View source for Mount Vernon Square

{{Short description|Square and neighborhood in Washington, DC, US}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name                 = Mount Vernon Square Historic District
| nrhp_type            = hd
| nocat                = yes
| image                = 2008-0601-DC-MountVernonSquare.jpg
| caption              = Mount Vernon Square with Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, [[Washington Convention Center]], [[Historical Society of Washington, D.C.]], and [[NPR]]'s former headquarters visible
| location             = Roughly bounded by New York Ave., 7th St., N St., and 1st St. NW, [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| locmapin             = United States Washington, D.C.
| coordinates          = {{Coord|38.902528|-77.023583|type:city_region:US-DC|display=inline,title}}
| built                = {{Start date|1845}}
| architect OR builder =
| architecture         = Late Victorian, Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals
| added                = September 3, 1999
| area                 = {{convert|100|acre}}
| refnum               = 99001071<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
}}

'''Mount Vernon Square''' is a [[town square|city square]] and neighborhood in the [[Northwest (Washington, D.C.)|Northwest]] [[Address (geography)#Quadrants|quadrant]] of [[Washington, D.C.]] The square is located where the following streets would otherwise intersect: [[Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.)|Massachusetts Avenue NW]], [[New York Avenue (Washington, D.C.)|New York Avenue NW]], [[K Street (Washington, D.C.)|K Street NW]], and 8th Street NW.

==Attributes==
Mount Vernon Square is bounded on the east by [[7th Street (Washington, D.C.)|7th Street]] NW, on the west by 9th Street NW, on the north by Mount Vernon Place, and on the south by a two-block section of K Street NW that is slightly offset from the rest of K Street.

In the center of the square is the [[Carnegie Library of Washington D.C.]], finished in 1903, as a gift of industrialist [[Andrew Carnegie]]. The white marble [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]] building was originally the central library for Washington, D.C. The building now houses the [[Historical Society of Washington, D.C.]], and an [[Apple Store]].<ref name=Bednar>{{cite book |last1=Bednar |first1=Michael |title=L'Enfant's Legacy: Public Open Spaces in Washington |date=2006 |publisher=JHU Press |isbn=9780801883187 |pages=129–136 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pdj0oAZplxoC |language=en}}</ref><ref>(1) {{cite news|author=Karen Goff|title=Exclusive: Apple agrees to open flagship store at Carnegie Library|date=December 6, 2016|work=[[Washington Business Journal]]|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2016/12/06/apple-agrees-to-open-flagshipstore-at-carnegie.html}}<br>(2) {{cite web |url=http://www.dchistory.org/visit/|title=Visit|publisher=The Historical Society of Washington, D.C. |access-date=November 11, 2018}}<br>(3) {{cite news |last=Kelly |first=John |date=May 7, 2018|title=The past will get a bright new future at the Mount Vernon Square Apple store |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/the-past-will-get-a-new-future-at-the-mount-vernon-square-apple-store/2018/05/07/bd8c0e08-5209-11e8-a551-5b648abe29ef_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post}}<br>(4) {{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/tim-cook-talks-about-why-apple-spent-30-million-to-rehab-dcs-carnegie-library-into-a-store/2019/05/03/1f1cdc96-6b7d-11e9-be3a-33217240a539_story.html|title=Tim Cook hopes Apple's $30 million rehab of D.C.'s Carnegie Library will do more than sell iPhones|first=Jonathan|last= O'Connell|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=August 25, 2019|date=May 3, 2019}}</ref>

==History==
[[Image:Carnegie library in Mt Vernon Square Washington DC.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Carnegie library on the square]]
The square was in the original [[L'Enfant Plan]] for the city but in the early 1800s was divided into four triangles by the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and New York Avenue.<ref name="Bednar"/> The [[Northern Liberty Market|old Northern Liberty Market]] stood along Seventh Street until 1872, when it was demolished by Governor [[Alexander Robey Shepherd|Alexander Shepherd]] in a night raid with two to 300 men.<ref>New Public Library: Corner-stone Soon to Be Laid with Ceremony - February 17, 1901 - The Washington Post - page 13</ref> The roadways were removed in 1882 at the request of residents who complained that "in its former condition the constant passage of vehicles of all descriptions through the park made it unpleasant and oftentimes dangerous for those frequenting it."<ref name="Bednar"/> 

The [[Carnegie Library of Washington D.C.]] was built in 1903.<ref name="Bednar"/> It was the central library for the city until 1972, when the [[Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library]] was completed.<ref name=Farquhar>{{cite news |last1=Farquhar |first1=Michael |title=The Past is Present |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/magazine/2003/03/23/the-past-is-present/4ddc9883-52a8-451f-b0f8-518a84c0c356/ |newspaper=Washington Post |date=March 23, 2003}}</ref> The library sat abandoned for a decade until it was renovated as a library for the [[University of the District of Columbia]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Valente |first1=Judith |title=UDC Opens $4.2 Million Library, But Its Campus Not Likely to Be Built |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1980/12/11/udc-opens-42-million-library-but-its-campus-not-likely-to-be-built/eaa44cc9-cc8e-4c08-9944-c6c3a8f2fab9/ |newspaper=Washington Post |date=December 11, 1980}}</ref>

In the late 19th and early 20th century, the city's furniture stores and more economical department stores such as Goldberg's and Kaufman's were located along 7th Street NW in the [[7th Street shopping district]], most of which was in the neighborhood now known as Mount Vernon Square. Further south, just below today's Chinatown, the 7th Street corridor met the F Street corridor with its more upscale apparel and department stores.<ref>[https://pqliving.com/history-7thshopping/ "7th Street shopping district", ''Penn Quarter'']</ref>

In 1999, the library became the headquarters for the [[Historical Society of Washington, D.C.]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historydc.org/carnegielibrary.aspx |title=Archived copy |access-date=2014-02-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222052703/http://www.historydc.org/carnegielibrary.aspx |archive-date=2014-02-22 }}</ref> The City Museum of Washington opened in the library in May 2003, but closed less than two years later.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Trescott |first1=Jacqueline |title=City Museum to Close Its Galleries |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18694-2004Oct8.html |newspaper=Washington Post |date=October 9, 2004 |page=A1}}</ref>

In 2008, a sculpture was installed on the lawn at the south side of the square - "The Hand" created by Jim Fauntleroy in the 1960s for the [[Southern Christian Leadership Conference]]’s Poor People’s Campaign.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mann |first1=Auburn |title="The Hand" to return? |url=https://takomavoice.com/2015/11/25/the-hand-to-return/ |work=Takoma Voice |date=November 25, 2015}}</ref>

The [[Washington Convention and Sports Authority]] took over the library building in 2011, renting it out for events.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kelly |first1=John |title=D.C. agency comes to aid of troubled Historical Society of Washington |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-agency-comes-to-aid-of-troubled-historical-society-of-washington/2011/06/28/AGl4knpH_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post |date=June 28, 2011}}</ref> The building underwent significant renovations in 2018, to accommodate a new Apple Store and exhibit space for the Historical Society.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kelly |first1=John |title=The past will get a bright new future at the Mount Vernon Square Apple store |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/the-past-will-get-a-new-future-at-the-mount-vernon-square-apple-store/2018/05/07/bd8c0e08-5209-11e8-a551-5b648abe29ef_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post |date=May 7, 2018}}</ref>

==Neighborhood and vicinity==
{{see also|Mount Vernon Triangle}}
Mount Vernon Square also refers to the neighborhood northeast of the square (though the official name for this neighborhood is [[Mount Vernon Triangle]]), extending north to O Street and east to New Jersey Avenue.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wheeler |first1=Linda |title=In the District's Mt. Vernon Square, Faith Keeps its Residents Going |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/realestate/1996/02/24/in-the-districts-mt-vernon-square-faith-keeps-its-residents-going/505bb741-0c3e-469b-8f5d-ae2e5b1722fb/ |newspaper=Washington Post |date=February 24, 1996}}</ref> In the early 20th century, [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]]-style townhomes occupied the area, and the [[7th Street shopping district]] was the city's vibrant commercial strip (along with more upscale [[F Street shopping district|F Street]]), until the [[Great Depression]], when the area went into a steep decline.<ref name="Bednar"/> During the [[1968 Washington, D.C. riots|1968 Martin Luther King Jr. riots]], the area around the square suffered rioting, arson, and extensive vandalism.<ref name="Bednar"/>

In the 1980s, 7th Street was shut down for several years during the construction of the [[Green Line (Washington Metro)]] - the [[Mount Vernon Square (WMATA station)|Mount Vernon Square]] station opened in 1991.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wheeler |first1=Linda |title=Metro Brings Despair, Hope |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1991/05/06/metro-brings-despair-hope/824b97ed-d9b9-4703-9e3c-9b632359758e/ |newspaper=Washington Post |date=May 6, 1991}}</ref>

===Boundaries===
The boundaries of the neighborhood are;<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/where-we-live-mount-vernon-triangle-high-rise-heaven/2014/05/22/c65b20c2-dd1a-11e3-bda1-9b46b2066796_story.html | title=Where We Live: Mount Vernon Triangle, high-rise heaven | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=May 23, 2014 | author=Hoffer, Audrey }}</ref><ref>[https://www.trulia.com/n/dc/washington/mount-vernon-square/81992/ "Mount Vernon Square", Trulia]</ref>
* On the south, [[Chinatown, Washington, D.C.|Chinatown]] and the [[Penn Quarter]], usually considered the heart of [[Downtown Washington, D.C.]]
* On the north, M or O Street NW according to the source, and the [[Shaw (Washington, D.C.)|Shaw]] neighborhood
* From the eastern boundary of the square to New Jersey Ave. is the [[Mount Vernon Triangle]] neighborhood, often mentioned together with the Mount Vernon Square neighborhood
* On the west, either Thomas Circle or 10th St. NW and the [[Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.)|Logan Circle]] neighborhood

===Old and new convention centers===

In 1977, the city used [[eminent domain]] to purchase several blocks southwest of Mount Vernon Square.<ref name="Bednar"/> Over the next few years, the homes and businesses on these blocks were razed.  The old [[Washington Convention Center]] was constructed on the area block bounded by New York Avenue NW, 9th Street NW, H Street NW, and 11th Street NW.<ref name="WashpoCityGuide">[https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/?node=cityguide/profile&id=1123991 Old Washington Convention Center Site], WashingtonPost.com City Guide, Retrieved May 9, 2007</ref> Construction on the center began in 1980, and it opened on December 10, 1982.<ref>Pianin, Eric. "Gala Debut Is Set For Long-Awaited Convention Center." ''Washington Post.'' December 10, 1982.</ref> At {{convert|800000|sqft|m2}}, it was the fourth largest facility in the United States at the time. However, during the 1980s and 1990s, numerous larger and more modern facilities were constructed around the country, and by 1997 the Washington Convention Center had become the 30th largest facility.<ref name="WCCHistory">[http://www.dcconvention.com/AboutUs/History.aspx A History of the Washington Convention Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508144501/http://www.dcconvention.com/AboutUs/History.aspx |date=2012-05-08 }} Washington Convention Center website, Retrieved April 13, 2010</ref>

In 1998, construction began on a new larger convention center, occupying several blocks directly north of Mount Vernon Square.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fernandez |first1=Manny |title=D.C.'s Wonder Of Architecture Nears Fruition |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2002/07/21/dcs-wonder-of-architecture-nears-fruition/43eb1fc4-4cfb-4558-8356-ee5cf680535c/ |newspaper=Washington Post |date=July 21, 2002}}</ref> The new convention center was completed in 2003, and renamed the [[Walter E. Washington Convention Center]] in 2007.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stewart |first1=Nikita |title=Facility to Be Renamed Tomorrow In Honor of Ex-Mayor Washington |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/03/AR2007110301029.html |newspaper=Washington Post |date=November 4, 2007}}</ref>

=== Commercial development ===

Many small businesses existed around Mount Vernon Square before the construction of the convention centers.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Seaberry |first1=Jane |title=Time Ticks Along for Repair Shop |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1979/05/08/time-ticks-along-for-repair-shop/9b1c4a08-23ed-4cbb-a5df-96666aaf05f1/ |newspaper=Washington Post |date=May 8, 1979}}</ref> One of the last businesses to exist on the west side of the square was a [[Overseas Chinese restaurant|Chinese restaurant]] named Nan King (which was one of the first restaurants in the city to serve [[dim sum]]), which was open until 1979.<ref>Burros, Marian. "Dim Sum Is Greater Than Its Parts." ''Washington Post.'' January 25, 1979.</ref> By 2004, Alperstein's Furniture was the only store on 7th Street to survive through the construction of the Metro station and the new convention center.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fisher |first1=Marc |title=Only 7th Street Stalwart Is Left To See New D.C. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2004/03/25/only-7th-street-stalwart-is-left-to-see-new-dc/7d6085a9-0dec-4129-8bb7-f3687bc7decf/ |newspaper=Washington Post |date=March 25, 2004}}</ref> It closed in 2014, with a restaurant moving into its building.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Rebecca |title=CityZen Chef Eric Ziebold to open new restaurant near Mount Vernon Triangle |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/top-shelf/2014/08/cityzen-chef-eric-ziebold-to-open-new-restaurant.html |work=Washington Business Journal |date=August 20, 2014}}</ref>

On the west side of the square is the [[901 New York Avenue]] office building (headquarters of law firm [[Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner]]), completed in 2003.<ref>Mazzucca, Tim. "Firms Fight Over Office With Downtown Image." ''Washington Business Journal.'' June 6, 2005; White, Suzanne. "901 New York A Go for PoGo." ''Washington Business Journal.'' February 3, 2003; White, Suzanne. "Boston Properties Signs Anchor Tenant at 901 New York." ''Washington Business Journal.'' March 19, 2002.</ref> On the east are two large office buildings, including the headquarters of law firm [[Arnold & Porter]] (opened 2016),<ref>{{cite news|last=Sernovitz |first=Daniel J. |title=Boston Properties delivers 601 Massachusetts Ave. NW |url= https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/print-edition/2016/04/29/best-new-office-development-601-massachusetts-ave.html |work=Washington Business Journal |date=April 29, 2016}}</ref> and the headquarters for the [[Association of American Medical Colleges]] and the [[American Dental Education Association]] (opened 2014).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Plumb |first1=Tierney |title=AAMC picks new headquarters location |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2011/01/06/aamc-picks-new-headquarters-location.html |work=Washington Business Journal |date=January 6, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=ADEA Announces Plans to Relocate to the New Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Building |journal=Bulletin of Dental Education |date=September 2014 |volume=47 |issue=9 |url=https://www.adea.org/ADEA/Blogs/Bulletin_of_Dental_Education/ADEA_Announces_Plans_to_Relocate_to_the_New_Association_of_American_Medical_Colleges_(AAMC)_Building.html |publisher=American Dental Education Association}}</ref> On the south side is the Renaissance Washington DC Hotel (opened 1986), and the Techworld plaza office development (opened 1989),<ref name="Bednar" /> which is undergoing redevelopment and re-branding as "Anthem Row."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Banister |first1=Jon |title=Meridian's $142M Renovation Of 700 K St Looks To Create A Unique Style Of Trophy Office |url=https://www.bisnow.com/washington-dc/news/mixed-use/meridian-aims-for-a-new-kind-of-trophy-office-with-142m-renovation-67700 |website=Bisnow |date=November 15, 2016}}</ref>

Across from the northwest corner of the square is the [[Washington Marriott Marquis]], the largest hotel in the city, which opened in 2014.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bhattarai |first1=Abha |title=Six weeks after its opening, Marriott Marquis hosts ribbon-cutting ceremony |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/six-weeks-after-its-opening-marriott-marquis-hosts-ribbon-cutting-ceremony/2014/06/13/20fb999c-f0e1-11e3-9ebc-2ee6f81ed217_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post |date=June 15, 2014}}</ref> The lot at the southwest corner of the square was the former site of the old [[Washington Convention Center]], now the [[CityCenterDC]] development, which opened in 2015.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Narnia |first1=Rachel |title=Your guide to CityCenterDC: Where to eat, shop and relax in D.C.'s new luxury neighborhood |url=https://wtop.com/living/2015/06/your-guide-to-citycenterdc-where-to-eat-shop-and-relax-in-d-c-s-new-luxury-neighborhood/slide/1/ |work=WTOP News |date=June 20, 2015}}</ref>

===Historic buildings===
There are two historic buildings northwest of the square, Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church and the [[American Federation of Labor Building]].<ref name="Bednar" /> The Mount Vernon Place church was built in 1917, by the [[Methodist Episcopal Church, South]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zauzmer |first1=Julie |title=On its 100th birthday, a church repents for its racist founders |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/on-its-100th-birthday-a-church-repents-for-its-racist-founders/2017/10/08/55ae11b6-ac5d-11e7-a908-a3470754bbb9_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post |date=October 8, 2017}}</ref> The Labor building was built in 1916 as the headquarters for the [[American Federation of Labor]].<ref name="nrhpinv2">{{cite web|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: American Federation of Labor Building|url={{NHLS url|id=74002154}} |format=pdf|date=September 21, 1973 |author=Carol Ann Poh |publisher=National Park Service}} and {{NHLS url|id=74002154|title=''Accompanying two photos, exterior, from 1973''|photos=y}}&nbsp;{{small|(32&nbsp;KB)}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of circles in Washington, D.C.]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Commons category}}

{{Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C.}}
{{Streets in Washington, DC}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mount Vernon Square| ]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1845]]
[[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:K Street]]
[[Category:Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.)]]
[[Category:Neighborhoods in Northwest (Washington, D.C.)]]
[[Category:Squares, plazas, and circles in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Victorian architecture in Washington, D.C.]]