A Brief History

In 1971, the Old Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, a magnificent Richardsonian Romanesque-style building, was slated for demolition, with only its tower to be retained. Alison Owings, a news writer and producer for WRC TV (an NBC affiliate), was distressed at the steady destruction of many of Washington’s historic buildings. She wrote eloquently about losing her sense of history and place through the gradual demolition of the historic cityscape. Owings felt a sense of urgency, a sense that the time had come to look at the city in a new way. Read more…

After the grand reopening of the Old Post Office in 1984, the Board of Directors changed the group’s name to reflect a broader scope. Rather than focusing narrowly on opposition to planned demolitions, the new name, the DC Preservation League, reflected a more multi-faceted, proactive, and comprehensive approach that enlisted the collaboration of architects, engineers, urban planners, property owners, local officials, neighborhood and historic district interests, local residents, and the development community. “These initiatives,” wrote President Robert A. Peck (1983-1989) in the organization’s newsletter, “reflect a consensus of the Board of Directors that it is time for a change; that the District of Columbia needs a strong and sophisticated organization; and that the current structure of Don’t Tear It Down will not permit us to evolve into that organization.” Read more…

In 1995, the Andrich Fund was established by family and friends in memory of Mark Collin Andrich (1952-1995), an architectural historian and longtime DCPL volunteer. For more than ten-years, Andrich volunteered his services, conducting historic site surveys and researching numerous buildings as part of DCPL’s ongoing documentation of Washington’s apartment buildings, banks, and office buildings. Monies contributed to the fund continue to assist DCPL and other community groups in documenting buildings and neighborhoods, and achieving their designation as historic landmarks and historic districts. Read more…

Boom times in Washington’s real estate market continued into the 2000s, providing numerous preservation opportunities, as it became economically advantageous to restore or adapt significant buildings. At the same time, development pressures increasingly threatened historic buildings and structures throughout the District, broadening DCPL’s focus to neighborhoods far from the city’s monumental core. In 2000, DCPL co-sponsored, along with HPO, a symposium titled New Directions for Historic Preservation, focused on making Washington’s preservation efforts more inclusive of neighborhood preservation concerns. Also that year, DCPL first established its presence on the internet at www.dcpreservation.org. In 2006, DCPL began online postings of its monthly e-Advocate newsletter, which quickly replaced the League’s print newsletter. These actions would be followed by DCPL’s embrace of social media, further enhancing the organization’s communications and connections to local communities. Read more…

Landmark nominations of the 2010s, sponsored or co-sponsored by DCPL, included the Wonder Bread factory in Shaw, the former INTELSAT Headquarters on Connecticut Avenue NW, the interior of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the DC Recorder of Deeds Building in Judiciary Square, and the Bloomingdale Historic District. Read more…

Over the last 50-years, DCPL has sponsored more than 160 historic landmark nominations, and engaged in hard-fought battles for numerous buildings, structures, and districts across Washington. In recent years, DCPL’s landmark nomination efforts have reflected a diverse assortment of building types and sites with cultural importance to a wide variety of groups. Read more…