Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-05-29
History of Washington's Y: M. G.. A.

him for taking the first steps for the formation
Of the Washington Association. He, however,
left the city in october, 1852. and the details
of establishing the association devoved upon
Nssrs. Langdon and Rhees, ably assisted by
Messrs. z. Richards and M. H. Miller"
Mr.. Smith further tells that at the pre-
liminary meeting of June 9. sixty persons were
in attendance In the room occupied by the
Central Academy of Rev. James Nourse"
and that "35 or 40 persons came forward and
enrolled as members the numbcr being in
creased to 81 members within a week or so
thereafter"
Also, from Mr. Smith find that the first
IL members who signed the CT nsti .uton did
SO in the following order: Thomas Duncan
w. C. Langdon, John c. Whitwel j. T Coch-
ran, A. G. Carothers, Zalmon Richards. Thomas
Brooks A. H. Lawrence William j. Rhees c.
w. Schrener A. B. johnson and William Five
The first regular ON cers. elected July g. were
Alexander H. Lawrence, president; William
Jones Rhees, recording rotary; William
Chauncey Langdon, corresponding secretary
and Mitchell H Miller. tree urer. On D cember
II, 1882 Zalmon Richards was made presi-
dent, DR.. James S. Mike, D.. Richard H,
Coolidge, William B, Waugh and William Q.
Force, vice presid nts, and A L. wards,
librarian Messrs. Rhees, Langoon and Miller
being reelected
For while the association met where i. was
organized, and then on October T. moved into
the Fowler Building. the east 5 sc of Sew
enth street between D and streets
TITLE Is known Of the Seventh street build
ing, but the place of the associat .ons birth.
at Tenth and E streets, was known as the
Medical Building located on the corner where
now as the Potomac E'ecric Power Co Build
ing The old building stood thsre for many
years and was a landmark, being from 1916 TO
1885 known as Masonic Hall where met the
Grand Lodge and seven of the subordinate
lodges. 1t was in hiStorc spot in the same
block with the Ford Theater Building where
Lincoln was shot April a. 1865 and diagonally
across the street from the house in which the
great emancipation died the following day On
the street side it also oppos tie the house
at 9l8 street where once liz ed James Blu h
anan. The old building stood until 10 or IS
years ago. when 1t gave wav to a gasoline
station and more recently to the present struc-
ture
From the Fowler Building the association
seems to have moved to the corner o. Penn
sylVania avenue and T nth street subsequent
to 1855, and on November % 1883 moved into
larger quarters in the Parker Building on tile
south side OF Pennsylvania avenue between
Sixth and Seventh streets which was no doubt
recently removed with the other buildings in
tiiaI DOCK In 1863 1t was back again
seventh street, next door to Old Fellows Hal
few doors from its former homo in this block.
On January Is 1857 it moved to quarters
over Metzerotts building. 92j PENNSYLVANIA
avenue. and by the following year had moved
to 3l3 Pennsylvania avenue (old numberingD.
and here the association remained until 1t
moved into its new home at the northeast
corner Of Ninth and streets northwest best
known to the early resident AS Lincoln Hall
oft
completed May Is 1869
Enough the association had at one time nego-
tiated for the purchase Of the old Ford Theater
Building on Tenth street. and the Brady GYM
nasium building on the south side of Louisiana
avenue between Ninth and Tenth streets vet
its efforts in these directions apparently came
TO naught, for on September Is. 1867 We find
it making contract for the erection of the
Ninth and D streets building. the corner stone
OF which was laid on November 81 of that
year.
This was fine building for its day and &C.
cupied spacious piece of ground which had
- previously been occupied for long time by
the pretentious home of Hudson TAYLOR one Of
Washington's early book sellers The house
stood back from the street we are told and
mad quite large garden with some fine old
trees growing on it, of which a beautiful
ash, was sold to Samuel Kirby when the
grounds were being cleared Being a cabinet
maker, Mr.. Kirby made the wood into furni-
ture.
4 ARS. JENNIE TREE RIVES who was the
wi daughter of Lambert Tree for long time
chief clerk of the city post Office. writing in
1900, of this neighborhood where she had spent
her grlhood days tells~us:
Next to Hudson Taylor's, on Ninth street,
stood an old three or four story brick house,
the windows heavily barred with iron bars
When my father came here in 1920. this house
was used as slave pen. He has often seen
the Negroes standing at the windows looking
out into the street and waiting to be sold
South At the northwest corner of
Ninth and streets stood the house and
grounds of Thomas Donoho. Next to that on