Rose's Row

Rose's Row. An East-of-the-River View. Across the intersection to your left is Rose's Row, three one-family and three two-family houses built in 1890 by local saloon-keeper William H. Rose. Rose's son Daniel designed them in the popular Italianate style and carefully crafted a cornice that wraps the corner house, which became the Rose family's home. Rehabilitated in the late 1980s, the row endures as a fine example of Uniontown style., This block is also distinguished by the work of two locally prominent architects. Lewis W. Giles, Sr. designed the two apartment buildings at 1222 U (1933) and 1218 (1940). Across the street, George T. Santmyers contributed the Georgian style row of 1233-1255 U Street in 1925 and 1926., Like many aging DC neighborhoods, Anacostia fell into decline in the 1960s. In response to zoning changes, between 1950 and 1970 Anacostia went from a community of mostly single-family houses to one dominated by hastily built apartments and public housing projects. Urban renewal elsewhere had pushed people with few resources into Anacostia. Schools were overcrowded, city services were strained, and crime plagued many blocks. Conditions were so bad that in 1971 neighborhood leaders filed a lawsuit claiming that discriminatory DC government policies and neglect were to blame., Though the lawsuit was dismissed, leaders pressed on. As a consequence, the city improved public services and funded rehabilitation of historic properties. In 1978 residents arranged for designation of the Anacostia Historic District, which brought attention to the unique architecture and landscape here. Zoning laws changed in the 1990s to encourage construction of rowhouses and other smaller-scale dwellings.