Upheaval and Activism 16th street between irving and lamont streets nw
Beginning in the late 1950s, Mount Pleas- ant’s leadership shifted from the exclusive Citizens Association to an array of new players. The first alternative group, Mount Pleasant Neighbors Asso- ciation, organized festivals and grappled with local poverty. It brought Barney Neighborhood House — a social services agency — to 3118 16th Street after urban renewal forced it out of Southwest Washington. Neighbors’ Consejo, another social services agency, succeeded Barney House in 2000. Tenants with limited incomes also led the way. By the mid-1970s, the once-elegant Kenesaw Apartment House had slid into near-ruin. After receiving eviction notices, the residents worked with local activists to buy the building. Their neighbor, DC Councilmember David Clarke, co-sponsored legislation ensuring tenants the first right to purchase their building when it is offered for sale. Thanks to this 1980 law, tenants with limited incomes purchased 3149 Mt. Pleasant Street and 1611 Park Road, among other buildings across the city. In the mid 1970s, the Wilson Center, now a charter school where 15th Street meets 16th, became a hub of Latino community organizing. The center’s name honors President Woodrow Wilson, who worshipped there when it was Central Presbyterian Church. The Latin American Youth Center, formed by young Latino activists, moved next door on 15th Street. Its services range from education to emergency housing. As you proceed to Sign 3, don’t miss the small wooden house at 3130 16th Street. From 1927 to 1945 this was the home of John Ernest White, chauffeur to Presidents Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
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