President's House, Gallaudet College
a.k.a. President's House,Columbia Institute for the Deaf and Dumb
7th St. and Florida Ave., NE., Washington, DCThe Joint Committee on Landmarks has designated the President's House, Gallaudet College, a Category II Landmark of importance which contributes significantly to the cultural heritage and visual beauty of the District of Columbia, The large, red-brick, High Victorian Gothic Revival residence was designed by Frederick C. Withers of the leading mid-nineteenth century firm of Vaux, Withers & Co. It is a well-preserved and handsomely detailed example of a large residence in the tradition of Downing's rural houses of the 1840s. In addition, the house has the polychromy and plasticity characteristic of post-Civil War architecture. Since it was erected in 1867-68, the building has served as the home of the president of the nation's only college for the deaf. Its siting was determined by Olmsted, Vaux & Co. when that leading landscape architecture and planning firm made a general plan for the grounds in 1866.
In 1857 Amos Kendall established a primary school for deaf and blind children in the District of Columbia across the boundary line of the Federal City at Eighth Street, N.E. Edward M. Gallaudet became superintendent of the nascent school. Gallaudet had a vision of a government-supported college for the deaf, and in 1864 the Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb was given collegiate powers. (In 1865 blind students were taught elsewhere. In 1894 the college's name was changed to Gallaudet College in honor of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, Edward M. Gallaudet's father and the founder of the first school for the deaf in the United States.)
The school received support from the United States Government and care was taken to insure that it expanded in an orderly fashion. In 1866 Olmsted Vaux & Co. made a master plan of the campus. From 1866 to 1870 substantial development took place and great care was taken to follow the 1866 plan.
On December 14, 1866, Edward Gallaudet, the school president, requested Olmsted, Vaux & Co, to proceed to design three buildings for the campus, as he hoped to begin the chapel, the president's house, and one professor's house the next year. The plans for these buildings were actually made by the architectural firm of Vaux, Withers & Co. This firm was closely associated with the school's planners, as Vaux was a member of both firms.
Frederick c. Withers (1828-1901) was the partner who designed the buildings at Gallaudet. Withers was an English architect who immigrated to the United States around 1852 to work with Andrew J. Downing, the popularizer of the picturesque Gothic Revival cottage set in informal landscaping. Withers worked with Olmsted and Vaux on Central Park in New York City. In 1866 he formed a partnership with Vaux which lasted until 1871. This firm is best known for its High Victorian, Gothic Revival designs, such as Jefferson Market Courthouse in New York City (on the National Register of Historic Places) and Chapel Hall at Gallaudet College (a National Historic Landmark).
The first building by Withers completed at Gallaudet was the Professor's House erected in 1867. The President's House and Chapel Hall were begun at the same time but due to their larger size and more elaborate designs took longer to complete. Both the President's House and the Professor's House are located on land purchased from Capt, Patterson after the Olmsted, Vaux, and Co. plan was made. However, both buildings are sited as determined by the plan as it called for the purchase of this property. The existing original plans for the President's House are dated March 16, 1867. The house's design largely conforms with these plans. By August 1867 the building was ready for rafters and was roofed by the winter of 1867. Gallaudet in the Annual Report dated October 26, 1868, stated that the house was nearly complete. The house was occupied by Gallaudet and his family in December 1868.
Probably in 1887 a frame stair wing was added in the northwest corner where the main block joins the service wing. From 1887 to 1889 the newly admitted female students in the college were temporarily living on the third floor of the President's House. The stairs were probably built to enable the students to reach their rooms without going through the President's quarters.
The house has undergone relatively little modification except for the addition of modern utilities. It contains a considerable amount of furniture dating from the occupancy of Edward M. Gallaudet.
Local significance of the building:
In 1857 Amos Kendall established a primary school for deaf and blind children in the District of Columbia across the boundary line of the Federal City at Eighth Street, N.E. Edward M. Gallaudet became superintendent of the nascent school. Gallaudet had a vision of a government-supported college for the deaf, and in 1864 the Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb was given collegiate powers. (In 1865 blind students were taught elsewhere. In 1894 the college's name was changed to Gallaudet College in honor of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, Edward M. Gallaudet's father and the founder of the first school for the deaf in the United States.)
The school received support from the United States Government and care was taken to insure that it expanded in an orderly fashion. In 1866 Olmsted Vaux & Co. made a master plan of the campus. From 1866 to 1870 substantial development took place and great care was taken to follow the 1866 plan.
On December 14, 1866, Edward Gallaudet, the school president, requested Olmsted, Vaux & Co, to proceed to design three buildings for the campus, as he hoped to begin the chapel, the president's house, and one professor's house the next year. The plans for these buildings were actually made by the architectural firm of Vaux, Withers & Co. This firm was closely associated with the school's planners, as Vaux was a member of both firms.
Frederick c. Withers (1828-1901) was the partner who designed the buildings at Gallaudet. Withers was an English architect who immigrated to the United States around 1852 to work with Andrew J. Downing, the popularizer of the picturesque Gothic Revival cottage set in informal landscaping. Withers worked with Olmsted and Vaux on Central Park in New York City. In 1866 he formed a partnership with Vaux which lasted until 1871. This firm is best known for its High Victorian, Gothic Revival designs, such as Jefferson Market Courthouse in New York City (on the National Register of Historic Places) and Chapel Hall at Gallaudet College (a National Historic Landmark).
The first building by Withers completed at Gallaudet was the Professor's House erected in 1867. The President's House and Chapel Hall were begun at the same time but due to their larger size and more elaborate designs took longer to complete. Both the President's House and the Professor's House are located on land purchased from Capt, Patterson after the Olmsted, Vaux, and Co. plan was made. However, both buildings are sited as determined by the plan as it called for the purchase of this property. The existing original plans for the President's House are dated March 16, 1867. The house's design largely conforms with these plans. By August 1867 the building was ready for rafters and was roofed by the winter of 1867. Gallaudet in the Annual Report dated October 26, 1868, stated that the house was nearly complete. The house was occupied by Gallaudet and his family in December 1868.
Probably in 1887 a frame stair wing was added in the northwest corner where the main block joins the service wing. From 1887 to 1889 the newly admitted female students in the college were temporarily living on the third floor of the President's House. The stairs were probably built to enable the students to reach their rooms without going through the President's quarters.
The house has undergone relatively little modification except for the addition of modern utilities. It contains a considerable amount of furniture dating from the occupancy of Edward M. Gallaudet.
Education; Architecture; Social History
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
About National Register Listings
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.
The District was the site of one of the first major race riots in U.S. history: The Washington, D.C. race riot of 1919 was sparked by tensions between white and black residents and lasted for several days. It resulted in 15 deaths and over 100 injuries.