13th & T NW: Whitelaw to Remain Affordable Housing

 

 

From Tom Hay

The Washington Business Journal has reported that the DC government has a contract pending before the DC Council to sell the Whitelaw Hotel land to the partnership that owns the apartment complex. The historic hotel is located at the Southeast corner of 13th and T Streets NW at 1839 13th.

The terms of the proposed agreement stipulate that the Whitelaw Hotel Limited Partnership will continue to operate the building as affordable housing for the next 14 years beyond the sale date of the underlying property. Households would need to be at or below 60 percent of the AMI (area median income) to qualify. The partnership would pay $427,500 for the land which is assessed by the Office Tax and Revenue at $2.25 million.

The Whitelaw Hotel is part of the Greater U Street Historic District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The hotel was built in 1919 as a luxury hotel for African Americans and included Cab Calloway and Joe Louis as its guests.

Tom Hay is a new contributor to Borderstan. He is a 23-year Borderstan resident and law librarian by profession.