Built 1901 Opened 1901 | NRHP Reference # 03000672 Added to NRHP 25 July 2003 | |
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Location 1360 Half St., SW
Washington, D.C. MPS Public School Buildings of Washington, DC MPS Architectural style Colonial Revival architecture Similar Folger Shakespeare Library, Arena Stage, Ford House Office Bui, Takoma station, Battery Kemble Park | ||
William Syphax School, now known as Syphax Village, is an historic structure located in the Southwest Quadrant of Washington, D.C. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
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History
The William Syphax School historically served African American students. It was named for William Syphax, the first president of the Board of Trustees of Colored Schools of Washington and Georgetown. He supported the notion of a unified public school system and supported equal educational standards. He was responsible for the construction of the Charles Sumner School and the Thaddeus Stevens School. The building was completed in 1901 and was expanded in 1941 and again in 1953. It ceased serving as a school in 1994. Three years later, residents complained that it had become a drug market and crack house. The Southwest Neighborhood Assembly began to aggressively seek out a developer and found one, which purchased the school in 1999. The old school building was officially declared a historic landmark in 2003, but the newer buildings were razed starting in 2001. Manna redeveloped the school building into a condominium development, which opened in 2005 as Syphax Village.
Architecture
The building was designed in the Colonial Revival style and was commissioned by the D.C. Office of the Building Inspector. It was designed by the architectural firm of Marsh & Peter. Municipal Architect Nathan C. Wyeth designed the 1941 addition. The original building is two and a half stories and is topped with a hipped roof. The exterior features a red brick façade arched windows and white terra cotta trim. The additions are also covered in red brick, but have flat roofs, multi-paned windows and limestone trim.