North Cleveland Park in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Community Building Blocks
Top of the Town
| | Tenleytown Heritage Trail | |
Security and style came to Tenleytown in 1900, when Engine House No. 20 opened across from Wisconsin Avenue. No longer would fire fighters have to come all the way from Georgetown to extinguish blazes in Tenleytown's wood-frame houses. Opened with horse-drawn equipment, Engine House 20 became the District's second motorized fire station. The modern fire house reassured builders and buyers that Tenleytown was a good investment.
Recent improvements to the fire house harmonize with its original handsome Italianate design by Leon Dessez. The 1907 Art Deco style C&P Telephone Company Exchange Building to its left was designed by Eidlitz and McKenzie, who are better known for No. 1 Times Square, where each December 31 a lighted crystal ball drops to mark the New Year.
The fist enterprise to occupy the 4200 block of Wisconsin Avenue was Raymond T. Johnson, Sr.'s Wisconsin Avenue Market. Shortly after the grocery opened in 1932, Johnson agreed to sell a few of his neighbor's geraniums. From these humble beginnings grew Johnson's Flower Center.
At 4321 Wisconsin Avenue is the Friendship Building, Tenleytown's first office building. Its second floor dance studio was the 1944 birthplace of the Washington School of Ballet.
Nearby on the corner of 39th Street and Windom Place is "the Rest,"
this page online
Erected 2010 by Cultural Tourism DC. (Marker Number 19.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Arts, Letters, Music • Charity & Public Work • Education • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Art Deco, and the Tenleytown Heritage Trail series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is December 31, 1900.
Location. 38° 56.682′ N, 77° 4.66′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in North Cleveland Park. It is at the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue Northwest and Warren Street Northwest, on the right when traveling west on Wisconsin Avenue Northwest. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4249 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington DC 20016, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Rest (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); On the Circle (about 700 feet away); Early Homes (approx. 0.2 miles away); Transportation Hub
![Community Building Blocks Marker [Reverse] image. Click for full size.](Photos5/514/Photo514822.jpg?3272020113000PM "Community Building Blocks Marker [Reverse]. Click for full size.")
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 27, 2020
2. Community Building Blocks Marker [Reverse]
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 27, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 297 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 27, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
