Historic Preservation Plan

The Foggy Bottom Campus includes a unique composition of structures varying in both age and scale. The university is committed to maintaining the diversity of the building fabric on campus through the identification, maintenance, preservation and adaptive reuse of architectural and historic resources. These preservation efforts enhance the campus experience and preserve the broader character and architectural history of the District of Columbia.

The 2007 Foggy Bottom Campus Plan (FBCP) includes a comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan for the Foggy Bottom Campus that celebrates the unique campus environment and urban fabric of Washington, DC through the preservation of individual buildings and collections of historic properties. Specifically, the Historic Preservation Plan proposed a historic district on the Foggy Bottom Campus as well as the landmark designation of several additional campus buildings beyond those already designated.

Concept approval for GW’s Historic Preservation Plan was granted by the DC Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) at its June 29, 2006 and July 27, 2006 meetings. Also, GW and members of Office of Planning's Historic Preservation Office (HPO) staff convened an open community meeting for all interested stakeholders on August 2, 2006. The DC Zoning Commission's fall 2007 written approval called for GW to proceed with its Historic Preservation Plan upon resolution of any appeals to the 2007 FBCP. As such, soon after the summer 2009 resolution by the DC Court of Appeals, GW submitted its six individual building landmark nominations and provided background research to assist HPO's efforts to create a historic district on the Foggy Bottom Campus.

The six buildings proposed for landmark designation were selected since they either relate to the historic context of late-19th century development of the Foggy Bottom/West End neighborhood and are pre-World War II apartment buildings or, in the case of the Earley House and Studio, an association with a person of historical significance. The status of the proposed landmark designations was subject to a January 28, 2010 HPRB hearing where they were unanimously approved. In summer 2011, HPO initiated the public outreach to property owners within the historic district. In October 2014, HPRB voted to adopt HPO's application for creation of the George Washington Univeristy/Old West End Historic District. The approved Historic District's boundaries varied slightly from the 2007 draft proposal. HPO has subsequently published Design Guidelines for property owners within Historic District.