Evening star., 1940-04-14
Historic Old Mansions Occupied Site Of Building
Area Is Rich
In Legends Of
City Growth
Late in Recovering
Beauty of Capitals
Early Days
additional Pictures In Roto-
6rdUure Section.

GdIly AdyS
additional Pictures In Roto-
orduure Section.)
By Jokn Claestt Proctor.
In no place in Washington has
the change In the last so years
been more fascinating than in the
view we get today Of the few blocks
on Seventeenth street from New
York avenue to Constitution avenue,
which, until 1897, when the Corcoran
Gallery Of Art, at New York avenue,
was completed, was an unsightly
area and a disgrace to the city.
However, this was not always the
case, for up to the time of the Civil
War there were some nice residences
hereabout. But this war brought on
many changes, and the section SUI
fered along with other parts Of the
city, and was one Of the last to re-
cover the beauty for which 1t was
noted in the early days Of the
Capital.
After the building Of the Corcoran
Gallery of Art came Memorial Con-
tinental Hall, erected by the Nation
al Society, Daughters Of the Amer
lean Revolution, the corner stone
being laid on the anniversary Of
the Battle Of Lexington, April 10,
1904. Then came the laying of the
corner stone Of the Pan American
Union Building, May IL, 1908, fol-
lowed in 1918 by the American Ma.
-tional Red Cross Building. And all
this In n years. What q transfor-
nation!
Pan American Birthday.
OF course, there Is something nice
to be said of all the organizations
that now occupy the handsome
buildings along this street, but 1t so
happens that the Pan American
Union is, in particular, in the lime
light just now, having rounded out
its half century today, for 1t was
on April IA, 1890, that it was estab-
Ished in accordance with q reso-
luton passed at that time, when
the First International Conference
of American States was held in this
city, the purpose Of the resolution
being to promote peace, commerce
and friendship among the republics
of the American continent by foster
ing economic, judicial, social and
cultural relations and cooperation.
The union, as an international Or
ganization, includes the following 81
American republics: Argentina, Bo-
livia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa
Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Repub-
lie, Ecuador, Ell Salvador, Guate-
mala, Haiti, Honduras. Mexico, Mica
ragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the
United States, Uruguay and Vene-
Zuela.
Washington is naturally proud to
have this organization and its pic
turesque quarters within its borders,
and doubly proud that 1t was organ
lied here in the old Brown Wallach
mansion which formerly stood at
the northwest corner of and Eight
eenth streets NV, where is now
the Washington Medical Building.
This attractive old residence,
which was numbered 1901 I street,
was erected by Marshall Brown,
famous as one of the early proprie-
tors of the National Hotel, at Sixth
street and Pennsylvania avenue, and
whose daughter Rosa married Rich
ard Wallach, Mayor of Washington
from 1861 to 1867. Here the latter
died March 4, 1881, and Mr.. Brown,
the builder of the house, passed
away a few months later. Mrs.
Wallach, the Mayors widow, died
here in 1916, and the residence con-
tinued to be occupied by members
Of the Wallach family until 1t was
removed for the erection of the
present structure.
The Brown-Wallach mansion was
probably built during the early 7Os,
since both Marshall Brown and
Mayor Wallach were residing at Mr..
Browns country estate of 1856 acres
on Georgia avenue prior to 1874, and
before this Mr.. Wallach's home, for
. time, was at 201 street.
Became Golf Course.
At one time the Marshall Brown
country estate belonged to Theodore
Mosher, lumber dealer, who had
his yard in the Southeast section Of
the city and his city home on New
York avenue NV. The Mosher
property extended northward from
Petworth to the stream once known
as Piney Branch, though it was not
likely that the Marshall Brown
tract extended quite as far south as
Petworth. It is also probable that
the old residence that was a land
mark in this section for so many
years, and until it was removed
when the property was subdivided
about 1911, was built by Mr. Mosher
and not Marshall Brown. The farm
was later turned into a golf course
by the Columbia Country Club.
For many years, in the early his
tory of the city. the Brown-Wallach
mansion was in the center of the
first ward, where so many of WASH
ington's best families resided. In
1900. in this particular area, Col
Michael Nourse owned three lots on
I and Eighteenth streets and George
Mason the four lots at the Nine
teenth street end Of the square
William Knowles owned on Twen-
tieth street, as did william WOODWARD
and S. Smith on K and Eighteenth
streets, and Tappan Webster soon
after, the corner Of Eighteenth and
I streets. -
Rented by Government
When Secretary. of State. James
q. Blaine was looking for a suit.
able place in which to hold. the
international Conference Of Ameri-
can States he found that the Wal
ZACH family was travelling In Amer.
lea and abroad, and knowing the
spaciousness of the Wallach home