John Ihlder: Houser/Gentrifier

No pair of neighborhoods explains DC better than Georgetown and Barry Farm. One has become a shorthand for Washington’s elite, the other for its most dispossessed. They are united, however, by the man who shaped their modern identities: John Ihlder. 

On Thursday, April 24, from 6 to 7:30 pm Heurich Humanities Scholar in Residence Neil Flanagan will present his research in the museum’s conservatory: “John Ihlder: Houser/Gentrifier.”

For over forty years as the executive officer of the Washington D.C. Alley Dwelling Authority and its successor agency the National Capital Housing Authority, Ihlder advocated tirelessly for healthy, comfortable housing for all. Settling in Washington to work on Herbert Hoover’s housing program, he eventually conceived of, lobbied for, and then ran DC’s pioneering public housing agency. At the same time, this agency cleared dozens of communities even before Southwest, exiling Black residents across the Anacostia, with no ownership. Painstaking archival research reveals a darker side: Ihlder led a group of residents who were pivotal in the gentrification of Georgetown. Moving into what were then mixed-race neighborhoods of aging buildings, his committee worked to expel nonwhite residents and then lock in the characteristics that define a unified Georgetown to this day. Taken together, the history explains why Barry Farm is in ruins for the second time and Georgetown remains the heart of privilege in Washington.

Schedule:

• 5:45: Doors open (the museum’s Biergarten opens at 4pm, if you would like to purchase  drinks to enjoy during the program.) 
• 6:00: Introduction
• 6:00-7:00: Presentation
• 7:00-7:15: Q&A
• 7:15-7:30: Mix and Mingle in the Biergarten
• 8:0pm: Biergarten Closes

Details:

• The program is free, but registration is required.

About Neil Flanagan:

Neil Flanagan is a public historian, informed by ten years in architecture. At the Heurich House, he is writing a book about how the founders of American urban planning experimented on the neighborhoods of Washington, D.C. Since 2009, he has published on D.C. history, architecture, in the Washington City Paper, Greater Greater Washington, the Architects’ Newspaper. He has spoken nationwide, including at the Washington History Conference, SACRPH, ASALH, and many local engagements. 

Flanagan is a graduate of the Yale School of Architecture and in that field specializes in regulatory strategy and whole-building environmental design, from sensory experience to building systems integration. He grew up in Tenleytown and now lives in Ward 5.

About the Humanities Scholar in Residence Fellowship: 

The Heurich Humanities Scholar in Residence Fellowship program is open to DC residents working on books that expand our understanding of Washington, DC history, and whose projects will benefit directly from the additional resources provided by the Heurich House Museum. The Museum appoints two Residence Fellowships per year, during which Fellows are each given use of a private furnished studio space in the Museum. The Residence Fellows also share their work at two public programs a year at the museum. This opportunity is not limited to people with a Ph.D. or other terminal degree.