Honest Labor

Honest Labor. A Fitting Tribute. , For 65 years, Louise Hand Laundry occupied what is now a private residence at 1405 12th Street, across the street. Founder Margaret Nicodemus built this building for her successful six-year-old business in 1918. Known for handling delicate and expensive fabrics, the laundry became an institution. The White House sent its French embroidered curtains here for cleaning. The Smithsonian trusted the Louise with garments belonging to John Quincy Adams, and Mount Vernon sent George Washington's bedspread. One employee recalled, "the proudest days of my life were when I was washing President Kennedy's clothes." the plant's dedicated second owner, Beulah Hall, led employees in prayer each morning until her retirement at age 87 in 1977, when the laundry closed., As the black and white middle classes moved to the suburbs in the 1950s and '60s, this area's handsome but declining buildings drew attention from the fledgling historic preservation movement. Architect Francis D. Lethbridge led the Joint Committee on Landmarks in identifying DC structures and places worth saving. When the list included Logan Circle's houses, they began attracting new owners. Change also came when the city's Shaw Renewal Project, inaugurated shortly after the 1968 riots, spurred new affordable housing. The city bought dilapidated structures and encouraged renovation through below market prices with low-interest loans. Resulting investment gave an economic boost to the neighborhood., After Louise Hand Laundry closed in 1977, its open, industrial space appealed to architect Robert Lewis and artist Sanford Shapiro. Through what is now known as "adaptive reuse," they created elegant, modern living and working spaces inside the former laundry.