The Winter 2022 issue of Voices, the newsletter of the Cleveland Park Historical Society, is now available for 
Don't forget to register! Spaces are filling up fast. Register here.
DATE: Tue 01 / 17 / 2023, 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
WHERE: Cleveland Park Library, 3310 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC
WHO
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Cleveland Park is a National Register of Historic Places listed Historic District in Washington, D.C. The neighborhood developed as a “streetcar suburb” of Washington from the 1890s and contains a remarkable variety of architecture as well as designed and natural landscapes from the 18th to 20th centuries.
Cleveland Park became a National Register Historic District in 1987. Download the nomination here (text) and here (pictures). You can also find this development history of the commercial corridor. The DC Historic Preservation Office’s brochure about Cleveland Park gives an excellent overview of Cleveland Park’s history.
The Cleveland Park Historical Society (CPHS) is the neighborhood’s historic preservation and local history organization, working to preserve our legacy of architectural and landscape design. Everyone is welcome to become a member!
Historic House Markers
CPHS offers bronze historic house markers for houses in the Cleveland Park Historic District. For more information and to see if your house is eligible, please click here.
CPHS ON FACEBOOK
The Sea Fare restaurant opened in 1945 at 3524 Connecticut Ave NW in Cleveland Park. Created by combining two 1920s storefronts into one building, the Sea Fare was another example of a small business that had been “renovized” by adding a shiny pale-green Vitrolite façade, framed in black, to make for a modern, streamlined look. The mirror-like Vitrolite became an enduring landmark on upper Connecticut Avenue, sometimes attracting unwelcome attention from passersby. In 1953, the Sea Fare’s owner commented to the Washington Post about gangs of young “hoodlums” that would frequent the neighborhood, claiming they would “daily preen themselves in the glassy surfaces of the tile covering the front of his restaurant. 'They all have long wavy hair—they call it duck-tails,’ he said, ‘and wear blue jeans and T-shirts or sweat shirts.’” Two years later, the Sea Fare closed and was replaced by the Peking Palace restaurant, which soon became the Yenching Palace, a landmark Chinese restaurant for many decades. The storefront is now vacant.
I do not remember this. Oh, I see it becoming Peking Palace that I do remember.
This explains so much! I always wondered at exterior of Yenching Palace as it seemed out of character/style.
Absolutely loved Peking Palace as a kids. My mother’s cousin lived on Connecticut Ave and we passed by almost every week!
Yenching Palace had the most amazing, diverse and abundant brunch on Sundays!!
The Winter 2022 edition of Voices is now available for download: tinyurl.com/46t7h7xy
What is its current status?
Spent a lot of time there growing up in the 60’s and early 70’s
It was listed on the National Register last month. We are uncertain as to future plans for this landmark. The seating area has been cleared out, but the lobby and stairwells are still intact.
Self-Guided History Walk
Download the map here.
