Park. Avenue, which itself has a glorious his- School. During the American Revolution tory, and touch on Cortland Place. Spe- he served in the Maryland Loyalist Bat- Over Woodley Park’s more than 200 cial thanks are extended to several talion as a captain year history, it has been the home of neighbors who were most helpful in my and was captured presidents and their advisors, vice research for this series of articles: Sally by the Spanish in presidents, cabinet members, diplo- MacDonald, Barbara Ioanes, Alan Florida. He was a mats, WWII figures, Supreme Court Weinstein, Roy Woodall, John Good- prisoner for a month justices, Watergate figures, socialites, man, and Eric Cox. in Havana, Cuba, news makers and reporters, US Sena- We begin our exploration of before being paroled tors and Representatives, Academy Woodley Park celebrities on Cathedral and sent to New Award winners, Pulitzer Prize winners, Avenue, a prominent street that con- York City until the a Nobel laureate, spies, and many oth- tains Woodley Mansion, the oldest end of the war. He ers. I can only profile some of these building in the community and one of then studied law in celebrities since so many interesting the richest sources of well-known his- England, returned to Maryland in 1785, people have lived in Woodley Park over torical figures, only some of whom are and was admitted to the bar. He was the many years. Some of those profiled discussed in this article. elected to Congress and served from in this series, while not household Philip Barton Key , uncle of 1807 to 1813. Key died in Georgetown names, are included due to their ac- Francis Scott Key, bought a 250 acre in 1815, was interred at Woodley, and complishments, making them well- estate in 1797 and built Woodley in (Continued on page 5) The Olmsted Firm and Woodley Park’s Green Spaces With the change in weather, visitors and Washingtonians can enjoy the city’s many green spaces, including several designed by the famed Olmsted firm. WPCA B OARD Woodley Park residents are particularly fortunate to have several Olmsted treas- ures right outside our doors. President Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (1822–1903) and his son left Jay Sushelsky indelible imprints on the city’s public spaces. Olmsted Sr., with partner Calvert Vaux, is perhaps best known as the genius behind New York’s Central Park. Olm- Vice President sted also designed landscaping for Brooklyn's Prospect Park, the 1893 World's Barbara Ioanes Columbian Exposition, and many other projects. In addition, he was influential in a key plan for beautifying Washington, D.C. Secretary In the late 1800s, Olmsted began initial work on the U.S. Capitol grounds, Peter Brusoe building stepped terraces and transforming it into a park-like setting. One little- known Olmsted treasure is located on a hillside of the West Front lawn of the Treasurer Capitol. It is the Summer House. The deep red grotto features basket-weave brick Bruce Forrest work, a fountain, and stone benches. Olmsted designed it to make water available to Capitol visitors and their horses. Congress abandoned Olmsted’s plans to build At-Large Members a second Summer House, certainly not the first time the architect met up with criti- Denny Clements cism and budget constraints. Jenelle Dennis In the mid- to late-1800s, the Olmsted firm designed landscaping for hun- Warren Gorlick dreds of school campuses. In 1886, Leland and Jane Stanford selected Olmsted Tamora Ilasat and noted architect Henry Hobson Richardson to plan their Palo Alto, California Bill Menczer university, so it is perhaps fitting that Stanford University selected Woodley Park for its DC learning center. Other Olmsted firm schools and universities include Past President American University and Gallaudet (then called the Columbia Institution). Not sur- John Goodman prisingly, important Olmsted papers are archived at American University. Another one of Olmsted’s most spectacular works is the Zoo. In 1890, Congressional legislation enacted the Zoo for, “the advancement of science and The Acorn the instruction and recreation of the people.” The Zoo was completed in 1892, and you pay tribute to Olmsted’s vision every time you walk the Zoo’s Olmsted Editorial Board Walk. John Goodman Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. (1870–1957) apprenticed under his famous Jay Sushelsky father, and, with his stepbrother John C. Olmsted, established Olmsted Brothers as a successor firm to his father’s. The Olmsted firm’s stamp can also be seen in The Acorn is published periodically by the National Mall, White House grounds, the Federal Triangle, the Jefferson Me- the Woodley Park Community Associa- morial, and Roosevelt Island. Olmsted, Jr. also worked on a new bureau of na- tional parks. A 1916 bill established the National Park Service and set aside park tion and delivered free of charge to lands, preserved and protected from development. WPCA members and others in the Olmsted had a hand in designing the gorge-like reserve we know as Rock Woodley Park community. If there is Creek Park, one of the nation’s first national parks. He advocated for preserving something you want to read about or the natural scenic beauty of the park, which covers more than 1,000 acres. Olm- something you think your neighbors sted Jr. also designed a little known oasis called Olmsted Woods, situated on the should know about, let us know. We in- grounds of the Washington National Cathedral. The five-acre tract features stone paths in a naturalistic setting that lead up to the steps of the Cathedral itself. vite your comments, suggestions and Thanks to Frederick Law Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., Woodley Park submissions. Contact us at really did go green long before the term was in the news. The firm’s 1919 planning [email protected]. document called for the “permanent preservation of [Rock Creek’s] wonderful natural beauty and the making of that beauty accessible to people without spoiling WPCA thanks the scenery in the process.” The Olmsted Plan for Rock Creek Park was adopted in 1919. All Souls Memorial Episcopal Church, For more information on Olmsted, call or write the National Association for Stanford University and St. Thomas Olmsted Parks (NAOP) at 202-223-9113 or [email protected]. NAOP is dedicated to Apostle Catholic Church for allowing sharing knowledge of and promoting the Olmsted legacy. WPCA to use their facilities for meetings and other activities in recent months. Stephanie Clipper Come to the neighborhood picnic on june 20 2 The Acorn News From ANC 3C Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 3C is the ANC at Friendship Place, WASA’s Rock Creek Sewer Separation for Woodley Park. The three Commissioners for Woodley pre-construction activities, and the Urban Forestry Admini- Park are Lee Brian Reba, Bill Kummings, Anne-Marie Bairs- stration (UFA). tow and Catherine May. Information about the ANC is avail- Improving our web page: We are interested in improving able on our web page, www.anc3c.org . There you can find our web page www.anc3c.org to make it a valuable re- maps of the single member districts, resolutions and minutes source for the community. If you have suggestions for im- from previous meetings, the agenda for the upcoming meet- provement, please send them to [email protected] . ing, as well as information about the process for ANC review ANC meetings are held on the third Monday of the month at of Historic Preservation and BZA applications. the Second District Police Station at 3320 Idaho Avenue at Some of the things that the ANC has been focusing 7:30pm. The next regularly scheduled meeting of ANC 3C on this year are: will be on Monday, June 15. Friendship Shopping Center Planned Unit Development Contact information for Woodley Park ANC Com- (PUD) (aka “the Giant”): The proposed redevelopment of the missioners: Giant supermarket and the surrounding area at Wisconsin Ave and Newark Street has been a big focus of the ANC this 3C01 Lee Brian Reba year. In January, the ANC passed a resolution supporting (202) 328-2212 the development with conditions (mostly around loading, [email protected] traffic and parking). The Zoning Commission has been hold- ing hearings on the proposal, which have gone on for sev- 3C02 Bill Kummings eral nights, and is expected to make a decision after they (202) 298-6338 have heard all of the testimony. Giant maintains a web site [email protected] on the project at www.wisconsinavegiant.com . Grants: ANC 3C gives grants to organizations that provide 3C03 Anne-Marie Bairstow services within the ANC area. This year we have approved (202) 441-9576 two grants: one for the Newark Avenue dog park and one for [email protected] the John Eaton School musical. If you know of an organiza- tion that would be interested in applying for a grant from 3C08 Catherine May ANC 3C, please view our grant guidelines at http:// (202) 965-3332 www.anc3c.org/finance/Grant-Guidelines.pdf . [email protected] Rock Creek Sewer Separation Project: The Rock Creek Anne-Marie Bairstow Sewer Separation Project is one of many projects included in WASA’s Long Term Control Plan. WASA is required to sepa- rate the single combined sewers into separate sanitary and storm sewers, and the LTCP is required by the Environ- Oyster-Adams Bilingual School mental Protection Agency to lessen pollution from combined On June 15th Oyster-Adams will rapidly wrap up another sewer overflows.
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