CHRS 52nd Annual Mother’s Day

The Capitol Hill Restoration Society (CHRS) will host its 52nd Annual House and Garden Tour on May 9 and 10, 2009. Highlighting the Barrack’s Row neighborhood, the Tour is planned to include homes and gardens south of Pennsylvania Avenue between 1st and 15th Streets, SE. The event will include a candle light tour of homes from 4pm-8pm on Saturday, May 9 and will continue from 11am-5pm on Mother’s Day, Sunday May 10. An extra hour has been added to the Saturday night tour in order to allow plenty of time for participants to appreciate The Home of the Commandants’ at Marine Barracks Washington, which will be open to Tour goers on Saturday only. The stately Commandant’s house, completed in 1806, is the oldest continuously occupied public building in Washington, D.C. Its location (at present-day 801 G St., SE) was chosen personally by President Jefferson and Lieutenant Colonel William Ward Burrows, the second Commandant of the United States Marine Corps.

CHRS is working closely with the Barrack’s Row Main Street merchants and other community groups to produce a tour full of historic features, intriguing histories, great gardens, and remarkable interior designs and decorations. More information, including a full list of houses and ticket locations will be available on the CHRS website (www.chrs.org) early in the Spring.

CHRS is the oldest and largest civic organization on Capitol Hill. Founded in 1955, this volunteer driven group is dedicated to preserving the historic residential character of the nation’s Capitol. 52 years ago, CHRS started the house and garden tour tradition to highlight Capitol Hill landmarks and to raise funds to support projects to preserve the neighborhood’s historic character and to enhance its livability through efforts in planning, zoning, traffic management, and public safety