ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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A CEREMONAL RESOLUTION
25-109
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
September 19, 2023
To recognize and celebrate the Langston Terrace Dwellings for its 85
th
year anniversary.
WHEREAS, built from 1935 to 1938 exclusively for African American residents, the
Langston Terrace Dwellings opened in 1938;
WHEREAS, Langston Terrace Dwellings were the f irst affordable housing complex in
the District and second of its kind in the nation;
WHEREAS, at the time African Americans were denied equal opportunities such as
housing, banks, and the court system to name a few;
WHEREAS, Langston Terrace Dwellings was funded by the Public Works
Administration Housing Program;
WHEREAS, 274- unit Langston Terrace Dwellings were mostly built by African
Americans and designed by native Washingtonian and architect African American Hilyard
Robinson and named after John Mercer Langston, Howard University Law School founder and
US congressman from Virginia;
WHEREAS, Langston Terrace Dwellings was listed in the National Register of Historic
Places in 1987;
WHEREAS, Hilyard Robinson was born i n Capitol Hill in 1899, graduated from M
Street High School, studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, and received a
graduate degree from Columbia University;
WHEREAS, Hilyard Robinson studied architecture in Europe, taught at Howard
University, and worked at the Department of the Interior as an architect designing public housing
for African Americans;
WHEREAS, Langston Terrace Dwellings houses a terra cotta frieze by Daniel Olney
called “The Progress of the Negro Race” in the central courtyard and chronicles African
American history from enslavement through World War I migration; ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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WHEREAS, Langston Terrace Dwellings was a catalyst for the passage of the national
Housing Act;
WHEREAS, Langston Terrace Dwellings are within walking distance of the Langston
Golf Course and Driving Range, named after John Mercer Langston, the first African American
elected into public office;
WHEREAS, Langston Terrace Dwellings became a hub for the community and hosted a
library, nursery school and recreation center; and
WHEREAS, the historic 11-acre site is undergoing a revitalization and modernization of
the historic property.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Langston Terrace Dwellings Ceremonial Resolution of 2023”.
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia honors recognizes and celebrates the
Langston Terrace Dwellings for its 85
th
year anniversary.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately.