Bruce, Blanche K., House
About this property
The Blanche K. Bruce House is a historic house at 909 M Street NW in Washington, D.C. Built in 1865, it was a home of slave-born Blanche K. Bruce (1 March 1841 – 17 March 1898), who was the first African-American to serve a full term in the U.S. Senate, and his wife Josephine. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1975. It was successfully nominated to the National Register of Historic Places by the Afro-American Bicentennial Corporation on May 15, 1975. The Blanche K. Bruce House is located in the southernmost part of Washington's Shaw neighborhood, on the north side of M Street between 9th and 10th Streets. It is one half of a duplex, a 3+1⁄2-story structure, with walls of brick and a brick foundation, and a slate mansard roof providing a full fourth floor. The two building units have virtually identical exteriors, with a three-bay ground floor with the entrance in the left bay, and two bays in each of the upper floors. Ground floor windows are set in rounded-arch openings, as are third-floor windows, which rise into the elongated mansard roof's steep section. The short fourth floor is capped by a dentillated edge at the transition between the roof sections. The house was built in 1865 and is fairly typical of the Second Empire architecture then popular; its designer is unknown. It was the home of Blanche Bruce, who represented Mississippi as a United States senator from 1875 to 1881. Bruce was the first African-American to serve a full term in the Senate; during his tenure he also briefly served as the Presiding Officer of the United States Senate in 1879, the only former slave to do so. During his term, Bruce advocated for the integration of the United States Army, and for policies supporting the needs of poor (and recently freed) African Americans. Bruce remained in Washington after his term ended in 1881, serving as the Register of the Treasury, the District's recorder of deeds, and as a trustee of Howard University. List of National Historic Landmarks in Washington, D.C. National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Media related to Blanche K. Bruce House at Wikimedia Commons Blanche K. Bruce House, 909 M Street Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia, DC: 1 color and 9 b&w photos, 2 data pages and supplemental material
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Bruce, Blanche K., House listed on the National Register?
Bruce, Blanche K., House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 14, 1975.
What type of historic resource is Bruce, Blanche K., House?
Bruce, Blanche K., House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
Is Bruce, Blanche K., House a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. Bruce, Blanche K., House has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.
What is the period of significance for Bruce, Blanche K., House?
The period of significance for Bruce, Blanche K., House is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Bruce, Blanche K., House?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Bruce, Blanche K., House will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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