Woodley Park in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Mihran Mesrobian
Woodley Park’s most prolific architect, Mihran Mesrobian (1889-1975) started his career as a palace architect in Constantinople during the twilight of the Turkish sultans. The Turkish-born Beaux-Arts trained Armenian worked on the restoration of thirty palaces, including the famed Dolmabahce in Istanbul. Drafted into the Turkish army during World War I, he participated in the Dardanelles-Gallipoli campaign against the British, serving directly under Mustafa Kemal Pasha (Ataturk), considered the founder of modern Turkey. A prisoner of war in Egypt, Mesrobian credited Lawrence of Arabia - T.E. Lawrence - with saving his life.
In 1921, he emigrated to the United States and became chief designer for Washington’s premier real estate developer, British-born Harry Wardman, just as Wardman was developing large tracts of Woodley Park. Mesrobian was the architect of several majestic apartment buildings that have long defined Woodley Park, including a section of the Cathedral Mansions complex (1922-1924), the Wardman Tower (1928), and the Devonshire/Cortland Streets Apartments (1936). He also designed about two-thirds of the houses in the northern part of the community in subdivisions Wardman named English Village and Woodley Park. Wardman’s elegant 16th Street hotels - the Carlton (1926), now the St. Regis, and the Hay-Adams (1927) - were also designed by Mesrobian.
Erected by Cultural Tourism DC.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • War, World I. In addition, it is included in the DC, Art on Call series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1921.
Location. 38° 55.79′ N, 77° 3.481′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Woodley Park. Marker is on Cortland Place Northwest near 29th Street Northwest, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2812 Cortland Place Northwest, Washington DC 20008, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Long & Winding Woodley Road (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Woodley Estate (about 700 feet away); Redwood (about 800 feet away); Conservation Geography (approx. ¼ mile away); Fishing Cat (approx. ¼ mile away); Anup Joshi (approx. ¼ mile away); Saving Species Through Science (approx. ¼ mile away); Sloth Bear (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.
Also see . . . Mihran Mesrobian. Wikipedia (Submitted on August 21, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 21, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 594 times since then and 57 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 21, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.