Evening star., 1940-01-28
By JESSIE FAINT EVANS.

With the growth and change IN I
street NV, largely brought about
by the development Of the Medical
Center, Of which the Doctors Hos
pital is the newest unit, 1t Is inter-
esting to note the way In which its
landmarks intermingle with the his
tory of the city and Of the Nation
itself.
OF this vicinity 1t has been said,
Here In a background that was per-
haps the most distinguished Of its
time dwelt those who commanded
our land and sea forces and those
who dominated the political and ju-
dicial life of their day"
Necessarily this article includes
but few of the names of those who
by their residence in its homes have
made the general neighborhood IA
nous and given emphasis and dra-
matte color to its present. -
The southeast. corner Of Seven
teenth and I streets was once the
residence of Judge Walter S. Cox,
who presided over the trial of Gui-
teau, slayer of President Garfield.
Home Of Gen. Benet.
Brig. Gen. Stephen Vincent Benet,
chief of ordinance, made his home
at TIT I street. His son, Laurence
V. Benet, distinguished engineer and
inventor of the Hotchkiss machine
gun, has recently come back to
Washington to live, after a long
residence in Paris. His recollections
are vivid ones of this neighborhood
and OF his boyhood days in the old
home with his brother, ]. w. Benet,
who afterward became a colonel in
the United States Army.
In great double house on the
northwest corner of Eighteenth and
I streets, where the first unit of the
Medical Center stands today, once
lived Richard Wallach, Mayor of
Washington from 1862-1868 and one
of the owners of The Evening Star
in 1853. His daughter, Mrs. Rose
Wallach Merriam, who lives at 1916
Nineteenth street, was born in this
home. and his two other daughters,
Mary and Emily, were reigning
bellies in this neighborhood. Mary,
who married Edward Anthony
Mitchell, and Emily. the widow of
Woodbury. Blair, now reside at 1907
New Hampshire avenue.
Coined School Slogan.
Undeterred by the sectional strife
in city punctuated by the f1ux of
controversial opinions and the
marching armies of the Civil War,
Mayor Wallach, as president ex
officio of the school board, promul-
gated this motto in his new dear'
policy for wider plan of education.
Schools for all, good enough for
the richest, cheap enough for the
poorest" catchline which would
do credit to one of our highly spe-
cialized educational campaigns of
today. The Wallach School bears
his name and perpetuates his service
to free education in this city.
1928 I street goes down to fame
as the home of Charles Goodyear,
inventor of the process of vulcan
izing rubber.
The last place where Jefferson
Davis, president of the Confederate
States Of America, made his home
in Washington was at 1876 I street.
OF him it has been said, "In his
person and history he symbolized the
solemn convictions and tragic for
tunes Of millions of men.
1F91 efraAk ranyv, a m u n ,-&a
Of the IA AFRdkural 0o-Operatives,
was once owned by Gen. William
Stone Albert, chief of engineers. It
subsequently became the residence
of John Wanamaker when he was
Postmaster General, Secretary of
State Frelinghusen and Secretary of
Navy Whitney. Itewas at an after
noon reception in this house during
the 80s that Mrs. James Brown
Potter, who afterward. gave up a
brilliant social career for the stage,
daringly recited "Hostler Joe" to the
assembled guests. "A row of mill
tant dowagers tore her reputation
to pieces as they tried to scare up a
blush between them" according to
the comment of bon vivant of the
time present at the party.
Other colorful celebrities residing
between Seventeenth and Eight
eenth streets were J. B. Gordon,
Admirals Powell and G. P. R. Rogers
Pay Director Maxwell of the Navy,
Gems. Delafield, Hunter, Sackett and
Sawtelle: Don Noguiera, the Min
lister of Portugal; Senators Mitchell
Of Oregon and Matt Campbell of
Michigan and Anthony Pollock.
Mr.. Gordon was popularity known
as Daddy" Gordon, because of his
four geographical daughters, Ala
bama, Florida, Georgia and vir-
ginia.
Admiral Rogers rejoiced in the
well-deserved sobriquet, "the Ches-
terfield of the Navy" in addition to
being a brilliant naval ofncer.
Sported First Tuxedo.
Antonio Noguiera, the son of the
Minister from Portugal, was not
only the Beau Brummel among the
young socialites Of the time. but, SC
it is claimed, appeared in the nrst
tuxedo dinner coat worn In WASH
ington.
Gen. David Hunter was one of
those who constituted the military
court which tried, and it is now
generally thought, wrongly con-
demned Mrs. Surratt to death be-
cause 1t judged she had knowledge
of the conspiracy that induced John
Wilkes Booth to slay President Lin
coin.
Mr.. Pollock, patent attorney for
Alexander Graham Bell, inventor
of the telephone, was last seen
with his arm around his beloved
wife upon the upper deck Of the
Inflated S. S. Burgoyne just before
she sank in a gale in midocean.
At the northeast corner Of
Eighteenth and I streets, where one
Of the neighborhood's famous
wooden pumps once stood, there
afterward lived Admiral r. A. Au-
lick, distinguished naval officer.
The red brick residence on the
southeast corner Of this same inter-