Secondary Sources -- Introduction
Interest in the urban development of Washington has led to a rich field of residential and architectural histories that can help any map maker with their endeavors. First, most depend upon an understanding of the geography of the city to a precise detail and supply illustrations that support their work. Second, most describe the connections between residence and architecture with population booms and busts; surrounding landscapes; the business history of the region; and the development of infrastructure such as sanitary measures, electrical and other utilities, and transportation networks. Third, the methods used in these studies are instructive as they stitch together insights derived from photographs, maps, building permits, the census, and other records.
Don't let the volume of this work put you off!
Maps can be used to enrich any story that you want to tell. There is relatively little that can illustrate the access that marginalized residents -- particularly the large Black population -- had to local businesses, transportation systems, clean water and sound plumbing, parks, schools, and leisure within their neighborhoods.
These studies also suggest methods, changes over time, and provide important markers that can be used to help visualize a place. Researchers attempting to reconstruct the geography of Black life should consult in particular the work of James Borchert, Letitia Woods Brown, Donald Hawkins, and John Vlach.
Books -- D.C. Geography, Residential Patterns, and Architecture
Alley Life in Washington by Call Number: E185.93.D6 B63ISBN: 9780252010033Publication Date: 1980-09-01In this classic study, James Borchert examines Black residential patterns in Washington with a focus on alley dwellings which originated in the 1850s, their proliferation, the living conditions within them, and the community and folklife of their residents. Supported by maps showing the racial composition of these alleys and their locations throughout the city, As the primary form of housing for poor Black Washingtonians during the Jim Crow era, these alley dwellings provided them the space to create communities that supported their culture.
Capital Engineers: the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Development of Washington, D. C. , 1790-2004 by Call Number: UG24.D58 S36 2008ISBN: 0160795575Publication Date: 2012-12-14The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is best known for its water resources and environmental work and its construction of facilities on military bases; however, in its long history the Corps has performed many other missions, such as the critical role in the development of Washington, D.C. The purpose of this book is to bring to the public's awareness the depth of the Corps' involvement in the design, development, construction, and maintenance of our Nation's capital by effectively chronicling its history and showcasing rare images, maps, and drawings. Select chapters discuss the Corps' involvement in designing and constructing the still-existing water supply system; designing and constructing military forts to protect the Nation's capital from attack; refurbishing and expanding the U.S. Capitol; completing the Washington Monument; constructing many large buildings including the Pentagon and Library of Congress; designing and constructing roadways, major bridges, Washington National Airport, and the many monuments; refurbishing the White House; designing and maintaining the many parks; and planning highways; to name a few.
Capital Losses by Call Number: NA735.W3 G66 2003ISBN: 1588341054Publication Date: 2003-03-17Before the passage of critical preservation legislation in 1978, the Nation's Capital lost an irreplaceable assembly of architecturally and culturally significant buildings. Wanton destruction in the name of progress--particularly in the decades immediately following World War II--resulted in a legacy forever lost, a cultural heritage destroyed by the wrecker's ball. By reminding us of things lost, James Goode's magisterial and poignant study represented a comprehensive call for action, a mandate for responsible stewardship of the architectural legacy of Washington, DC. Both the familiar public Washington of official landmarks and the private city of residential neighborhoods are paid tribute in this volume, dedicated to the vanished. At once a visual delight, a fascinating social history, and an eloquent appeal for ongoing awareness, Capital Losses reveals the Washington that was and how it became what it is today. This updated edition includes eighteen more treasures lost and ninety additional historic photographs.
Capital Views by Call Number: F195 .G63 2012ISBN: 1588343316Publication Date: 2012-10-30"Metropolitan areas change over the time. These changes come together and create a city's character and personality. Renowned Washington, DC, historian James Goode has assembled an incredible collection of images that look back at a Washington before it developed into the international metropolitan city it is today. The impactful historic photography exposes the elements of the DC metro area that have disappeared- the dairy farms of Loudoun County, the railroad round house in Alexandria, and model boats on the Rainbow Pool on the National Mall, as well as provide startling different views of areas and neighborhoods that still exist. The majority of these images have never been published, and under the curatorial eye of James Goode have been put together in a way that give readers a better understanding of the city Washington DC was, and the city it was to become."
Housing Washington by Call Number: HD7304.W3 H677 2010ISBN: 9781935195078Publication Date: 2010-04-15Since the early nineteenth century, an unusually rich and varied array of housing stock has been created in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Washington has harbored numerous private-sector initiatives to develop model housing projects, and it has also been a proving ground for federal policies crafted to improve living conditions for households of middle and moderate income. In addition, the large, middle-class African American population has left a distinct imprint on the metropolitan area’s domestic landscape, developing its own options for housing in city and suburb alike. Profusely illustrated, with thirteen chapters by fourteen esteemed authors, Housing Washington examines the storied legacy of residential development in our nation’s capital, from the early nineteenth century to the present. By focusing on a wide variety of mainstream patterns and interweaving the threads of convention and change as well as those of race and class, this book offers a fresh perspective on metropolitan dwelling places and breaks new ground in urban studies and architectural and planning history.
Washington on View by Call Number: Stx Flat Folio F195 .R34 1991ISBN: 0807819484Publication Date: 1991-11-01Organized in nine chapters, this book uses maps and views of the city to illustrate the development of the capital from L'Enfant's plan, the scattered growth of the nineteenth century, the impact of the Civil War, modernization of the city under the territorial government, and the emergence of monumental Washington.
Articles -- D.C. Geography, Residential Patterns, and Architecture
Borchert, James. "Alley Life in Washington: An Analysis of 600 Photographs." Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. 49 (1973): 244-59. Accessed March 4, 2021. http://www.jstor.org.proxy.library.georgetown.edu/stable/40067743.
Brown, Letitia W. "Residence Patterns of Negroes in the District of Columbia, 1800-1860." Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. 69/70 (1969): 66-79. Accessed March 4, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40067705.
Hawkins, Don A. "The City of Washington in 1800: A New Map." Washington History 12, no. 1 (2000): 74-77. Accessed March 4, 2021. http://www.jstor.org.proxy.library.georgetown.edu/stable/40073435.
Hawkins, Don Alexander. "The Landscape of the Federal City: A 1792 Walking Tour." Washington History 3, no. 1 (1991): 10-33. Accessed March 4, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40072965.
Hawkins, Don Alexander. "Unbuilt Washington: The City as It Might Have Been." Washington History 5, no. 2 (1993): 29-41. Accessed March 4, 2021. http://www.jstor.org.proxy.library.georgetown.edu/stable/40073207.
Jackson, Cordelia. "People and Places in Old Georgetown." Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. 33/34 (1932): 133-62. Accessed March 4, 2021. http://www.jstor.org.proxy.library.georgetown.edu/stable/40067468.
Mitchell, Mary A. "An Intimate Journey through Georgetown in April 1863." Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. 60/62 (1960): 84-102. Accessed March 4, 2021. http://www.jstor.org.proxy.library.georgetown.edu/stable/40067220.
Mitchell, Mary, and Robert Lyle. "A New Look at Old N Street in Georgetown." Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. 63/65 (1963): 386-400. Accessed March 4, 2021. http://www.jstor.org.proxy.library.georgetown.edu/stable/40067371.
Vlach, John Michael. "Evidence of Slave Housing in Washington." Washington History 5, no. 2 (1993): 64-74. Accessed March 4, 2021. http://www.jstor.org.proxy.library.georgetown.edu/stable/40073209.
