Harry Wardman

Harry Wardman (April 11, 1872–March 18, 1938) was a real estate developer in Washington, D.C. during the early 20th century, whose developments ranged from landmark hotels to rowhouses.

Personal life

Born in Bradford, England in 1872 ("the 1900 federal census - Washington, D.C. - states he was born Apr 1869"), Harry Wardman was the son of English textile workers. In 1889, at age 17, he arrived in New York City, where he worked in a department store. He later moved to Philadelphia, where he worked at the Wanamaker's department store. While in Philadelphia, he also met his wife, Mary Hudson. They had one daughter, Alice. In 1893, Wardman arrived in Washington, D.C., where he worked as a carpenter, learned to build staircases, and soon got into building homes and apartments. By 1900, Wardman was widowed and in 1908, he married Lillian Glascox. Harry and Lillian had one daughter, Helen.

Rowhouses

A large portion of rowhouses in the city were built by Harry Wardman, in neighborhoods including Columbia Heights, Bloomingdale, Eckington and Brightwood. Wardman’s first houses, designed by architect Nicholas Grimm, included those located at the 900 block of Longfellow Street, NW. To this day, his homes are renowned for their high-quality construction and materials. In 1907, he embarked on a project to build 750 rowhouses in Columbia Heights, which included new design elements, most notably the front porch. However, most real estate agents and homeowners incorrectly assume that their house is a Wardman house simply based on its design; dozens of other developers such as Lewis Brueninger, Harry Kite, Francis Blundon, and David Dunigan built massive rows of townhouses in the District.

Apartments

Wardman quickly rose through the ranks and began building luxury apartments — most which were designed by architect Albert H. Beers. His numerous apartment buildings, located along 16th Street, NW, Connecticut Avenue, Columbia Heights, and elsewhere, include:

* The Chastleton - 1701 16th Street, NW
* The Wardman - 1916 17th Street, NW
* The Dresden - 2126 Connecticut Avenue, NW
* The Maxwell - 1419 Clifton Street, NW
* Northumberland Apartments - 2039 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
* Rutland Court - 1725 17th Street, NW
* South Cathedral Mansions - 2900 Connecticut Avenue, NW
* Wardman Court (formerly, Clifton Terrace) - 1312 Clifton Street, NW
* Wardman Row - 1416-1440 R Street, NW
* Copley Plaza - 1514 17th Street, NW
* Apartment Building at 2225 N Street

Hotels

In 1916, he built the 1200-room Wardman Park Hotel (now the site of the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel and Conference Center) along Connecticut Avenue in Woodley Park. The hotel was successful, meeting the strong demand due to an influx of government workers after World War I. In 1928, he built the Hay-Adams Hotel, designed by Turkish architect, Mihran Mesrobian, and located across from Lafayette Park. Other landmarks built include the British Embassy.

During his career, Wardman had accumulated a fortune of $30 million and was living extravagantly in Washington and abroad. His prosperity vanished with the 1929 stock market crash, though he managed to continue building middle-class homes. Wardman died in 1938 from cancer and is buried in Rock Creek Cemetery.

References

* Berk, Sally (2004) “Wardman Row House Tour”, "D.C. Preservation Advocate". Spring 2004 newsletter. [http://www.dcpreservation.org/newsletter/spring_04/spring04.pdf]
* Fleishman, Sandra (October 15, 2005) “Wardman’s World”, The Washington Post. p F01. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/14/AR2005101400789.html]
* Kelsey & Associates, Inc. (Paul K. Williams). History of the Hay-Adams Hotel. Manuscript, 2000.
* Toomey, Helen, Faith Hofstader (1998) "Harry and Lillian Wardman Papers, 1916-1930", Special Collections Finding Aid. The Historical Society of Washington, D.C. [http://www.citymuseumdc.org/Do_Research/FindingAidPDF/a/ms0382.pdf]
* Washington Post (March 19, 1938) "Wardman Dies: Made and Lost Riches in Realty Englishman Who Became D.C. Building Leader Was 65. Wardman Dies Made and Lost Riches in Realty Wardman", The Washington Post. p. X1.
* Williams, Paul K. 'Harry Wardman,' section included in various house histories, 1995-2006.