Harrison Apartment Building

Harrison Apartment Building. . , Constructed in two phases between 1888 and 1890, the Harrison Apartment Building is the earliest known example of the Rowhouse-Type Apartment Building in Washington, DC. The reluctance to adopt the apartment building. the first phase of the Romanesque-Revival style building, designed by the Washington-based architectural and construction firm of Johnson and Company, was constructed between 1888-1889 and originally had seventy-nine apartment units and incorporated a barber shop and drug store with direct street access. the non-combustible northern end of the building, also designed and constructed by Johnson and Company, was built between 1889-1890., the building was named "The Harrison" in honor of Republican president-elect Benjamin Harrison. Despite being constructed to serve as an apartment building, from 1889 to 1892, the building was leased to the federal government for use by the Census Bureau. by the turn of the twentieth century, the building was rebranded as "The Astoria" and it was converted back into residential apartments with commercial enterprises occupying the southern portion of the first floor. In 1941, the building was again rebranded as "The Canterbury.", The Harrison Apartment Building is designated as a historic landmark in the DC Inventory of Historic Sites in 1990 and in the National Register of Historic Places in 1994., Historic Restoration - Summary of Work , In 2019, Quadrum Global acquired the long vacant Harrison Apartment Building and adjacent vacant site to develop an Arlo Hotel. Key to the project was the restoration the historic landmark building, which was envisioned to be incorporated into the larger hotel project., The restoration scope of work included removal and replacement of the failed structural system in the south portion of the building, restoration of the historic brick vaulted arches in the north portion of the building, replacement of the historic wood windows, and restoration of the entire brick and brownstone facade., The design for the new construction was heavily influenced by the Harrison's ornate brickwork and rhythmic projecting bays. In keeping with the building's original use and layout, Arlo Hotel's primary Lounge and Meeting Spaces are located on the first and second floors of the historic building. The Harrison's original corner drugstore entrance was restored, and the space will be inhabited by Arlo Bodega. The restoration and incorporation of the historic building into the new hotel allows guests to understand and enjoy a part of DC's unique history.