True Reformer Building

Last updated
True Reformer Building
True Reformer Hall.jpg
True Reformer Building in 1979
Location map Washington DC Cleveland Park to Southwest Waterfront.png
Red pog.svg
Location1200 U Street, NW, Washington, District of Columbia, U.S.
Coordinates 38°55′0″N77°1′43″W / 38.91667°N 77.02861°W / 38.91667; -77.02861
Area0.3 acres (0.12 ha)
Built1903;121 years ago (1903)
Architect John Anderson Lankford
Part of Greater U Street Historic District [1] (ID93001129)
NRHP reference No. 88003063 [2]
Added to NRHPJanuary 9, 1989

The True Reformer Building is an historic building constructed for the Grand United Order of True Reformers, an African American organization founded by William Washington Browne. The building is at 1200 U Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C. in the U Street Corridor (Cardozo/Shaw) neighborhood. It was designed by John Anderson Lankford. The building was commissioned by the Grand United Order of True Reformers in 1902. [3] It was dedicated on July 15, 1903. [4]

Contents

Building history

As seen from Ben's Chili Bowl in 2007 with Duke Ellington mural True reformer building.jpg
As seen from Ben's Chili Bowl in 2007 with Duke Ellington mural
Duke Ellington Mural True Reformer Building mural.JPG
Duke Ellington Mural

It was designed by John Anderson Lankford, the city’s first African-American registered architect. The building was commissioned by the Grand United Order of True Reformers in 1902, and was dedicated on July 15, 1903.

The Grand United Order of True Reformers started in 1873 as an African American fraternal association and temperance organization; and was re-organized in c.1875 into the Grand Fountain of the United Order of True Reformers in Richmond, Virginia, as a business venture founded by William Washington Browne, before their dissolution in 1934. [5] [6] [7] At one point, it was the largest black fraternal society and black-owned business in the United States. [6] [8] [9] A .W. Holmes was president of the group in 1911 as retrenchment was sought and board membership included Adolphus Humbles of Lynchburg, Virginia. [10]

During the True Reformer Building's dedication in 1903, the Reverend William Lee Taylor stated that the goal was to "put up a building in Washington that would reflect credit upon the Negro race." [11] It is significant that the building took shape as a result of an African American architect, with African American financing, and built with African American hands. The Reformer Building was the first building in the United States to be designed, financed, built, and owned by the African American community after Reconstruction.

Ownership changes

The Knights of Pythias bought the building in 1917. [12]

From 1937 to 1959, the Boys Club of the Metropolitan Police of the District of Columbia, leased the building; Eleanor Roosevelt rededicated the building. [13]

Other tenants have included: Washington Conservancy, the DC Chapter of the National Negro Business League, the First Separate Battalion. Duke Ellington gave his first performance here. [11]

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The Public Welfare Foundation bought it in 1999. It was renovated from the winter of 2000 until February 2001 according to designs by Sorg & Associates. [14]

Public art

G. Byron Peck's mural to Duke Ellington on the side of the building used to overlook the U Street Metro station. [12] It was completed in 1997, and located on the sidewall of Mood Indigo. [15] It was relocated to the True Reformer Building. [16] The mural was removed in 2012 for restoration. [17] Its removal was made permanent in 2013 due to damage. On 3 May 2019 a replica of the mural was returned to the building [18] [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke Ellington</span> American jazz pianist and composer (1899–1974)

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.)</span> Place in the United States

Logan Circle is a historic roundabout park and neighborhood of Washington, D.C., located in Northwest D.C. The majority of Logan Circle is primarily residential, except for the highly-commercialized 14th Street corridor that passes through the western part of the neighborhood. In the 21st century, Logan Circle has been the focus of urban redevelopment and become one of Washington's most expensive neighborhoods. Today, Logan Circle is also one of D.C.'s most prominent gay neighborhoods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaw (Washington, D.C.)</span> Neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Shaw is a neighborhood of Washington, D.C., located in the Northwest quadrant. Shaw is a major entertainment and retail hub, and much of the neighborhood is designated as a historic district, including the smaller Blagden Alley-Naylor Court Historic District. Shaw and the U Street Corridor have historically have been the city's hub for African-American social, cultural, and economic life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LeDroit Park</span> Neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

LeDroit Park is a neighborhood in Washington, D.C. located immediately southeast of Howard University. Its borders include Florida Avenue NW, Bryant Street NW, Georgia Avenue NW, and 2nd Street NW .LeDroit Park is known for its history and 19th century protected architecture. The community's diversity entices new residents to the community, as well as its close proximity to the Shaw–Howard University Metro station and many dining options.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben's Chili Bowl</span> Restaurant in Washington, D. C.

Ben's Chili Bowl is a landmark restaurant in Washington, D.C., United States, located at 1213 U Street, next to Lincoln Theatre, in the U Street Corridor of Northwest D.C. It is known locally for its chili dogs, half-smokes, and milkshakes, and has been part of the U Street neighborhood since its founding in 1958. It was frequented by both police and protesters during the 1968 Washington, D.C., riots, and is regularly visited by celebrities, such as Anthony Bourdain and Chris Tucker, and famously President-elect Barack Obama in January 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U Street (Washington, D.C.)</span> Historic district in Washington D.C.

The U Street Corridor or Greater U Street, sometimes known as Cardozo/Shaw, is a neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in Northwest D.C. Centered along U Street, the neighborhood is one of Washington's most popular nightlife and entertainment districts, as well as one of the most significant African American heritage districts in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">16th Street NW</span> Road in Washington, D.C.

16th Street Northwest, briefly known as the Avenue of the Presidents, is a prominent north-south boulevard in Washington, D.C., located in Northwest D.C. The street was laid out as part of the 1791 L'Enfant Plan, which served as the original blueprint for the city. The street begins just north of the White House, across from Lafayette Square in the President's Park, and continues north along the Washington meridian until Blair Circle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building</span> United States historic place

The William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building is a complex of several historic buildings located in the Federal Triangle in Washington, D.C., across 12th Street, NW from the Old Post Office. The complex now houses the headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke Ellington School of the Arts</span> Public high school in Washington, D.C., United States

The Duke Ellington School of the Arts is a high school located at 35th Street and R Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., and dedicated to arts education. One of the high schools of the District of Columbia Public School system, it is named for the American jazz bandleader and composer Duke Ellington, a native of Washington, D.C. The building formerly housed Western High School. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truxton Circle</span> Place in the United States

Truxton Circle, sometimes known as East Shaw, is a neighborhood of Washington, D.C., located in Northwest D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Theatre (Washington, D.C.)</span> Historic movie theater in Washington, D.C.

Lincoln Theatre is a historic theater in Washington, D.C., located at 1215 U Street, next to Ben's Chili Bowl. The theater, located on "Washington's Black Broadway", served the city's African American community when segregation kept them out of other venues. The Lincoln Theatre included a movie house and ballroom, and hosted jazz and big band performers such as Duke Ellington. The theater closed after the 1968 race-related riots. It was restored and reopened in 1994, and hosts a variety of performances and events. The U Street Metro station, which opened in 1991, is located across the street from the Lincoln Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke Ellington House</span> Historic building in Manhattan, New York

The Duke Ellington House is a historic residence at 935 St. Nicholas Avenue, in Manhattan, New York City. Apartment 4A in this apartment house was the home of Duke Ellington (1899–1974), the noted African American composer and jazz pianist, from 1939 through 1961. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark in 1976, and became a New York City designated landmark in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John A. Lankford</span> American architect

John A. Lankford, American architect. He was the first professionally licensed African American architect in Virginia in 1922 and in the District of Columbia in 1924. He has been regarded as the "dean of black architecture".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodland Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia)</span> Historic African American cemetery

Woodland Cemetery is a historically African American cemetery in Northeast Richmond, Virginia located directly east of the Highland Park neighborhood. Opening in 1916, it was built as a resting place for the Black elite of Richmond. Woodland was laid out in the shape of an arrowhead pointing north to symbolize the way enslaved blacks once looked north to freedom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Washington Browne</span> American fraternal organization founder (1849–1897)

Rev. William Washington Browne was an African American fraternal society leader, temperance worker, and minister. He was the founder and head of the Grand United Order of True Reformers and the Grand Fountain of the United Order of True Reformers, a benevolent, temperance, and fraternal society for African Americans that was based in Richmond, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand United Order of True Reformers</span> African-American fraternal organization

Grand United Order of True Reformers was an African-American fraternal organization founded in 1873 in Alabama and Kentucky. Originally managed by deputies of the all-white, pro-temperance organization, the Independent Order of Good Templars, the Grand Fountain of the United Order of True Reformers, or the True Reformers, was re-organized  c. 1875 by William Washington Browne in Richmond, Virginia. This organization existed as a business and a mutual-aid society during the era of Jim Crow segregation laws, and it supported the growing African-American middle class through economic opportunities and education, before its closure in 1934.

The Black Renaissance in D.C. was a social, intellectual, and cultural movement in Washington, D.C. that began in 1919 and continued into the late 1920s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eliza Allen (Virginia)</span> African American activist, clubwoman, and banker

Eliza Allen was an African American banker, activist, and clubwoman. She was a founder of the True Reformers Savings Bank, the first African-American-owned bank to be chartered in the United States. She was affiliated with several African American economic self-help organizations. Before the Civil War, she formed three societies to help enslaved women.

References

  1. Trieschmann, Laura V.; Sellin, Anne; Callcott, Stephen (November 1998), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Greater U Street Historic District (PDF), retrieved March 31, 2015.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. "Grand Fountain of the United Order of True Reformers". www.encyclopediavirginia.org. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  4. "A historical landmark, the True Reformers Building! | African American Registry". Archived from the original on 2012-06-06. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
  5. Williams, Michael Paul. "William Washington Browne". Richmond Times Dispatch. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  6. 1 2 Watkinson, James D. "William Washington Browne (1849–1897)". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  7. Fahey, David M. (2013). "Why some black lodges prospered and others failed: the Good Templars and the True Reformers". Ethnic and Racial Studies. 36 (2): 337–352. doi:10.1080/01419870.2012.676196. S2CID   143876320.
  8. Mjagkij, Nina (2001). Organizing Black America. Routledge. p. 220. ISBN   978-0815323099 . Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  9. William Patrick Burrell (1909). Twenty-five Years History of the Grand Fountain of the United Order of True Reformers, 1881-1905. Grand Fountain, United Order of True Reformers.
  10. "Indianapolis Recorder 11 March 1911 — Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana's Digital Historic Newspaper Program". newspapers.library.in.gov.
  11. 1 2 "Duke Ellington's Washington: Virtual Tour of Shaw: Theaters". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  12. 1 2 "True Reformer Building, African American Heritage Trail | Cultural Tourism DC". Archived from the original on 2012-05-12. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
  13. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/88003063_text
  14. "Public Welfare Foundation: True Reformer Building". Archived from the original on 2011-11-02. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
  15. "Duke Ellington Mural | Washington D.C. | Black Travel | Black Heritage Travel". Archived from the original on 2011-12-22. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
  16. "Duke Ellington Mural | MURAL LOCATOR". murallocator.org. Archived from the original on 2011-11-29.
  17. "Duke Ellington Still Absent from the True Reformer Building on U Street" . Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  18. https://www.dchistory.org/event/dukeellingtonmural/ [ dead link ]
  19. "Duke Ellington is Back on U Street!!".