Mount Pleasant in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Sacred Heart Academy
Village in the City
— Mount Pleasant Heritage Trail —
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 14, 2021
Set back from the street at 1621 Park Road, to your left, is an elegant old house, once the all-girls Sacred Heart Academy. The Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters of Wisconsin founded the Academy in 1905 and went on to operate it with Sacred Heart parish, adding a co-ed grade school in 1930. Lay educators took over in the 1990s. In addition, the school housed GALA Hispanic Theatre from 1985 to 2000.
While the school always served Mount Pleasant's diverse nationalities, African Americans were excluded until 1951. Washington's Catholic schools actually began desegregating in 1949, five years before DC Public Schools.
The Park Monroe Apartments, straight ahead, occupy a site where between 1913 and 1921 the family of Wisconsin Progressive Senator Robert F. La Follette lived. The senator and his wife Belle Case La Follette, worked together for world peace and human equality. Just across 16th at 3321 was the home of movie theater mogul Harry M. Crandall. Tragedy struck Crandall in 1922, when the roof of his Knickerbocker Theater at 18th and Columbia Road collapsed during a blizzard, killing 98 and injuring scores. At the time, Crandall was about to build another theater at 14th and Park Road using the Knickerbocker's architect. In shock, he hired another designer, an the Tivoli opened in 1924.
Mary Henderson and architect George O. Totten Built the mansion on the corner in 1920. From 1939 until 1969 it housed Capital Radio Engineering Institute, teaching radio and TV electronics. CREI later became Maryland's Capitol College.
Erected by Cultural Tourism DC. (Marker Number 4.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Education • Entertainment • Government & Politics • Hispanic Americans. In addition, it is included in the Mount Pleasant Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1621.
Location. 38° 55.896′ N, 77° 2.194′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Mount Pleasant. Marker is at the intersection of 16th Street Northwest and Park Road Northwest, on the right when traveling south on 16th Street Northwest. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Washington DC 20010, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Mount Pleasant: The Immigrants' Journey (a few steps from this marker); Mount Pleasant Library (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Streetcar Suburb (about 500 feet away); The First Bodega (about 600 feet away); Avenue of Churches (about 600 feet away); Main Street
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 24, 2017
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 14, 2021
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 17, 2013, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,032 times since then and 56 times this year. Last updated on March 8, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1. submitted on January 14, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2. submitted on December 24, 2017, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on January 14, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. submitted on September 17, 2013, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.