Page 68 - Winter_2018

ArchDC Winter 2018.qxp_Winter 2018 11/27/18 9:39 AM Page 66

One of the preserved brick walls of the Alley Dwelling is shown in the foreground.
The external stair connecting both levels and the roof deck is visible at right.
All photos © Merrill St. Leger

Washingtonian Honorable Mention other accessory structures—have become increasingly attractive
options. The project presented here is the conversion of an obsolete
Alley Dwelling storage structure into a two-family house in the middle of a block
Washington, DC in DC’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
“Conversion” may be an understatement. In fact, the only
demian\wilbur\architects salvageable element of the existing, one-story structure was a zig-
zagging series of brick walls. Those remnants nonetheless served
Structural Engineers: CAC
as the architectural springboard for the new construction, defining
MEP Engineers: PEG with IBSolutions
the building’s footprint and providing a historic, masonry foil for
General Contractor: LR Mailloux Construction
the new elements in wood, glass, and metal. The completed project
consists of two stories—with one dwelling unit per floor—plus a
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Washingtonians—
roof terrace.
especially African Americans—lived in alley dwellings. These
Because of its unusual site, the building has no yard to buffer
houses tended to be substandard, often lacking plumbing and
it from passing cars in the alley. Privacy was also a concern, given
other basic amenities commonly found in street-facing houses.
that the site is surrounded by other houses. In response to these
Occasional governmental initiatives sought, with varying success,
challenges, demian\wilbur\architects designed the building as a
to limit the construction of new alley dwellings and even to
literally dynamic structure. Sliding exterior panels—some almost
demolish existing ones. Ultimately, the shifting demographics that
solid, some consisting of wood slats—can be moved over the
accompanied post-World War II suburbanization led to the
course of the day and night to achieve the optimal mix of light,
abandonment of many such houses. Soon thereafter, however, the
views, ventilation, and privacy. The sliding panels also, of course,
growing preservation movement brought renewed interest to these
yield variable impressions of the building for passersby.
structures, which, while typically modest, had a fundamental
In the absence of a yard, the roof terrace provides private
material character that began to attract potential renovators.
outdoor space for the building’s residents. Since it is just high
Washington’s recent population boom has entailed a housing
enough to allow views across the roofs of neighboring houses, the
crunch, inspiring some homeowners and developers to explore
terrace provides a surprising degree of privacy, helping to offset
diverse options for urban living. In that context, historic alley
the confined character of the lower levels.
buildings—including old houses as well as stables, garages, and
66 BESPOKE LIVING