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by Everett Langworthy, Director District 3
Editor’s Note: On June 25, 2003, BVA National
Headquarters will commemorate 15 years in its present location
at 477 H Street, NW, in the Nation’s Capital. By special
request, Everett has updated his own feature published in the
BVA Bulletin’s 50th Anniversary issue in August
1995.
For BVA members and their families who have never
had the opportunity to visit the National Headquarters, a stop
at the quaint old structure will no doubt reveal the previously
unheralded wisdom associated with its purchase some 16 years ago.
Located in the Chinatown section of downtown Washington,
DC, at the corner of 5th and H Streets, Northwest, the building
is 13 blocks from the U.S. Capitol in one direction and another
13 from the White House moving the other direction.
At first glance the area might appear a little rundown
in some respects. A closer look reveals an exciting history of
tolerance, diversity, and, most recently, economic growth and
revitalization.
There is charisma in the surroundings. Across H
Street is a beautiful Catholic church constructed in 1890. In
the steeple is a clock that chimes at the quarter hour and bongs
out the hour on the hour, keeping the entire neighborhood informed
of the correct time.
Chinatown has undergone many changes over the years.
Amazingly, one change that the area was not forced to endure was
reconstruction after the rioting and looting resulting from the
assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Surprisingly, Chinatown
went essentially untouched by the rioters.
The most dramatic changes affecting the area around
BVA Headquarters are occurring right now. The completion and inauguration
of the MCI Center, home of the Washington Wizards basketball team
and Washington Capitals hockey franchise, began a major revitalization
and redevelopment effort in Chinatown.
A handful of high-rise luxury apartment structures
are in construction, one of which has recently replaced a parking
lot previously used by BVA staffers and located directly behind
the building. A $195 million project two blocks west on H Street
will develop 926,250 square feet into a retail, entertainment,
and residential area, including a multiplex cinema, restaurants,
stores, a health club, a medical clinic, and a five-floor underground
parking garage.
The three-story BVA Headquarters building itself
is stone-faced and was constructed in the classic revivalist style.
The front of the structure features four stone columns and an
impressive cornice over the front entrance. The interior measures
11,575 square feet.
BVA National Headquarters was originally built as
a church. In 1923, major reparations were made to accommodate
the International Exchange Bank. The bank’s logo is still
visible on the floor in the main foyer. Reliable sources contain
information that the bank’s president committed suicide in
one of the vaults in the basement sometime during the Great Depression.
The Gospel Rescue Mission, now located across the
road on 5th Street, acquired the building in the 1940s and used
it as a distributing facility to the underprivileged. In 1985
it was purchased by a firm specializing in renovating older properties.
The company renovated the building in keeping with the Chinatown
motif, which brought a soft, subdued style to the interior.
BVA bought the building at 477 H Street in October
1987 after a rather extensive search. Before moving in on Saturday,
June 25, 1988, the Association voted to install an elevator, a
reception area, and a restroom on the third floor.
In many ways the purchase was a dream come true.
For a number of years there had been interest in buying a building,
but the funds had not been available. Of particular significance
in the fund raising area was a successful direct mail campaign,
which became a springboard to a building fund in the early 1980s.
The purchase price was $2.5 million. The Association
made a down payment of $1 million and mortgaged the remaining
sum. Needless to say, the value of the building has increased
markedly and will continue to do so as the neighborhood development
proceeds.
An exciting and unexpected event occurred in 1990.
A letter was received from a lawyer in Southern California. BVA
had been mentioned in the estate of Dolly Green, who had recently
passed away. Because no one seemed to know who Dolly was, the
notice was not given much attention. A few months later, another
letter was received, stating that BVA’s share of the inheritance
was 2.2 percent. Because the percentage was small, no one was
very interested.
few months later still another letter arrived.
This one informed BVA that its share of the estate would be $4.5
million. That letter got everyone’s attention! The story
behind the amount is that Dolly’s father had bought a tract
of land in Southern California years before. The tract of land
later became part of Beverly Hills. Dolly was the lone family
survivor and inherited her father’s estate, which was estimated
at $300 million before taxes. The BVA Board of Directors voted
to pay off the mortgage and place the remainder of the Dolly Green
bequest in conservative investments.
Like all old structures, the maintenance and upkeep
of BVA National Headquarters is an ongoing, never-ending task.
Just ask John Williams, into whose capable hands the task has
fallen. The building is the crown jewel of the BVA inventory and
should serve as our headquarters for years to come. It is a wonderful
treasure that has been left to us, and it is our responsibility
to protect and preserve it for the future of blinded veterans
yet to come.
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