Construction at the Wok N Roll

[Dave Taylor]

Back in June, I posted this picture on my blog of the interior of the former Surratt boardinghouse, now Wok N Roll resturant:



It was part of a quiz seeing if people could identify what it was. A few weekends ago, Lindsey and I visited D.C. and grabbed a late sushi lunch at the Wok N Roll. Before entering, we noticed two large green signs on the door with a lot of text. We didn't have time to read them, and we entered just hoping they weren't from the Health department. Sitting inside the resturant, I felt something was different but didn't know what. Then I realized that they had put in a new ceiling between the ground floor and the one above. Sitting in the resturant now, you can no longer see these second floor windows. As was customary in the dirty olden days, the second floor served as the main entrance to the building. The windows in my picture were on the same level as the entry floor.



While I think the new ceiling/floor in the Wok N Roll makes the resturant a little darker, at least this alteration makes the building a little bit like how it was in 1865.

[LincolnMan]

Dave: thanks for posting the pics. I find myself imagining all the history that happened inside those walls. Wok on!

[BettyO]

Sorry, but I couldn't resist..... "Mom and the Boys" at the Wok n Roll....

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[LincolnMan]

Oh Betty: you outdid yourself!

[BettyO]

Who needs the Herndon House?! HA!

I made that one years ago!

[L Verge]

Is that Atzerodt with braids with his back to us? Wonder how they like the sushi bar there...? Wonder how Mrs. Surratt's ghost likes the sushi bar there??

Years ago, when it was still named Go-Lo's, we took a bus group there for Chinese New Year. The tables all had large lazy susans in the center that they continually kept supplied with a variety of dishes -- seven courses in all.

I was doing fine until they brought out the piece de resistance. It was a large, steamed fish complete with scales and eyeballs. Let's just say that a room of about fifty people went very quiet. It was weeks before I could eat tuna fish again.

[LincolnMan]

Who owned the building anyway? Did Mrs. Surratt own it herself?

[Laurie Verge]

John Surratt, Sr. acquired the H Street property in a complicated land deal back in 1853. They rented it out to government employees, a music teacher, etc. until Mrs. Surratt decided to give up the Surrattsville property in 1864, and move into the city to earn income as a boardinghouse keeper and also for secuirty -- and largely because Maryland freed the slaves on November 1, 1864. She was settled into 541 H Street in Decemberof 1864.

It appears that Mrs. Surratt never owned the house, however. Her husband died in 1862 without a will; and in those days, a widow could not inherit. Both the Surrattsville property and the D.C. property went to the children. When John, Jr. got heavily involved with Booth, he signed over his one-third ownership to his mother. If he got caught doing Confederate business, any property that he owned would be confiscated by the federal government.

After her mother's execution, Anna was faced with dealing with the estate until brother Isaac returned from the Confederate army. Bills had mounted up during the war and continued after the war; and by 1869, all Surratt property was sold off by court orders. I believe I'm correct that even that did not satisfy all the debts.

[MaddieM]

Wouldn't you think, what with the history of the place, the government would buy it and restore it.

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(09-25-2012 07:12 PM)BettyO Wrote:  Sorry, but I couldn't resist..... "Mom and the Boys" at the Wok n Roll....

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Lewis looks none too happy...did the waiter say something?

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Captions on a postcard please...

[BettyO]

The government has been broached on that and I heard that it was stated that such a site would "glorify" assassins - how foolish! It'd be a HUGE tourist attraction and really draw, if you ask me!

I think Lewis doesn't like the food and didn't want Chinese because it binds him up.......

[MaddieM]

(09-26-2012 06:19 PM)BettyO Wrote:  The government has been broached on that and I heard that it was stated that such a site would "glorify" assassins - how foolish! It'd be a HUGE tourist attraction and really draw, if you ask me!

I think Lewis doesn't like the food and didn't want Chinese because it binds him up.......

hahaha!

[L Verge]

I can't tell you the number of times that visitors have suggested that Surratt House buy the boardinghouse and restore it! We are owned by a government organization that has enough historic sites of its own to maintain - from colonial and federal mansions, the world's oldest operating airport with its own museum, lots of archaeological sites, a late-19th century tenant cabin, a black fellowship hall of the post-Civil War period, two one-room schoolhouses, etc.

The National Park Service takes care of more nationwide sites than they have the money for, and the boardinghouse now sits in close proximity to Washington's big arena, Verizon Center. The land alone is worth a fortune - location, location, location.

And lastly, Surratt House has tried three times now to go higher on the historic sites registry. We are on the National Registry of Historic Places, but would like to be classified as a National Historic Landmark. They reject us each time because "sites related to the assassination that are currently on the registry (Ford's Theatre and the Petersen House) are all we need to remind us of Lincoln's assassination."

We've been open to the public and functioning since 1976. I doubt that the boardinghouse would ever stand a chance of becoming a historical site. It has also been drastically changed - mainly over the past twenty years - and has lost much of its original structure and personality.

[MaddieM]

(09-26-2012 06:22 PM)L Verge Wrote:  I can't tell you the number of times that visitors have suggested that Surratt House buy the boardinghouse and restore it! We are owned by a government organization that has enough historic sites of its own to maintain - from colonial and federal mansions, the world's oldest operating airport with its own museum, lots of archaeological sites, a late-19th century tenant cabin, a black fellowship hall of the post-Civil War period, two one-room schoolhouses, etc.

The National Park Service takes care of more nationwide sites than they have the money for, and the boardinghouse now sits in close proximity to Washington's big arena, Verizon Center. The land alone is worth a fortune - location, location, location.

And lastly, Surratt House has tried three times now to go higher on the historic sites registry. We are on the National Registry of Historic Places, but would like to be classified as a National Historic Landmark. They reject us each time because "sites related to the assassination that are currently on the registry (Ford's Theatre and the Petersen House) are all we need to remind us of Lincoln's assassination."

We've been open to the public and functioning since 1976. I doubt that the boardinghouse would ever stand a chance of becoming a historical site. It has also been drastically changed - mainly over the past twenty years - and has lost much of its original structure and personality.

What a shame. I always think it's so wrong to destroy old buildings. we will never see the like of them again.

[LincolnMan]

Really good information Laurie.

[Jim Garrett]

While the Surratt boarding house has had some significant changes over the years, (ground floor facade "modernized", ground floor addition on the back for the kitchen, original front door on second floor converted to a window, second floor partially removed), they are all reversable. I think it is remarkable that 150 yerts later, the building is readily recognizable. If you look at the building from across the street and concentrate on the building above the second floor, the appearance has changed very little.

A friend of mine just retired from the department of justice, and until recently, we made it a point to meet for lunch there almost every month for the past several years. Unfortunately monthly lunches at the Wok N Roll contributed to a steady expansion of the Jim Garrett unhistoric site (my body). Since May, I have been on a strict diet which excludes virtually everything from 6th and H St., and every other Chinese restaurant.

25 years ago, the neighborhood was a down trodden Chinatown. Now, the Verizon Center is a half block away (wiping out G St, the location of one of the stables associated with the assassination) and creating a boom to the economic and cultural redevelopement of the Penns Landing area. Laurie is 110% correct in that the site is worth a fortune. However, my guess is that it would be a big preservationist fight if there was ever an intention to tear down the building.

BTW, it's still Chinatown, just now it's not downtrodden.