Northumberland Apartments, apartment building in Washington D.C.
The Northumberland Apartments is a residential building from 1910 on New Hampshire Avenue in the U Street Corridor, combining classical architectural elements across three distinct facade sections. The structure features large windows over 6 feet wide with ornate arches, a prominent entrance framed by Ionic columns in a curved recess, and a decorative metal cornice along the roofline.
The building was designed by architect Albert H. Beers and constructed by developer Harry Wardman between 1909-1910, who created many early residential projects across Washington. The Northumberland became one of the city's first cooperative housing buildings in 1920 and remains the oldest self-managed housing cooperative in Washington.
The name Northumberland references an English county, reflecting the classical European inspiration woven throughout the structure. The neighborhood today sees the building as a living part of the U Street Corridor, where different building styles and generations of residents coexist.
The building sits on an irregularly shaped lot at New Hampshire Avenue where the street crosses the city's traditional grid layout, which influenced its unique form. The interior features well-preserved original elements such as marble staircases with decorative finials and ornamental ceiling plasterwork that give visitors a sense of early 20th-century craftsmanship.
The structure features a visually striking three-part facade with white stone and brick in the upper and lower sections contrasting with red brick in the middle, a design choice unusual for luxury apartments of that era. This color variation makes the Northumberland distinctly recognizable as you walk down the street.
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