National Register of Historic Places Registration Form

NFS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval No. ?024-00/8
(646)
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 i4
tan brick building is turned at an angle so that the private entrance to the
apartment building faces Newark Street and is located up a hill from the shops
below, which separates the residential and commercial functions combined in a
single structure. The Apartment entrance is clearly defined by an Art Deco
glass brick door surround with a zigzag decorated aluminum cornice above. The
varied size and placement of the windows alternating with decorated concrete
balconies and pierced stone panels unify the Newark and the Connecticut Avenue
facades. The stores on the lower level are distinguished by large show
windows and a predominance of limestone facing which is composed to form the
base of the apartment complex. The Macklin shopping complex forms an L-shaped
structure enclosing a small parking lot. The one story building along the
north side of the parking lot extends toward Connecticut Avenue and turns the
corner with a massive stone pier and lines up with the earlier Art Deco strip
created by John Zink adjoining the Uptown Theater. The way that the whole
complex is set back and tucked into the hill allows the pedestrian on
Connecticut Avenue to catch a glimpse of the houses as they gracefully line
Newark Street as it curves and mounts the hill. This is especially
significant since Newark Street with the lodge where the library now stands
really marked the entrance into Cleveland Park in the 1890's.
SHOPS ON CONNECTICUT AVENUE
The Firehouse which opened in 1916 is the oldest and a most significant
building in the Cleveland Park commercial strip along Connecticut Avenue.
This two story plus attic Colonial Revival Firehouse is three bays wide and
nine bays deep. It is constructed of brick laid in Flemish bond with the
first story front facade having dressed stone. Stone and wood are used for
the decorative details which include angle quoins, keystones, a modillioned
cornice and brackets. The front facade is bilaterally symmetrical with two
large stone arches on the first story allowing access for the fire trucks.
The central axis of the building is emphasized by the central second story
sash window flanked by Corinthian pilasters and capped by a full entablature
including a handsome Baroque Swan's Neck Pediment. All of the wooden trim is
painted white forming a contrast with the red brick which is typical of the
Wren influence found in 18th-century Colonial Georgian buildings upon which
this structure is modeled. The architect used as his overall motif an arcade
on the first level supporting pilasters and a pediment on the second floor
recalling the Old Brick Market in Newport, Rhode Island designed in 1761 by
Peter Harrison. Snowden Ashford undoubtedly used this design because it
suited the needs of the building with its requirement for two large opening to
provide access for the large fire trucks and because the Colonial Revival was
in full swing especially in domestic architecture which this building
resembles. This building has been recently renovated and remains in excellent
condition maintaining its original integrity.
The Firehouse established the low scale of the commercial area along
Connecticut. The shops are all one or two stories unless they are combined
with an apartment building. The stores are constructed of brick and stone