Oscar W. Underwood House facts for kids
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Oscar W. Underwood House
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 Location in Central Washington, D.C.
Location in the District of Columbia
Location in the United States
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| Location | 2000 G Street, NW, Washington, D.C. |
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| Built | c. 1870 |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| NRHP reference No. | 76002132 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 8, 1976 |
| Designated NHL | December 8, 1976 |
The Oscar W. Underwood House is a special historic building located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C.. It's important because of its connections to several famous people and events.
Two notable residents, Major Archibald Butt and painter Francis Davis Millet, both died in the tragic Titanic disaster on April 15, 1912. Later, a well-known politician from Alabama named Oscar Underwood (1862-1929) lived here from 1914 to 1925.
This house is also famous for being the first long-term home of the Washington College of Law. This was the very first law school in the United States that was founded and run by women! Because of its rich history, the house was named a National Historic Landmark in 1976. Today, the building is used by George Washington University as a legal aid clinic, which helps people with legal issues.
What Makes the Oscar W. Underwood House Special?
The Oscar Underwood House is in Washington's Foggy Bottom area, right at the corner of G and 20th Streets NW. It's a two-and-a-half story building made of brick. It has a special kind of roof called a mansard roof, which gives it a full third floor. This house is one of three similar buildings, known as row houses, that stand together along G Street.
The front of the house has three sections. The main door is on the right side. The doors and windows have curved tops with decorative stone details. The mansard roof has windows called dormers on the front and side. These dormer windows are round-arched and have fancy frames. Inside, some of the original design is still there, even though larger rooms have been divided into offices.
Who Was Oscar Underwood?
The Oscar Underwood House is the only known home of Oscar Underwood that still looks much like it did when he lived there. Oscar Underwood was a very influential politician in the early 1900s. He was a conservative Democrat from the Southern United States.
He held important leadership roles in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, which are parts of the U.S. Congress. He was even considered a serious candidate for President of the United States several times! In 1926, he retired from politics and moved to a place called Woodlawn plantation.
A Special Law School for Women
After Oscar Underwood moved out, the house was bought by the Washington College of Law. This school was started in 1898 by two amazing women, Ellen Spencer Mussey and Emma Gillett. They both wanted to study law but were turned away from many law schools because they were women. Despite these challenges, they eventually became lawyers.
For its first 25 years, the Washington College of Law had limited money and moved between different small locations. In 1920, they finally raised enough money for their first permanent home on K Street. But they quickly outgrew that space! So, in 1924, they bought this larger building from Senator Underwood.
The Oscar W. Underwood House remained the school's home until 1952. In 1949, the school joined American University. Many of the early women who graduated from this law school played a big part in helping women gain the right to vote in the 1910s and 1920s.
