Lenthall Houses

Historic houses in Washington, D.C., United States

United States historic place

Lenthall Houses

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Show map of Washington, D.C.

Show map of the United States

Location| 606–610 21Street NW
Washington, D.C.
Coordinates| 38°53′52″N 77°2′49″W﻿ / ﻿38.89778°N 77.04694°W﻿ / 38.89778; -77.04694
Area| less than one acre
Built| c. 1800
Architect| John Lenthall
Architectural style| Federal
NRHP reference No.| 72001425[1]
Added to NRHP| March 16, 1972

The Lenthall Houses are historic houses on the George Washington University campus in Washington, D.C. The adjacent houses were built around 1800 and they were moved to their current location and restored between 1978 and 1979. It has been listed on the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites since 1964 and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

## History

[edit]

The attached houses were built at the same time around 1800 by John Lenthall. They were originally located at 612–14 19th Street NW.[2] Lenthall was a trained architect who was born in England in 1762 and was the great-grandson of Sir William Lenthall, who was Speaker of the House of Commons.[a][4] He moved to Washington around 1793 and was chosen by Benjamin Latrobe as his principal assistant on his project to build the United States Capitol in 1803. His wife, Jane King, whom he married in either 1801 or 1802, was the daughter and sister of the surveyors of the District of Columbia. Lenthall was killed in September 1808 when one of the arches in the Supreme Court chamber collapsed.

The house at 610 21st Street NW stayed in the Lenthall family until 1902 when it was sold. It was eventually purchased by Washington artist Bertha Noyes. The Arts Club of Washington was founded in her home in 1916. Noyes deeded the property to George Washington University upon her death in 1966.[5] The house at 606 21st Street, NW was deeded to William Francis in August 1808. He in turn deeded the property away the following day. George Washington University acquired the house in the 1970s. The structures were moved to their current location on August 5, 1978.[3]

## Architecture

[edit]

The houses were designed in the Federal architectural style. They were designed as a single unit and they share a common roof and cornice line.[3] The exterior is covered in red brick laid in Flemish bond. They are two stories in height and include an attic and a basement. The grey saddleback roof features two wooden dormers, one on each house. Both the north and the south gables have two chimneys each. A brick partition wall was built between the two house up to the attic where a partition of a lath and plaster separates the two houses. The main facade is six bays wide, with three bays belonging to each house. The two entrance doors are adjacent to each other in the center of the facade. The white wooden trim surrounding the doorways was changed in the second half of the nineteenth century.

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Several sources claim that his father, also called William Lenthall, was the Speaker of the House of Commons as well.[3]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. ^ "District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites". DC Preservation. Archived from the original on July 1, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
3. ^ a b c "Lenthall Houses". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
4. ^ "John Lenthall". Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington. Vol. 31–32\. 1930. p. 8.
5. ^ "InTowner Publishing Corp. » The Lenthall Houses: A Moving Tale of Historic Preservation?". Retrieved January 23, 2017.

## External links

[edit]

Media related to Lenthall Houses at Wikimedia Commons

* v
* t
* e

George Washington University

Colleges and schools|

* Columbian College of Arts and Sciences
* Corcoran School of the Arts and Design
* Elliott School of International Affairs
* Graduate School of Political Management
* Law School
* School of Business
* School of Engineering and Applied Science
* School of Media and Public Affairs
* Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration

Publications|

* Anthropological Quarterly
* Law Review
* Federal Circuit Bar Journal
* Public Contract Law Journal
* International Law Review
* AIPLA Quarterly Journal
* The Federal Communications Law Journal
* The Washington Quarterly
* Women's Health Issues
* Planet Forward

Centers
and institutes|

* List of centers and research institutes at George Washington University
* National Security Archive
* Textile Museum (Washington, D.C.)
* Institute for International Economic Policy
* Munich Intellectual Property Law Center

Athletics|

| Teams|

* Baseball
* Men's basketball
* Women's basketball
* Football (defunct)
* Men's soccer
* Softball

|

Venues|

* Charles E. Smith Center
* Tucker Field

Related|

* "Hail to the Buff and Blue"

Campuses|

* Campuses
* Foggy Bottom (main campus)
* Virginia Science & Technology Campus
* Mount Vernon Campus

Buildings
and places|

* 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue
* Anniversary Park
* University Art Galleries
* Corcoran Gallery of Art
* Corcoran Hall
* John J. Earley Office and Studio
* Engine Company 23
* F Street House
* Foggy Bottom–GWU station
* Fulbright Hall
* Fairbanks' George Washington
* Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Hall
* Lisner Auditorium
* Madison Hall
* Munson Hall
* President's Office
* Rawlins Park
* Residence halls
* River Horse
* School Without Walls (Washington, D.C.)
* Charles E. Smith Center
* Snows Court (Washington, D.C.)
* Stockton Hall
* Hattie M. Strong Residence Hall
* Oscar W. Underwood House
* Washington Circle
* Margaret Wetzel House
* Maxwell Woodhull House

Student life|

* GW-TV
* Student Association
* The GW Hatchet
* Enosinian Society
* The Taylor Prize in Mathematics
* ΔΦΕ

Libraries|

* Gelman Library
* Jacob Burns Law Library
* Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library

People|

* President of the University Ellen Granberg
* Notable Alumni & Notable Faculty (Law School Alumni · Elliott School Alumni & Faculty · Columbian College Alumni & Faculty · GW Business School Alumni & Faculty)

Medicine
and health|

* Medical Faculty Associates
* George Washington University Hospital
* School of Medicine and Health Sciences
* School of Nursing
* Milken Institute School of Public Health
* Dr. Cyrus and Myrtle Katzen Cancer Research Center

See also|

* Benjamin Franklin University
* Mount Vernon College for Women
* National University School of Law

* Category

* v
* t
* e

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Topics|

* Architectural style categories
* Contributing property
* Historic district
* History of the National Register of Historic Places
* Keeper of the Register
* National Park Service
* Property types

Lists by state|

* List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state:
* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

Lists by insular areas|

* American Samoa
* Guam
* Minor Outlying Islands
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Puerto Rico
* Virgin Islands

Lists by associated state|

* Federated States of Micronesia
* Marshall Islands
* Palau

Other areas|

* District of Columbia
* American Legation, Morocco

Related|

* National Historic Preservation Act
* Historic Preservation Fund
* List of jails and prisons on the National Register of Historic Places
* University and college buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places

* National Register of Historic Places portal
* Category

*[No.]: number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template