Webster School (Washington, D.C.)

Webster School
Webster School in 2023 with the United States Secret Service headquarters in the background
General information
Architectural style	Romanesque Revival
Location	940 H Street NW Washington, D.C., U.S.
Coordinates	38°53′59″N 77°01′32″W / 38.899643°N 77.025685°W / 38.899643; -77.025685
Completed	1882
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Unknown (possibly Edward Clark)[1]
Designations
D.C. Inventory of Historic Sites
Designated	February 25, 1999

The Webster School, also called the Daniel Webster School, is a historic building located at 940 H Street NW^[1] in Washington, D.C. Built in 1882 as a segregated school for white children, it was among a large number of brick schools constructed in the city after the Civil War. These schools were located a couple of blocks from each other, allowing class sizes to be small. Most of the schools were two-story buildings, but some were larger and three stories. The Webster School was one of those larger schools. Although the architect is unknown, it's possible Edward Clark, who served as Architect of the Capitol from 1865 to 1902, designed the school. The red brick, Romanesque Revival style, U-shaped building features a few architectural details on the exterior, mostly around the main entrance facing 10th Street NW. It was named in honor of lawyer and politician Daniel Webster.

The school closed in the early 20th-century as the surrounding area became more commercial in nature. From 1924 to 1949, the building housed the Americanization School, a place where immigrants could learn English or take courses required for citizenship. The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) used the building as office space until 1963, when it was converted into a school for pregnant teens. The school later housed special education classes before the building once again became office space for the DCPS. There was a plan to turn the property into a hospitality school in the mid-1990s, but the idea never came to fruition. Starting in 1999, there was a protracted legal battle between the property owner and local historic preservationists. The Culinary Arts Group planned to raze the building in 1998, to which preservationists responded with a historic landmark application. The building was added to the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites in February 1999.

The United States Secret Service (USSS), which is headquartered beside the school, acquired the property via eminent domain in 2003, with plans to restore the building and convert it into office space. Restoration never happened and the building has sat vacant for over 20 years. The USSS has stringent requirements for anyone who plans to acquire the property, making it difficult to find a buyer. In 2023, Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton and Scott Perry co-authored a congressional bill to sell the property. It passed the House of Representatives in December 2023.