National Register of Historic Places Registration Form

NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval No. 10244018
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
CLEVELAND PARK HISTORIC DISTRICT
WASHINGTON D.C.
Section number 7 Page 12
bearing strapwork decoration and other heraldic ornamentation, which was
chiefly drawn from the English Jacobean period. Brick gate posts mark the
entry into the complex and a curvilinear brick wall flanks the long
semicircular driveway and sidewalk made also of brick laid in a herring bone
pattern. The apartment house is composed of two L-shaped wings of different
lengths joined by a tower section with a massive porte cochere marking the
entrance into the generous lobby. The central section is the focal point of
the structure's plan and design and consequently is the most richly decorated
portion of the building. The extensive grounds have traditionally been a
significant element in the overall design of the apartment complex. The
manicured front lawn, with its sculptured Japanese holly hedge, Canna Lillies,
and magnificent 60-year-old Maple tree, provides a gentility to the massive
building towering above it. The Broadmoor is situated overlooking Rock Creek
and Melvin Hazen Park so that the landscaping to the rear of the apartments is
more informal and rustic providing privacy for the residents in contrast to
the formal entrance garden.
The Broadmoor has undergone changes over the years but these are
primarily on the interior. The entrance lobby of generous proportions was
originally decorated in a medieval style but was remodelled in 1938 at the
same time as the dining room to present the popular streamlined art deco style
of that period.
The Broadmoor was named after the luxury hotel of the same name in
Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was built with many features typical of a
hotel at that time such as a large dining room, a hairdresser, a barber shop,
a pastry shop, a newsstand, a valet, and a laundry service, which gave it the
ambience of a self-contained resort. It is one of the first Washington D.C.
apartment buildings to have an underground garage.
The Broadmoor is a significant Connecticut Avenue Apartment building
which maintains its original integrity and contributes significantly to the
flavor of Connecticut Avenue and Cleveland Park.
*(Goode, op. cit.)
"(Kevin Murray; The Broadmoor of Cleveland Park; October, 1983.)
*( Antoinette Lee, Landmark Application form for the Governor Sherpherd
Apartment House, Feb. A, 1985)
Sedgwick Gardens designed by Mihran Mesrobian in 1931 for Max Gorin,
president of the Southern Construction Company, is a significant Art Deco
building. The plan of this apartment complex consists of two U-shaped
structures which join to form the lobby and entrance creating the overall
effect similar to an E-shaped plan, which breaks at the central bar in the E
forming a welcoming courtyard entrance with a massive porte cochere at the
juncture of the two streets, Connecticut Avenue and Sedgwick Street. One U
faces Connecticut Avenue with a large courtyard and the identical one faces
Sedgwick Street. This arrangement forms four wings off the central core and
allows for ample light and air to reach all of the apartment units. The back
of the apartment complex (which forms a slight V) faces open garden space with
a view over the Melvin Hazen Park.
The building is constructed of red brick with horizontal bands of white