National Register Listing

Old Naval Hospital

a.k.a. Temporary Home For Veterans of All Wars

921 Pennsylvania Ave., SE., Washington, DC

The Old Naval Hospital at 921 Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E. is a free-standing, brick building constructed in 1865-1866. Originally known as the U.S. Naval Hospital, Washington, the building was erected just nine blocks east of the U.S. Capitol Building and within blocks from the Washington Navy Yard and the Marine Corps Headquarters, both of which it served. The hospital is significant for its association with the movement to ensure the health and well-being of those serving in the U.S. Navy. In 1811, President James Madison signed into law an act authorizing the establishment of a fund to be used for navy hospitals and for a permanent asylum for naval officers, seamen, and marines. Along with the Marine Hospital Fund from which it arose, this Naval Hospital Fund was one of the earliest manifestations of federal involvement in the area of public health.

The Old Naval Hospital is the seventh of eleven permanent hospitals constructed by the Navy in the 19th century. Authorized by Congress in March 1864, the hospital was urgently needed to accommodate the wounded and ill of the naval forces on the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. The Old Naval Hospital was the only permanent naval hospital authorized and constructed during the Civil War. Completed in 1866, the building served as a naval hospital until 1911, providing health care for the enlisted men and officers of the nearby Navy Yard and Marine Barracks. While many of the 19th-century naval hospitals have been demolished or significantly altered, the Old Naval Hospital retains an unusual degree of integrity. In its nearly unaltered condition, it provides an important example of the state of hospital design in the midst of the Civil War, a seminal event in the development of modern medical treatment.
While Washington was a hospital city during the war and home to as many as fifty separate hospitals, most of these were tent camps or buildings converted to hospital use. Only the Old Naval Hospital remains as an example of a purpose-built hospital of the period in the nation's capital. In addition, the hospital is significant for its association with Ammi B. Young, a prominent American architect and the first Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury Department (1852-1862) during which time he was responsible for the design of numerous federal buildings throughout the country, including twelve marine hospitals. Young served as Superintendent of Construction for the Washington Naval Hospital, preparing working drawings, hiring contractors, and overseeing construction, and may have been its designer as well. Starting in the 1830s, the Navy began an ambitious campaign to construct naval hospitals at key locations, seeking to address a long-acknowledged deficiency in its provision of medical care. These new purpose-built hospitals were generally established in association with existing navy yards, along the east coast of the United States. The first group, consisting of four hospitals and one asylum, was completed by the late 1830s: Portsmouth Naval Hospital (Norfolk, Virginia, 1830); Chelsea Naval Hospital (Boston, Massachusetts, 1832); U.S Naval Home (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1834); Pensacola Naval Hospital (Pensacola, Florida, 1834); and, Brooklyn Naval Hospital (Brooklyn, New York, 1838). The subsequent six hospitals were constructed more sporadically through the second half of the 19th Century: Annapolis Naval Hospital (Annapolis, Maryland, 1855); Washington Naval Hospital (Washington, DC, 1866); Mare Island Naval Hospital (Mare Island, California, 1870); Yokahama Naval Hospital (Yokahama, Japan, 1872): Widow's Island Naval Hospital (Widow's Island, Maine, 1888); and Portsmouth Naval Hospital (Kittery, Maine, 1890). Of these 19 century hospitals, seven are believed to be extant: Portsmouth (Virginia), Chelsea, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Washington, Mare Island, and Portsmouth (Maine). The hospitals at Portsmouth (Virginia), Chelsea, Philadelphia, Washington, and Mare Island are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Chelsea Hospital is a contributing resource in the Naval Hospital (Boston) Historic District, which is also a National Historic Landmark, and the Mare Island Hospital is a contributing resource in the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, which is also a National Historic Landmark. The Old Naval Hospital was listed on the National Register in 1974. It is also within the Capitol Hill Historic District, which was listed on the National Register in 1976. The present nomination form, an amendment to the 1974 form for the hospital, provides the necessary documentation to update the level of significance from "state" to "national."
The Old Naval Hospital meets Criterion A of the National Register of Historic Places for its association with Military, Maritime history, and Social/Humanitarian areas of significance:

The Old Naval Hospital at 921 Pennsylvania Ave, S.E. stands as a reminder of the movement that began shortly after the establishment of the Navy to provide quality medical care and long-term disability care for its marines, sailors, and officers. This commitment resulted in the construction of naval hospitals at each navy yard. The Old Naval Hospital is the only naval hospital to have been authorized and constructed during the Civil War. As such, it is a reminder of the terrible toll of that war on all branches of the military and of the role that the U.S. Navy played. In addition, the hospital is a rare example of an intact, purpose-built Civil War-era hospital.

Additional research may demonstrate that The Old Naval Hospital meets Criterion C of the National Register of Historic Places for its association with Architecture as an example of a type. At this time, there is not sufficient data to compare this hospital with other 19th-century naval hospitals. However, the hospital clearly possesses a number of features that are indicative of the focus of hospital design of the period, including a possibly state-of-the-art ventilation system and a floor plan that allows patient populations to be segregated while allowing staff easy access to each ward.

Similarly, although the level of research and documentation completed for this nomination is not sufficient to justify Criterion C as the work of a master, the building's association with Ammi B. Young is significant. Young was an important force in mid-19th century American architecture, and particularly in the design of public buildings, including hospitals. His later career, following his ten-year tenure as Supervising Architect of the Treasury, has received little scholarly attention. Young was extremely involved with the construction of the Old Naval Hospital, preparing working drawings, making alterations to the architectural plans, and overseeing all aspects of the materials selection and building process.

The Old Naval Hospital is substantially unaltered on both the interior and exterior. Along with the contributing stable and gazebo, the hospital stands as built, the sole inhabitant of Square 948. The square is surrounded by the original cast iron fence. The Old Naval Hospital retains the integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. The Period of Significance extends from its date of construction in 1865 to 1911 when it ceased operation as a hospital.

Local significance of the building:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1974.