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Atlas District in Northeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Community Caretakers

Hub, Home, Heart

— Greater H Street NE Heritage Trail —

 
 
Community Caretakers Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, September 29, 2012
1. Community Caretakers Marker
Inscription.
The elegant Romanesque portion of the Senate Square condominium complex started life in 1874 as the Little Sisters of the Poor House for the Aged. St. Aloysius Church member Ellen Sherman, wife of Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman, helped the Sisters secure congressional appropriations to build the facility. The Little Sisters begged for donations on DC streets to support their free care for the elderly, regardless of race or religion.

In 1976 the city built the current overpass carrying H Street above Union Station's tracks. With a dangerous on-ramp just feet from their front door, the Sisters moved their home to the Catholic University neighborhood. In 1979 the Capital Children's Museum took over the old convent, moved the entrance to the rear, and inspired the "Hopscotch Bridge" mosaics on the overpass as designed by area artist Deirdre Saunder. The museum closed in 2004 for redevelopment as condominiums.

Dr. Tom Collins, born in 1905 and raised on the north side of the 300 block of H Street, was the son of a railroad engineer and descendant of Irish laborers recruited to rebuild Washington after the War of 1812. "Doc" Collins opened a medical practice in his home about 1935 and the 1940s charged seven dollars for house calls, recalled his son, broadcaster Pat Collins. He treated everyone,
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from residents of the Little Sisters' home and Gonzaga High School football players to members of Congress. Archbishop Patrick O'Boyle was a patient, as was a Union Terminal Market butcher who paid Collins in fresh meat. Although devoted to this community, Doc Collins moved away after the 1968 riots left much of it in ruins.
 
Erected 2012 by Cultural Tourism DC. (Marker Number 5.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: ArchitectureCharity & Public WorkChurches & ReligionWomen. In addition, it is included in the Greater H Street Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1874.
 
Location. 38° 53.997′ N, 77° 0.114′ W. Marker is in Northeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in the Atlas District. Marker is at the intersection of 3rd Street Northeast and H Street Northeast, on the right when traveling north on 3rd Street Northeast. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 301 H Street Northeast, Washington DC 20002, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Cathy Hughes (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Roll Out the Barrel (approx. 0.2 miles away); Sanctuaries (approx. 0.2 miles away); Swampoodle (approx. 0.2 miles away); Gateway to The Nation's Capital
Back of Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, September 29, 2012
2. Back of Marker
(approx. ¼ mile away); Get Behind the Wheel (approx. ¼ mile away); 1950 (approx. 0.3 miles away); 1953 (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northeast Washington.
 
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Greater H Street NE Heritage Trail
 
Community Caretakers Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, September 29, 2012
3. Community Caretakers Marker
Senate Square condominium complex today image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, September 29, 2012
4. Senate Square condominium complex today
Note the concrete barrier wall running beside the condominium, for the H Street overpass.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 30, 2012, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 530 times since then and 60 times this year. Last updated on November 26, 2021, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 30, 2012, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 28, 2024