Dan Olney Sites

The Langston Terrace Dwellings, a large-scale public housing project, was built under the New Deal from 1935 to 1938.  It was the first U.S. Government-funded public housing project in Washington DC and only the second in the nation.  Initial funding came from the Public Works Administration (PWA); later the U.S. Housing Authority stepped in to complete the job. The International Style complex was designed by prominent African-American architect Hilyard Robinson, a native Washingtonian. With its handsome art and style, it embodied Robinson's belief in the ability of fine buildings and art to inspire and uplift residents. Construction began in 1935, with African...

Langston Terrace Dwellings, opened in 1938, was the first U.S. Government funded public housing project in Washington and the second in the nation.  Initial funding came from the Public Works Administration (PWA); later the U.S. Housing Authority stepped in to complete the job. The International Style complex was designed by African American architect Hilyard Robinson, a native Washingtonian. It embodies Robinson's belief in the ability of fine buildings and art to inspire and uplift residents. Langston Terrace is enhanced by its artworks. Daniel Olney's terra-cotta frieze, "The Progress of the Negro Race",  lines the central courtyard and chronicles African American history from enslavement...