A Walk Around My Neighborhood (and some Stephen Decatur updates)

I think we can all conclude that I am a terrible blogger. I have totally failed to keep up with this thing – mostly because I find it silly to write when I have nothing of note to say. Things have also become extremely busy . . . it’s been go-go-go since the end of July. I have no idea where the time went. Three more weeks and then my Decatur House project is over. Yikes!

I suppose I should update the world on where things stand with our favorite Naval hero, Stephen Decatur . . . When I last wrote about the Decatur House, I mentioned that I wanted to discuss the speculative history of the house and President’s Park. Well, I’ve done just that, and found of some pretty interesting things.

First off, it has recently come to light (thanks to some sleuthing and digging and scrounging around in the Decatur House archives) that Decatur was a “ground rent” or “land lease” speculator. This means that he was renting the land on which the Decatur House sits, corresponding with Latrobe, and beginning construction on the house, before he actually purchased/owned the land. Sounds crazy, right? Not as crazy as you might think . . . this type of speculative process was used a great deal in New York, Baltimore, and Philadelphia long before Decatur started doing it in Washington. Now, I’m not arguing that Decatur was the first guy to do this in D.C. (he wasn’t) but he is possibly the first person to use this sort of speculative scheme in the President’s Park neighborhood.

So the big “so what” factor of my research is this: Decatur is not doing something new when he speculates in Washington, rather he is participating in a long tradition of speculative endeavors in the city and in the nation, for that matter. However, by embracing a land lease/ground rent system, Decatur helps to instigate a series of property transactions by which wealthy Washingtonians are speculating with each other. This creates an insular community of property holders and property renters in the President’s Park neighborhood. And that, as that say, is history.  :-)

In other news . . .

I thought I might take some time to take you around my neighborhood, photo-style:

Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.

So, I live in Capitol Hill . . . the land of Obama sightings, farmers markets, Josh Lyman’s apartment, and pretty much over-priced everything . . . but I love it. I love everything about it.

View of my street

Since my apartment can become like a bat-cave at times, I walk around outside A LOT. I found that I was totally loosing track of time–at 6:30, I’d be sitting my room thinking “Oh, it must be dark out. Maybe I should sleep.” Then I’d step outside . . . and no, it was most definitely not dark out. So the walking commenced.

The views are spectacular. Although these sunsets certainly do not beat Charlottesville . . . you have to admit they're pretty amazing.

Architectural details abound!

Obama approves . . . and so do I!

I'm obsessed with this guy . . . it's an abandoned late eighteenth-early nineteenth century estate just chillin on South Carolina

These guys are pretty cute too.

So many flowers!

Eastern Market metro

Eastern Market

I’m pretty bummed that I have to leave this place in a few weeks. For those permanent Washingtonians out there, send me your recommendations for all the things I should be doing with my time left in the District! Some day when I’m rich and famous (hah!) I’m totally coming back.

 

 

What next?

August 1. Oh my goodness. How did it get to be August 1? Where has the time gone?

I would say that pretty much every day I am struck by an urgent/panic/dear-in-headlights feeling and a little voice in my head says, “Hey! Guess what! You have a research paper due in [insert countdown here] days! Hey! Guess what! You have to move out of your apartment in [insert countdown here]! Hey! Guess what! You need to seek permanent employment! Get on that!” Thus has begun the life of this twenty-something. I have joined the ranks of my fellow soul-searchers/recession victims/transient friends as I try to figure out what comes next after graduate school.

It certainly is a challenge having to tackle all of these things at once. It’s made a bit harder by the fact that moving home is a complicated option. I’d like to stay in south for the foreseeable future, thus moving back to Boston seems a bit counterproductive.

Despite the stress, it is quite fun to imagine all of the possibilities of what the next few years will bring. If I stop for a moment to just daydream . . . thinking of the future is really exciting. The job search, although time consuming and often disheartening, has introduced me to a wide range of employment opportunities that I hadn’t thought possible. I’ve applied to postings for jobs ranging from architectural historians, preservationists, museum curators, and administrative assistants. I’ve even taken a moment to scheme with some history friends about the possibility of one day starting our own historic preservation firm with some super trendy/hipster name. (We’ve got the architectural historian, the historian, and the urban planner/preservationist. Currently seeking architect to give us our hipster edge.) In all seriousness, I think it would be fantastic if we could actually do it.

I suppose I should take this all as a lesson in patience and probably in stress management as well (;-)). For someone who does not do well with change and who believes “uncertainty” is a dirty word, it is a daily struggle to keep things in perspective. For now I will try my best to revel in the present, to keep up to speed with Steven Decatur and his speculative antics (which seem to get more crazy by the day, btw!), and keep doing what I’m doing. So, guess what, little voice . . . CHILL OUT.

My life, an update.

Things I haven’t done in far too long: BLOG.

Sorry for the long hiatus, friends out there who actually read this.

It’s been a crazy few weeks—I went home to visit family (Harry Potter with my niece, Alexis. AWESOMMMMME!)*, came back to lots of Decatur House responsibilities (writing, writing, writing), and spent the weekend in a best-friend induced bliss with Rachel (She’s home!!!), Hilary, and Liz.

*C’ville friends, I also impressed my nieces and nephews with my fire building skillz (And by impressed, I mean “descended upon,” as there was a ten year-old, an eight year-old, and a four year-old near an open flame . . . but anyhoo). We had a fire pit. There were S’mores. You should have come.

Life has become hectic, and I don’t foresee it slowing down any time soon. Biggest stressors: Employment, money, ensuring my future happiness . . . oh, you know, the usual.

So, as to not worry about those things at this current moment, I present to you the following things that have made life pretty awesome recently:

Genre: Music.

1. Weren’t you the one who said I would be nothing? [poetic genius]
2. Pink Flamingos in the pool. [and Jamie’s new birthday shoes]
3. Where can I find a woman like that? [in the Glee game with Rachel, Hilary, and Liz, since it’s one of only 4 songs available on the sing-a-long CD.]

Genre: Adventures

1. Jazzercise. Yes friends, it’s amazing. Freaking wonderful. And it is absolutely nothing like this.
2. Hammond-Harwood House, Annapolis, MD—headed there on Thursday.
3. John Phillip Sousa House—discovered on one of my many walks around the Hill.
4. Metropolitan Water Works, Brookline, MA—Mystery ride, discovery awesome. (Nerd moment: I am in love with the convergence of the industrial and the picturesque in architectural design.)

Genre: Friends

Reunited and it feels so good!

Happy birthday, Mr. Bair! I am proud to be your Best Man

Emily got a job! She's coming home!

Some research thoughts: an existential crisis.

My desk at the Decatur House/WHHS (No, I did not frame those Jackie Kennedy pictures, they were there when I arrived. . . although that does seem like something I would do. )

I haven’t really said much about my research and exactly what I’m working on at the Decatur House this summer. There’s a pretty good reason for that: To be totally honest, I wasn’t entirely sure.

Yes, I have a job description (“Research this house and write something”), a formal research proposal (“Let me try and make this sound legit as it could change based on what I find . . .”), and a series of deadlines (Which, thank goodness I looked at the other day because I have a draft due at the end of July. Yikes!). But the thing about research is that it’s like a treasure hunt . . . on a good day you find great things, but on most days you sit there in a quasi-existential crisis thinking “WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?”

For the past month I have been in the throws of all of these possible scenarios. And here is what I’ve got so far jumbling around in my head. . .  [This is also a good opportunity for me to summarize for my own sake . . .]

 A SUMMARY OF THE MUSH THAT SOMEHOW MUST BECOME AN ARGUMENT  . . .

 I’m predominately interested in how Stephen Decatur established an elite residential neighborhood in the area around Lafayette Square through proximity, status, land speculation, and architectural design.

Stephen Decatur and his wife Susan Wheeler Decatur (daughter of the Mayor of Norfolk, VA, and supposedly “quite the catch”) moved to Washington around 1815 (excuse the approximate dates, but my bed is comfy I don’t feel like looking this up right now); Stephen having assumed a post as a chief navy officer for the US military. Taking advantage of the glory, celebrity, and financial clout from his many naval feats during the War of 1812, Stephen invested his money in the City of Washington’s highest stakes game: land speculation.

From 1817-1819, he acquired approximately twenty lots on eleven squares in the City of Washington.* [The city is divided up into squares, and the squares are divided into lots.] *Again, numbers are approximate because it would involve counting and it’s almost my bedtime.  “Why on earth does he want to do that?” you ask. Well my friends, I [sort of] have an answer: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. He doesn’t invest in just any land. Stephen specifically purchased lots in squares adjacent to the President’s House (the White House) on President’s Park (now Lafayette Square).

Washington was a speculative city from the very start—George Washington [Yeah, me and those muppets. . . ] sought the support of merchant landholders in Alexandria and Georgetown as early as 1790 in an attempt to acquire land for the burgeoning city. These landholders were encouraged to sell their lands to City Commissioners, who would then turn around and sell off the city lands at public auction to interested buyers. The merchant-landholder relevant to our purposes is Samuel Davidson—Stephen Decatur bought most of his land from Davidson’s son, Lewis, during that 1817-1819 timeframe.

Samuel Davidson is what many historians would term your “typical” speculator . . . he invested in land simply to turn a profit, not necessarily to engage in any future development upon that land (this is a huge generalization, but it works right now).

[Side note: Davidson is a craaaaaaaazy dude. Some day I will regale you with two tales. One involves Davidson, a disputed game of Whist, a menacing walking stick, and a duel threat . . . and the other concerns his failing health and a letter which ends with the declaration “I hope his testicles meet the same fate as mine!”]

When Stephen Decatur arrives in Washington, the city is finally starting to establish itself as a permanent urban base. The Federal City had maintained a relatively transient population for its first two decades, owing in large part to the nature of political life since many Congressmen did not reside in Washington year round. There were, however, a few wealthy Washingtonians who did decide to put down permanent roots. In 1798, Col. John Tayloe III and architect William Thornton (architect of the US Capitol) built the Octagon House adjacent to the President’s House on Square 170.

One of the most interesting finds so far is that the first place Stephen Decatur decides to purchase land in Washington is on Square 170, in a lot close to the Octagon House. (I mean, this makes perfect social sense, right? If you’re a “nouveau riche” member of elite society hoping to establish solid footing with the “right” circles, you’re going to align yourself with those persons and environments that will help you do that.) His first land purchase aligned him with the Tayloe Family. But he doesn’t build on these lots. Instead, he moves his attentions to Square 167, on the corner of President’s Park, adjacent to the White House.

Now, it’s important to note that men like Stephen Decatur would not have classified themselves as land speculators. Decatur was a Naval hero, a gentleman, and a person of privilege. To speculate for speculations sake was beneath him and his accomplishments.  Thus, Decatur decides to construct a permanent residence for himself and his wife on Square 167 (the present site of the Decatur House) and hires Benjamin Henry Latrobe [SUPER HAWT] to do it. This way Decatur can remove himself from those associations with “typical” speculators and can continue to cultivate his image as a genteel military hero, while still investing heavily in the purchase and sale of city lands.  DO WE BUY THIS? I’M NOT SURE YET . . . but it’s what makes the most sense right now.

Where do I go from here?

That’s a great question . . . because, ol’ Stevie D up there had to go get himself killed in a duel in March of 1820 (yeah, they did that a lot back then), so the historical record gets extremely hazy around that time. Latrobe also loses all of his paperwork during his travels and then also dies, so it’s quite difficult to establish a solid sense of what is going on. (Gosh, why do they go and do that? Don’t they know that 200 years later they’re gipping me of crucial info?)

Over the past week I’ve made my way through ALL of the files and binders at the Decatur House attempting to piece together what the heck is going on here (it’s been quite frustrating . . .).

My next step is to look into the roles which women—specifically Susan Decatur—and slaves (there are no records specifically stating that the Decatur’s owned slaves in Washington, but there are hints) played in this story.  The culture of genteel entertainment, hospitality, and social life were (and still are!) major factors in the development of elite Washingtonian society at the Decatur House.

And with that, I need to stop thinking about the Decaturs today. Goooood night.

Protest against the Colombia Free Trade Agreement

Colombian Free Trade Agreement protest, Lafayette Square

Today I was a supportive bystander at a protest in Lafayette Square. I say supportive bystander because I didn’t actually participate in this protest, I did however go to watch my dear friend Ginna participate. Ginna is spending this summer as an intern for the Presbyterian Church’s Office of Public Witness. The organization, along with many other organizations (both faith based and non-faith based), is working to rally support from the government to stop the passage of the Colombia Free Trade Agreement—an agreement that Obama said he would not support during the 2008 campaign, but has since gone back on his promise.

I don’t know all the specifics of the Free Trade Agreement (And I emphasize FREE trade, not FAIR trade . . . right Ginna?), so I won’t attempt to go into too much detail . . . but what I can gather from today’s protest is this: The Agreement, if passed, will hurt local business and small farmers in Colombia and will lead to the corporatization of the Colombian economy in favor of large super powers like the United States (Gin, did I get that right?).

The protest consisted of a series of speakers from different organizations involved in this movement, as well as first hand accounts from two Colombian citizens who spoke out against the passage of the Agreement. Some supporters carried black coffins (made of cardboard and painted with crosses) to represent 50 Colombian trade unionists that were murdered.

After the speeches, the supporters processed through Lafayette Square and laid the coffins down in front of the White House fence. Since this action of laying objects in front of the White House is against the law, many of the protestors agreed to partake in acts of civil disobedience and were arrested [I had already left by the time this happened].

Many organizations came out in opposition to the Agreement

Procession with the coffins

Protestors in front of the White House

It was pretty amazing to watch Ginna take a stand for something she cares deeply about in a way that was well-organized, thoughtful, and nonviolent. I’m really proud of her for being able to combine all of her passions into a career that is both meaningful for her and for those she working to help.

That time I poked Abraham [Hambertam] Lincoln

POKE!

If you’ve never had the chance to see fireworks on the National Mall, you should do it. If you’ve never had the opportunity to tour an old barn with historic farm equipment, you should go! (And make sure that Jamie gives you the tour . . . Some PR for the Sandy Spring Museum, Sandy Spring, MD ) I got to do both of those things this week and they were pretty fantastic.

Part I

First off, my partner in crime Bradley and I battled the elements and the crowds to watch the fireworks on the hill next to the Washington Monument. Before you raise your eyebrows and exclaim, “You crazy!”, hear me out. It was quite possibly one of the coolest, most monumental views I have ever seen. Just think—we were sitting under the Washington Monument, looking out over the reflecting pool (which isn’t really “reflecting” right now b/c it’s under reconstruction, but that’s beside the point . . . ) and the Lincoln Memorial. There were people EVERYWHERE. Not just thousands, but HUNDREDS of thousands of people. Just think of all the times people have gathered on that Mall at those very spots to witness presidential inaugurations, protests, MLK’s March on Washington, the Rally to Restore Sanity . . . .wow!

I walked from my place on 8^th Street down to the Mall twice on Sunday—once because I was bored and wanted something to do–and twice to see the fireworks. So I inadvertently stumbled upon the 4^th of July Parade . . .

I’m not a huge fan of parades. They sort of creep me out, actually. And I am terribly afraid of clowns and costumed animals (like, no joke, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy . . . they TERRIFY me). But I do like floats, and small children twirling batons, and what not, so I watched for like twenty minutes.

Thumbs up for floats! Thumbs down for clowns.

These froofy gals were from Alabama . . . I think they were supposed to be classy Southern Bells. Strawberry Shortcake just lost her ruling title.

Brandon: If Moose doesn't work out for you, there's always one of these.

I then set off to do something I actually do like: Visiting art museums. (Shocker.) I went to the National Gallery—mostly to see the West Gallery with Pope’s Rotunda, but also for some peace and quiet and air conditioning.

The Rotunda

Sparkly tunnel between the east and west galleries . . . so cool!

Loving the sparkly tunnel

Now, when I visit museums I tend to speed walk through them. I’m not a gazer, I do not stroll leisurely through. There are far too many things to see and if you stroll to0 slowly your feet get tired and you might miss the good stuff. My theory is if the art is going to catch your eye or if it’s going to inspire you, it will do that whether you gaze at it quickly or slowly. For instance, the following pieces did catch my eye and I spent a good amount of time just staring at them.

“A Hanging Wall Pouch,” Cornelis Gijsbrechts (1677).

“The Camera Obscura,” Charles Amedee Phillipe Van Loo (1765).

“Autumn,” Winslow Homer (1877).

“The Old Violin,” William Michael Harnett (1886).

“Houses of Parliament,” Monet (1903).

Things we can conclude: I really love Trompe L’Oeil and bright colors (“Autumn” makes me think of Anne of Green Gables).

For those of you not familiar with art history or architecture trompe l’oeil is French for “deceive the eye.” During the Baroque Period (and later) artists would often use this technique in paintings or interiors to create the illusion of three dimensionality. So, in the instance of the Gijsbrechts, Van Loo, and Harnett, the objects and people in the paintings appear to emerge from the canvas even though they are actually flat (“The Hanging Wall Pouch” also features a real mirror to add to the illusion).

TROMP L’OEIL CHALLENGE: I challenge you to keep your eyes pealed for tromp l’oeil in every day life. You’d be surprised where it pops up. . .

Now back to the fireworks. Pictures speak louder than words:

Worst part: Waiting in line to get in to the monument. It was so hot out.

So many people!

Fantastic view (also, I guess Jesus Christ decided to photo bomb?)

Patriotism!

Washington Monument

Part II

Then this evening I was able to make the drive up to Sandy Spring, MD to visit Jamie at her museum! Those of you who don’t know, our fabulous Jamie has been asked to organize, inventory, label, and catalogue an entire barn full of historic farm equipment from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries AND THEN create an interpretive exhibit for the museum in which the farm equipment is presented to the general public in a tangible, interactive way. WHAT A ROCK STAR! As you can see from the photos below, she’s doing a darn good job! It was wonderful getting to see what she’s been working on for the past eight weeks first hand.

Sandy Spring Museum

The barn in which Jamie must infuse her curatorial skill to create an exhibition space!

Old timey tractor

Carriage house and blacksmith shop

Old US Postal Service carriage and Senator Bird's buggy

Research library

If only bank robberies were this classy . . .

If I could have a song, a dance, and a wardrobe for my life it would be this:

Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?