Built in 1887, Grimke School was renamed in 1934 in honor of Archibald Grimke, an American lawyer, journalist, and diplomat. Following an extensive historic restoration effort, Grimke School will continue this legacy, housing approximately 65,000 square feet of cultural space, arts uses, and loft-style office, including the new permanent home of the African American Civil War Museum.
1887
The Grimke School was first built in 1887 and originally called the Phelps School after Seth Ledyard Phelps (1824 - 1885), an outstanding naval officer and diplomat.
1935 to 1937
The building was expanded and re-named in 1934 after Archibald Grimke, a highly regarded race and community relations diplomat, journalist, activist, lawyer, and President of NAACP of Washington, DC. The Grimke family was later recognized as one of the most prominent African American families in Washington, leaving a remarkable legacy in education, civil rights, religion, and the arts.
1980s
Grimke School was converted to an office building for government agencies in the 1980s and most recently served as headquarters for the DC Department of Fire and Emergency Services and the Department of Corrections. Over the ensuing decades the building crept into disrepair.
2013
In 2013, the Council of the District of Columbia passed the “African-American Civil War Memorial Freedom Foundation Inc. Museum Development Act of 2013” requiring that any redevelopment of the Grimke School provide for the “exclusive use, renovation, and expansion of space not less than 10,000 square feet for the establishment and operation of an African American Civil War Memorial Museum and Visitor’s Center.”
2019
In 2019, Community Three broke ground on the 9 1/2 Street Initiative, which included Grimke School and two adjacent parcels, encompassing approximately 133,000 square feet of office, residential, retail, cultural, and arts uses.
2020
International architecture firm, Torti Gallas + Partners, signs a long-term lease as anchor tenant at Grimke School. Torti Gallas brings its award-winning design practice and multidisciplinary approach to placemaking to the project. Torti Gallas also serves as the redevelopment’s architect.
Today
Grimke School is at the center of the dynamic and inspirational U Street neighborhood and inclusive of cultural and arts elements that make it a one-of-a-kind place to work, live, and learn.