The Grand Dame of H Street, NE

Recently, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has been running a campaign where people across the country photograph themselves with buildings and hold a sign that reads "This Place Matters." For me, the building in this photograph definitely matters. It sits on the corner of H and Third Streets, NE in Washington, DC. Originally built in the late 1800s to serve as a convent and nursing home run by the Little Sisters of the Poor, by the 1970s, Capital Children's Museum had taken up residency and transformed the building into a wonderland. I began working at the Museum in 1987 and instantly fell in love with the place. Everyone on staff work hard, none more than our executive director, Ann Lewin, to keep the exhibits and building repaired. Even then, the building was showing its age. There were many days when the elevator wouldn't work, the heat was not enough in the winter and the air conditioning kept no one cool in the summer. But we had fun, especially, I hope, the families who came to visit. There are too many special memories of the eight years I spent at the Museum to recount here - working until 3 a.m. on a new exhibit, welcoming dignitaries and celebrities, being on your best behavior while the Secret Service conducted mock tours (the building had so many nooks and crannies, it was perfect for them), and many days and nights spent with some of the most talented, creative and smart people I have ever worked with.

The Museum closed its doors in 2005 to begin the process of opening a new museum - the National Children's Museum - in a modern facility (now scheduled to be built at the National Harbor complex). When I heard the news of the Museum closing, I worried about the fate of the old building. Who would want it? Would it be torn down? Luckily, a developer saw the potential of the building, and in what turned out to be a great at example or reuse, turned the building into apartments. The developer also built two mid-rise apartments on the site - one square block.

I visited the building recently and seeing it was a little bittersweet. I am so glad it was saved from the wrecking ball, but it was little sad that will never again "my Museum."