St. Luke's Episcopal Church

15th and Church Sts., NW, Washington, District of Columbia

Photos

EAST (FRONT) FACADE

Photo taken for the Historic American Buildings Survey

Map

Coordinates:
+38.91041, -77.03455
38°54'37" N, 77°02'04" W

Quadrangle map:
Washington West

Description

Tradition associates Calvin T.S. Brent (1854-1899), Washington's earliest known black architect, with the design of this church. St. Luke's rivals Mount Zion United Methodist Church in Georgetown as Washington's oldest surviving church building built for a black congregation. St. Luke's also stands as a reminder of the post Civil War period of Afro-American history when the institution of the church was unrivaled as the center of the Negro's political and social, as well as religious life. -- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS DC-359)

National Register information

Status: Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on May 11, 1976
Reference number: 76002131
Architectural styles: Victorian: Gothic; Other architectural type; Early English Gothic
Areas of significance: Ethnic Heritage - Black; Literature; Education; Social History
Level of significance: National
Evaluation criteria: B - Person
Property type: Building
Historic function: Religious structure
Current function: Religious structure
Period of significance: 1875-1899
Significant years: 1876; 1898

Update Log

May 11, 2012: Imported photos from HABS/HAER

Sources

HABS DC-359 - St. Luke's Episcopal Church
National Register database - Reference number 76002131 (Nomination form, Photos)
National Historic Landmark information