Design and History

Mr. Byron Murray of 3024 is Cathedral Court's longest standing resident. He spent the majority of his career working at the Kennedy Center, and moved to Cathedral Court in 1969 with his partner Joseph Frank Charlton, who went by Frank. 

In 1969, the monthly rent was an astounding $165. The apartment windows were single pane and were painted shut, so Byron broke the window when trying to open it for the first time. To put it delicately, the apartments were in an utter state of disrepair.

The beloved community park was a vacant, muddy lot used for parking. Suddenly, the building owner began sprucing up the property. This alerted some shrewd residents, who of course happened to be attorneys, who then began investigating why the property was suddenly being cared for. These residents discovered that the National Cathedral was vying to purchase the apartments. Did the National Cathedral want to bulldoze the property to create a parking lot? Speculation ran amok.

In true grassroots organizing fashion, these residents banded together to maintain their homes. The case went to court, and needless to say, the residents won and the sale fell through. When the apartments converted to condominiums in 2003, under right-of-first-refusal, whomever was living in a unit had first right to decided whether or not to purchase their unit. In addition, if your neighbor decided not to buy their unit, you then had the right to buy it and adjoin two neighboring units.

The new owner, Tenacity, renovated and sold off the units. Tenacity also fixed up the vacant lot and made it into a community park. They asked residents for park donations, so Byron donated a bench in memory of Frank, who passed away on February 22, 1996. His name is memorialized on the bench near the rose garden.

As for the neighborhood, Cathedral Commons did not exist (imagine life before Barcelona tapas!). Establishments changed over the years, but have included a G.C. Murphy (a five and dime variety shop), and independent bookstore, and a place called University Bakery, known for delectable homemade ice cream and baked goods. The Giant grocery store stood where it still stands today, but had a very limited supply of fresh produce and was much smaller. Cafe Deluxe was a gourmet butcher shop called Charles of Capitol Hill.

For many years, the National Cathedral remained a work in process. Byron and Frank won a lottery to attend the dedication of the nave for the reconciliation of the peoples of the earth. Byron fondly recalls being in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II ("she was not wearing her crown!") and the Duke of Edinburgh. At this time, there was a big grey wall at the base of the nave, no floor, and no stained glass windows. 

While times have indeed changed, Byron relays that the friendly neighbors who warmly greet one another on Wisconsin Avenue and beyond make this special place home.