Preserving Neighborhoods

Preserving Ward 1’s cultural diversity, architecture and character requires a hands-on approach." -- Kent Boese

Regardless of whether you are a life-long Washingtonian or new arrival to the neighborhood, many of us who call Ward 1 home, chose to live here because of Ward 1’s attractive architecture, housing that includes both apartment and single-family home living options, and the density of the Ward allows neighbors to directly engage each other, resulting in a stronger sense of community.

Kent’s love of people, history, and architecture has resulted in a strong record of balancing change in the Ward to achieving community serving outcomes that preserve the best of our neighborhoods for today and the future.

What makes Ward 1 the beautiful and interesting place, is due to its culturally diverse communities, architecture, history, and culture – making Ward 1, literally, the heart of Washington. Each neighborhood has its own unique character and the many small businesses draw customers from near and far.

Park View Field House - District of Columbia Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation

Preserving Cultural History

As the heart of the city, Ward 1's rich cultrual history includes go go music and DC's Black Broadway on U Street. Ward 1's cultural diversity includes Latino, Ethiopian, LGBTQ, and other communities that have each played, and continue to play, a significate role in definitely what it means to live and work in Ward 1. Kent values these cultures and works to preserve their legacies for future generations.

Kent successfully nominated five properties for inclusion on the African American Heritage Trail – Dr. Roscoe Conkling Brown residence, Park View Playground, Judge William C. Hueston residence; Charles H. Wesley residence; and Nob Hill.

Preservation through Development

Kent has a growing record of working with developers to include historic buildings or incorporate historic façades in new projects. Some examples include:

Incorporating William Sidney Pittman’s Trinity Church into the Morton Street Mews development.
Adaptively reusing and incorporating the façade of the Arcade-Sunshine Laundry into a new 225-unit housing development.
Collaborating with Adams Morgan residents to preserve the Avignone Frerés façade and incorporate it into the new development at 1777 Columbia Road.

Preservation through Zoning

Kent testified before the Zoning Commission for increased oversight and community engagement in rowhouse neighborhoods to better manage pop-ups and rear additions. (read testimony here).

Preserving Historic Architecture

Kent has a growing record of accomplishment when it comes to historic preservation. His achievements include:

Has successfully nominated ten properties to the DC Inventory of Historic Sites with additional nominations pending. Examples include the Park View Recreation Center and the Bruce School (read full list here).
Introduced a resolution urging DC Council action to include D.C. Public Charter Schools using District owned buildings in the Historic Preservation Office’s design review process (read ANC resolution here; view DC Council Committee Report; view resulting Law L20-0095).

Additional Reading

“The obscure regulation, which requires permits for anything more than a three on three game, is "probably only now coming to light because, as the city grows and we have fewer spaces and more people, now we’re having these conflicts.” -- Kent Boese

Sadon, Rachel. (2017, July 20). On A Columbia Heights Soccer Field, The Effects Of Gentrification Play Out. DCist [Blog].

“Many of us who live in rowhouse neighborhoods — whether lifelong Washingtonians or recently arrived — chose to live in them because of their attractive architecture, because the housing is large enough to raise a family in, and/or because the density allows neighbors to get to know each other resulting in a strong sense of community,” [Boese] said.

Austermuhle, Martin. (2015, January 26). What's Up With Pop-Ups? Here's A Primer On A Debate That's Reaching New Heights. WAMU 88.5 26.

“Whether you believe that there should be additional height or there shouldn’t be additional height, there are a lot of impacts on a very tightly constructed community that I believe aren’t being addressed.” -- Kent Boese

Nnamdi, Kojo. (2015, January 26). Pop Up Houses in D.C. WAMU 88.5.

"When one thinks about the character of the city," ANC 1A commissioner Kent Boese testified, "it is the rowhouse that shows up in television shows and movies."

Wiener, Aaron. (2015, January 16). D.C.’s Fiercest Neighborhood Battle Goes Before Its Ultimate Arbiter. Washington City Paper.

“If this was a matter of homeowners increasing the footprint of their own households because they have a growing family, there would probably be a lot more car and attention to the end result. A lot of what’s on is by flippers who come in. If you’re lucky, they save the facade.” -- Kent Boese

Jenkins, Mark. (2014, October 8). Conservation districts’ would place limits on redevelopment in D.C. The Washington Post.

“How we as Washingtonians respond to these changes - preserve, document, and make our history accessible - successfully fight and minimize displacement - and move together as a city will determine our worth to the country and the world,” says Boese.

Dadlani, Priya. (2012, November 8). Kent Boese Believes Historic Preservation Can Promote Respect and Progress Within a Community. Humanities Council of Washington, DC.

“The church removed the tin fascia on the church last year, to Boese’s dismay, replacing it with foam and stucco, which Boese says probably was more expensive than just fixing the historic tin.”

Alpert, David. (2012, October 2). Park View community battles over preserving church. Greater Greater Washington [Blog].

“Whether this building becomes a historic landmark or not, I just want it to be evaluated,” Boese said. “There is no intention to displace the church. The building has been used as a church since 1954. There is nothing about the present to prevent it from being a church.”

Harris, Hamil R. (2012, September 30). D.C. Church Fights Historic Designation. The Washington Post.

Boese, Kent. (2012). Historic Park View: A Walking Tour. Washington, DC: Park View United Neighborhood Coalition.

Boese, K. & Hafvenstein, L. (2011). Park View. Charleston, S.C: Arcadia Publishing.

Boese, Kent. (2009). Houses with Novel Points: Kennedy Brothers, Princeton Heights, and the making of Northern Park View, 36th Annual Conference on Washington, DC Historical Studies, Washington, DC, 2009.

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