1461–Zeta Purchases Historic Gem

Article photos by Dr. Rhonda M. Lawson

Main kitchen

By Dr. Rhonda M. Lawson National Director of Publications and Communications and Izetta Thomas National Publications and Communications Team Member

Although the year 2020 brought its challenges, it also brought a number of opportunities. One of those opportunities was for Zeta to expand her footprint by purchasing an additional property that would be used as a satellite office for the sorority’s growing staff.

This purchase would prove to be a power move for Zeta. The six-bedroom, six-bathroom house in the historic Logan Circle area of Washington D.C., was purchased March 14, 2019 for $2.7 million, and was paid off March 8, 2021. Additionally, because the home was converted to a commercial property and the adjoining carriage house made into rental property, Zeta’s investment nearly doubled in a very short time.

However, another aspect makes this purchase even more notable. The house was home to noted Harlem Renaissance poet Georgia Douglas Johnson. An Atlanta native and graduate of Atlanta University Normal School, as well as a student of music at the Oberlin Conservatory and the Cleveland College of Music, Johnson taught and worked as an assistant principal. Her house came to be known as the site of the S Street Salon, an important meeting place for writers of the Harlem Renaissance in Washington, D.C. One of her poems “Your World” is displayed below.

The property was designated by the city as commercial/residential on Oct. 30, 2019, which increased the value of the property because it can be used for dual purposes. The main house has a car-

Reception area and boardroom

Storage and hallway leading to IT office

One of six staff offices

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riage house that sits on the corner of the property. The carriage house is a fully equipped duplex, which embodies the Grand’s vision of other streams of income for the sorority. The property is also equipped with four parking spaces, which can be used by the employees.

In the main house, the downstairs bedroom was turned into corporate lodging. Officers needing to come to Washington, D.C. to work can now stay at the satellite office, which will save the cost of expensive lodging. The International Grand Basileus also has an office suite in the building, which includes the office, a private bathroom and a small bedroom area. This also saves money on expensive lodging fees that would be incurred every time the Grand travels to Washington, D.C.

There is an open board room, a full kitchen, and a courtyard where Zetas can host meetings for the membership, the Council of Presidents and potential sponsors. Also, six new staff offices in the satellite house are designated for the sorority’s 11 full-time employees, with International Headquarters offices located on the top floor. As International Headquarters expands its footprint, the house will allow room for additional staff in the future, while still maintaining COVID-19 protocols.

“Our current International Headquarters cannot handle the expansion, especially once the office is reopened,” explained Valerie Hollingworth Baker, Zeta’s 25th International Grand Basileus. “Depending on the social distancing mandates, we must be mindful that we must protect our employees. The satellite house will be a welcomed asset as our staff will be able to occupy both properties and work in safer conditions.”

Following is a poem by the original owner of our Satellite House, Georgia Douglas Johnson.

Your World

Your world is as big as you make it. I know, for I used to abide In the narrowest nest in a corner, My wings pressing close to my side.

But I sighted the distant horizon Where the skyline encircled the sea And I throbbed with a burning desire To travel this immensity.

I battered the cordons around me And cradled my wings on the breeze, Then soared to the uttermost reaches With rapture, with power, with ease!

Source:

Words with Wings: A Treasury of African-American Poetry and Art (HarperCollins Publishers Inc, 2001)

President’s office