SW corner of 17th St. and Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, District Of Columbia. County/parish: District of Columbia.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places November 30, 1973. NRIS 73000218.
1 contributing building.Also known as:
The Lockkeeper's House is the oldest building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It was built in 1837 at what is now the southwest corner of 17th Street, NW and Constitution Avenue, NW, near Constitution Gardens.
The building dates to a period when the south end of 17th Street, NW was a wharf and Constitution Avenue, NW was the location of a section of the Washington City Canal, which connected the Potomac and Anacostia rivers. An eastward extension of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O Canal) met the Potomac River and the Washington City Canal at a canal lock.
The 350 square foot house served the canal lock keeper, who collected tolls, recorded commerce, maintained the canal and managed traffic. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
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