Some years ago, Julie Norton was in the front yard of her circa 1880 rowhouse in Northwest Washington when an older, African American man, walking by, asked her if she knew the history of her home.
“I just want to make sure you understand what a great house this was,” he told her. “This house had such a good vibe. It was just a happy house.”
Norton’s house, at 15th and S streets, was once the home of Georgia Douglas Johnson, an African American poet and playwright. Johnson is best known for her collections of poetry: “The Heart of a Woman” (1918), “Bronze” (1922), “An Autumn Love Cycle” (1928) and “Share My World” (1962).
Johnson, who began her writing career in the early 1900s, moved to Washington with her husband, Henry Lincoln Johnson, in 1910. Henry Johnson was the recorder of deeds for the District during the Taft administration and a prominent Republican. When Henry Johnson died in 1925, President Calvin Coolidge sent a message to Georgia Johnson, and members of his Cabinet attended the funeral.
After her husband’s death, Johnson supported herself and her two sons by working in the Labor Department.
Johnson’s house became a center for the black intelligentsia in the 1920s and 1930s. Known as the S Street Salon or the Saturday Nighters, the gatherings brought together important figures of the Harlem Renaissance era, including Langston Hughes, Jean Toomer, Anne Spencer, Richard Bruce Nugent, Alain Locke, Jessie Redmon Fauset, Angelina Weld Grimke and Eulalie Spence.
Johnson remained in the home until her death in 1966.
When Norton bought the house in 2009, there wasn’t much left of its former glory. The previous owner had turned it into a group house. Before that, another owner had divided it into flats.
Three renovations later — and with the help of architect Steve Lawlor and designer William McGovern — the house has reclaimed its capacity to host large and small gatherings.
Norton also turned the cinder-block garage into a carriage house and created an English-basement apartment for her mother. She connected the English basement to the carriage house by what she likes to call her wine corridor. The underground passage holds not only bottles of her favorite vintages but also her beloved books.
The kitchen is Norton’s favorite spot in the house. It is a comfortable and functional space. Thick black walnut covers the large island. A planter set into the island provides fresh herbs for cooking. The breakfast nook is an ideal spot for people watching.
The man who stopped to chat with Norton that day confirmed what she had known all along about the house.
“That was a great thing,” she said. “It wasn’t like I inadvertently bought a haunted house. It’s the opposite. I bought this house with this really cool vibe.”
The six-bedroom, six-bathroom, 4,100-square-foot property is on the market for $2.875 million.
Listing: 1461 S St. NW, Washington, D.C.
Listing agent: Alex Venditti, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
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