ANC Recommends Against Historical Designation For Marist Hall
Image courtesy of Patrick D. Lewis
By Patrick D. Lewis
The Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) that includes Catholic University has recommended against designating CUA’s Marist Hall as a D.C. historical landmark. The move deals a blow to years-long efforts by the D.C. Preservation League to protect the 125-year old building from demolition.
At the June 25 meeting, ANC 5A voted to send a letter of opposition to the DC Historic Preservation Office’s Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB). The motion was made by Commissioner Jack Hermes (SMD 5A04), a rising CUA junior majoring in business and the responsible commissioner for CUA’s campus.
In the letter, drafted by Hermes, ANC 5A told the Board that Catholic University representatives presented their side of the case to the commission and demonstrated “its commitment to thoughtful preservation of its campus resources, as well as to investing in new development that is in harmony with its campus context,” and “its plan to develop a new Catholic University Historic District which is intended to recognize the significance of the campus, specifically those buildings that were critical to the establishment of the University in the late 1800s and early 1900s and that remain central to carrying out its institutional mission today.”
The letter adds that, according to University officials, “multiple structural engineering firms” have said they can’t guarantee Marist could be stabilized.
In a 2022 filing with HPRB, the DC Preservation League asked that Marist be designated a landmark because it “is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history” and “embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction.”
In the application, DCPL says Marist is “a prominent example of Romanesque Revival architecture as expressed for religious institutional purposes… . In both design and use, it memorializes a significant element of the history of the District of Columbia.”
DCPL also says the building is significant because of its architect, Lemuel W. Norris, who, according to the application, “was exceptionally sensitive and talented, with a diversified body of work both in private practice and later in association with the DC Office of the Building Inspector (1904) and the Office of the Municipal Architect (1911-29).”
Marist Hall was closed following the August 23, 2011 earthquake that seriously impacted Washington and damaged many buildings, including the Washington Monument. The building reopened years later but was then condemned by engineers in 2017 after additional structural damage was found. In 2018, university officials said they were weighing the costs of demolition versus restoring the building.
“Catholic University appreciates ANC5A’s thoughtful consideration of the pending landmark application for Marist Hall, which was filed by the DC Preservation League (DCPL) in 2022,” said University Vice President for Communications Karna Lozoya.
“Following consultation with an architectural historian to assess the significance of Marist Hall and the merits of DCPL’s application, we do not believe that Marist Hall satisfies the District’s preservation regulations,” she continued. “In particular, the building has not retained its structural integrity, despite multiple investments made by the University over the past decades. Marist was permanently closed in 2017 and remains unsuitable for occupancy. The University presented its findings at ANC meetings on June 11, June 24, and June 25, and we appreciate the ANC’s strong support in this important matter.
“Catholic University’s commitment to historic preservation is clear, as demonstrated by recent renovations of Caldwell Hall, Maloney Hall, and Father O’Connell Hall.”
The ANC letter to the Board also says that “members of the neighborhood” have told them that they do not consider Marist to be part of the area’s history.
“For reasons including, but not limited to, those cited above… ANC5A voted unanimously to urge the Historic Preservation Review Board to reject the application,” the letter continued, adding that Hermes has been designated to speak for 5A on the issue.
In an email, DCPL Executive Director Rebecca Miller said, “The DC Preservation League stands by its nomination to designate Marist Hall a DC Landmark. The Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) is required to give great weight to the ANC’s resolution and will make its decision based on whether or not the building meets the criteria under the DC Preservation Act.”
DC Preservation League has also requested the building be made a National Historic Landmark through an application to the National Park Service.
The Historic Preservation Review Board will hold a hearing on the nomination on July 24.
