Penn Quarter in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

National Council of Negro Women

633 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

— African American Heritage Trail, Washington DC —

National Council of Negro Women Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Richard E. Miller, July 13, 2008

1. National Council of Negro Women Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

The National Council of Negro Women was founded in 1935 by Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955) to "harness the power and extend the leadership of African American women." Early on, the Council campaigned to outlaw the discriminatory poll tax, develop a public health program, adopt anti-lynching legislation, and end discrimination in the U.S. Armed Forces, defense industries and government housing. The Council's 1995 move to this grand, former hotel building made it the only African American organization owning property on historic Pennsylvania Avenue between the Capitol and the White House. The Council created the National Black Family Reunion Celebration in 1986.

Erected by Cultural Tourism DC.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Women. In addition, it is included in the African American Heritage Trail, and the Mary McLeod Bethune series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1935.

Location. 38° 53.602′ N, 77° 1.283′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington

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in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in the Penn Quarter. Marker is at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest and 7th Street Northwest, on the left when traveling east on Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 633 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20004, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Grand Army of the Republic (within shouting distance of this marker); National Intelligencer (within shouting distance of this marker); Market Space: Yesterday’s Town Square (within shouting distance of this marker); General Winfield Scott Hancock (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Ceremony at the Crossroads (about 300 feet away); 601 Pennsylvania Avenue (about 300 feet away); Ocean Piece (about 400 feet away); Protecting Consumers and Competition (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.

More about this marker. [Caption:] Mary McLeod Bethune, right, with Dorothy Height who became the organization's director in 1957.

Also see . . . National Council of Negro Women. (Submitted on July 20, 2008, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)

Additional commentary.
1. 633 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
Designed by the prominent Washington architect Alfred Mullet as a hotel and erected during the Civil War, the building, now headquarters for the National Council of Negro Women (the NCNW), subsequently housed a bank, various offices

633 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Richard E. Miller, January 3, 2006

2. 633 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Former hotel building, erected during the Civil War, now the headquarters of the NCNW. The marker is located on the wall near the entrance, lower right.

and stores. In the 1980s, it was renovated as part of the rejuvenation of the north side of Pennsylvania Avenue by the Pennsylvania Avenue Redevelopment Corporation. Extracted from the "Civil War to Civil Rights," Downtown Heritage Trail Marker No. 2 - 7th Street at Pennsylvania and Indiana Avenues, NW.

— Submitted July 20, 2008, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.

Additional keywords. NCNW

"Indiana Plaza" image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Richard E. Miller, July 13, 2008

3. "Indiana Plaza"

View looking northeast from corner of 7th and Pennsylvania, NW. The Benjamin F. Stephenson/Grand Army of the Republic Memorial is visible in the center of the photo, and the NCNW building is behind the trees to the right.

Pennsylvania Avenue: View across 7th Street toward the Capitol, late 19th Century image. Click for full size.

4. Pennsylvania Avenue: View across 7th Street toward the Capitol, late 19th Century

The NCNW headquarters building is seen, center right.

National Council of Negro Women, INC. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, May 31, 2018

5. National Council of Negro Women, INC.

633 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20004
202.737.0102 • www.ncnw.org

I am the Product of<br>many whose lives have<br>touched mine, from the<br>famous, distinquished, image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, May 31, 2018

6. I am the Product of
many whose lives have
touched mine, from the
famous, distinquished,

and powerful to the little
known and poor.-- Dorothy Height, Open Wide the Freedom Gates: A Memoir (quote hung on the front door of the Dorothy Height Building)

The Apex Building, 633 Pennsylvania Avenue image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, January 18, 2014

7. The Apex Building, 633 Pennsylvania Avenue

The Library of Congress says this of the Apex Building at 833 Pennsylvania Ave: "Noted photographer Mathew Brady had his studio here in the mid-1800s. Sears Roebuck and Company purchased the building in the 1980s, and it is now the headquarters for the National Council of Negro Women."

The Apex Building<br>Now The Dorothy Height Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, May 31, 2018

8. The Apex Building
Now The Dorothy Height Building

Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 20, 2008, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 3,234 times since then and 149 times this year. Last updated on April 24, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 20, 2008, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 5, 6. submitted on June 1, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 7. submitted on January 19, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 8. submitted on June 1, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.