Park Planning

During rehabilitation, this original staircase was painstakingly removed and taken offsite where it was repaired by experts in historical restoration.  It has been reinstalled as part of the restoration, preserving the link between two vital parts of the home.

NPS

The National Park Service (NPS) and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Inc. (ASALH) have been working cooperatively to restore the circa 1870's home of Dr. Carter G. Woodson. The completed site will provide a unique opportunity for visitors to experience the very place where Dr. Woodson lived and worked as he and ASALH brought African American history to life.

Completion of the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site will include a restoration and renovation of historic buildings; development, fabrication, and installation of interpretative exhibits; production and distribution of educational and interpretative materials and other site improvement such as parking, way-finding signs, wayside exhibits and much more.

In restoring the home, the National Park Service has had to perform important structural repairs while preserving as much of the original fabric as possible.

• The Woodson Home façade and rear wing was dismantled brick by brick and piece by piece
• Each brick from the façade was removed, numbered, cataloged, and relaid in its exact original location
• Specialized rods were added to the frame to the front façade to stabilize the structure. They are carefully hidden to preserve the historic look of the building.
• Historic moldings, frames, and decorative pieces were removed, carefully repaired off-site, and reinstalled in their original location.
• All of the interior doors, trim, and staircases were intact have been meticulously restored.

• We are investing in stabilizing these buildings, preventing further deterioration, and restoring them to be a source of community pride and a place to learn about and share Dr. Woodson’s legacy.
• We are working expeditiously, but we want to preserve as much of the historic fabric as possible. This is a complicated restoration, and we do not always know what we are going to find as we go through.
• So many people are passionate about this place, and interested in supporting the home and Dr. Woodson’s legacy. We have worked with the National Park Foundation and partners to explore both federal and private funding to complete the project.

 

National Capital Parks-East Superintendent Tara Morrison with guests, including Mr. Robert Vest.  Mr. Vest worked with Dr. Woodson in his office-home at 1538 Ninth Street, N.W. everyday, wrapping books and taking them to the post office to be shipped when he was a teenager.

NPS

To learn more about the restoration and rehabilitation of the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site, contact National Capital Parks-East at [phone] .