Logan Circle in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Artistic Life
A Fitting Tribute
— Logan Circle Heritage Trail —
The Imposing Double House to Your Left, numbers 1 and 2, was built as an investment for Ulysses S. Grant, Jr., son of the 18th president. The house would later serve as the Venezuelan Legation and then a Seventh-Day Adventist nursing home.
Henry M. Letcher and his wife Evelyn purchased 1-2 Logan Circle. Henry, an artist, designer, educator, and decorated veteran of the Tuskegee Airmen, and Evelyn, a teacher opened Letcher Art Center. After receiving accreditation from the Veterans Administration, the center taught commercial art, sign painting, silk screening, and architectural drafting to returning World War II veterans. Henry brought his first cousin and best friend Duke Ellington to visit and be photographed among the students. The School, recalled his son Henry, Jr. enabled scores of service men to become “peace-time earners and family men” despite segregation.
After Letcher's death in 1967, Henry Jr., a musician, took over the mansion, populating it with fellow musicians and artists, among them musician/poet Gil Scott-Heron. The younger Letcher's band Jambo performed locally in the early 1970s and attracted audiences with jazz-inflected R&B accompanied by psychedelic light shows. In 1972, when the neighborhood “became too rough,” as Henry Jr. recalled, his mother sold the house. In 1998 it was converted to condominiums.
One block east of this sign is 1316 Rhode Island Avenue, an example of the 1970s wave of rehabilitation in Logan Circle. Architect Robert B. Gordon and his wife Doll purchased the shell of 1316 in 1979. Gordon designed a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired interior within the Victorian exterior of the 1885 red-brick exterior rowhouse.
Erected 2012 by DC Cultural Heritage, Logan Circle Heritage Trail. (Marker Number 10.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Entertainment. In addition, it is included in the Logan Circle Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1967.
Location. 38° 54.549′ N, 77° 1.807′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Logan Circle. Marker is at the intersection of Logan Circle Northwest and Vermont Avenue Northwest, on the right when traveling north on Logan Circle Northwest. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Logan Circle Northwest, Washington DC 20005, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Logan Circle (within shouting distance of this marker); Major General John A. Logan (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Logan Circle (within shouting distance
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 2, 2017
Also see . . . The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Gil Scott-Heron, Ogg Vorbis sound file, length 31 s, 88 kbps (Submitted on December 15, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 15, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 952 times since then and 55 times this year. Last updated on March 8, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1. submitted on December 15, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 2. submitted on December 2, 2017, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. submitted on December 15, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.