September 19, 2007
Georgetown's Old Stone House
Written by DCist contributor Ben Schuman-Stoler.
You have probably walked by the modest Old Stone House on M Street countless times while in Georgetown, perhaps wondering when it's going to be converted for the next Starbucks. The House, actually run by the National Park Service, has seen nearly two and a half centuries on what used to be known as Bridge Street during colonial years.
The plot was purchased for one pound and ten shillings in 1764 and over the years held a clockmaker, some fifteen slaves, and a used car dealership, the last of which (while using the garden space as its parking lot) was bought out by the government in 1953, for $90,000.
Among the frenetic M Street shopping routes the Old Stone House stands as a reminder of times without designer clothes and status symbols. Stand in one of the rooms upstairs -- crouching from the low ceiling, taking in the quaint brick walls and the handmade wooden beams -- and look out a window: there you are, in the middle of the 18th century, amid artifacts of a no-car, handmade-goods lifestyle, and you can look out onto the busy intersections where cars and factory produced goods clog the streets.
Although the tiny building might not reprieve anyone of their Georgetown claustrophobia, the sweet smelling, meditative garden beside it just might. The space is narrow but long and green, with small footpaths through the shrubs and flowers, and its entrance is covered by a large weeping willow which helps the garden’s atmosphere by blocking out the sounds of the street.
Whats more, access to the House and the garden is free, so the garden doesn’t only serve as part of the House’s accoutrement -- it can also be a place to catch your breath in between errands.
If there is a downside to the House it is the fact that with only five rooms to see it’s hardly worth making it the focal point of an entire day. But then again, its manageable size also improves its status as an M Street pit stop, and maybe new perspective on the here and now.
The Old Stone House is open for viewing Wednesday through Sunday, 12 to 5 p.m., the bookstore is open every day from 12 to 5 p.m., and the garden is open every day during daylight hours.
Image courtesty The Old Stone House's web site.
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Can I show off my popped collar and pick up some LNS-worthy Top Shelf at this place while downing Jagerbomb after Jagerbomb? No? Then fuck that, broseph!
According to the Washington Historical Society, the house was also a brothel during the time when Georgetown was the red light district.
i always wondered what that building was!!
they also have a nice gift shop. they sell a few items from the jamestown folk who make mouthblown reproductions of wine glasses, bottles and medicine bottles.
I wish Georgetown was still the red light district ...sigh
Sure it's quaint and all, but not exactly "a reminder of times without designer clothes and status symbols." Georgetown was always a wealthy area, and the house must have been well made if it's still standing. Face it: status symbols have always been around.
on what planet did the 18th century have no status symbols (or high fashion, for that matter)? i'm all for some good old fashioned americana now and again, but let's not pretend we're a 1950's schoolbook here.
The garden here can be a beautiful little refuge from the crowds on M street.
Love the garden.
@ guest 6
Georgetown has not always been a "wealthy area." After the Civil War Georgetown was a predominantly African American community and was largely industrial until the second half of the 20th century. It wasn't until the 1930s that gentrification began and after WWII that educated professional moved into the area in droves.
I LOVE GENTRIFICATION .... sorry blacks
No. 6 said: "Georgetown was always a wealthy area."
Um, no. From the late 1800s until around the 1930s, Georgetown was a low-income neighborhood filled with workers employed by the industries along the Potomac.
From a Post story dated May 21, 2001: "A flood in 1890 closed the C&O Canal, upon which the town relied. For decades after, Georgetown suffered and became better known for its slums. After the New Deal in the 1930s, politicians and government officials saw the area's appeal and worked to restore its buildings and streets."
I really like the occasional focus on history and monuments on this site, as far as it goes.
If I can make a request, I think DCist should keep up the good work, and maybe consider focusing a bit more, on discussing monuments, parks, etc. It's really interesting (at least to us history nerds) to sometimes stop and think about the people who the statues or circles are named after, and why they were put in our neighborhoods.
Even some snapshots and quick summaries of wikipedia information would be interesting, but finding out more details, like the circumstances of building old memorials, or which early-20th-century president laid a wreath there, would be cool too. Maybe somebody from the Washingtonia collection at the DC Public Library could be a contributor, with scans of old newspaper photos and stuff.
gerhardj - We agree, that's why we just solicited new writers last week to focus on museums (and monuments, etc) around the city. We got a lot of eager responses, so look forward to more!
Ah I missed that, thanks. Looking forward to it!
"Georgetown has not always been a "wealthy area." After the Civil War Georgetown was a predominantly African American community and was largely industrial until the second half of the 20th century. It wasn't until the 1930s that gentrification began and after WWII that educated professional moved into the area in droves."
It's annoying how things have to be either/or. Georgetown was formerly mixed income. Just look at the varied housing stock built over the many many years.
"government officials saw the area's appeal and worked to restore its buildings and streets."
From an architectural history nerd's perspective, it's interesting to note that a good deal of the "colonial" embelishments on Georgetown's homes come from this period. It was the time of the colonial revival and ordinary brick rowhouses built way after the colonial or even federal period were retrofitted with all sort of broken ogees and stuff to make them look authentically federal. In reality, most of the homes in Georgetown are not colonial or federal, they're Victorian. What's funny is when you see a home that isn't even remotely federal or even neo-federal being advertised by a real estate agent as a "Georgetown Federal".
BTW, the Stone House garden has a couple benches & is a really nice place to eat a carry-out lunch from one of the nearby restaurants...