Spring Valley Building

Hidden in plain sight on Massachusetts Avenue Northwest stands the Spring Valley Building. It’s an unassuming structure, wouldn’t you agree? But beneath its quiet facade lies a history far more explosive than its brick exterior suggests. This building, once part of the American University campus, played a secret role during World War I. In 1917, as the war raged in Europe, the U.S. Army needed a place to develop and test chemical weapons. They found their discreet location right here, on the then sparsely populated American University campus. This became Camp Leach, a hub for chemical weapons research. Here, scientists developed and tested some of the most dangerous chemical agents of the war, including lewisite, nicknamed the “dew of death”. They also conducted skin tests on soldiers and experimented with gas masks. The testing included firing projectiles on a range. Imagine the secrecy surrounding these activities. Can you picture soldiers undergoing tests, the pungent odor of chemicals hanging heavy in the air? After the war, Camp Leach was dismantled and, supposedly, cleaned up. The land was sold for development, including the area where the Spring Valley Building now stands. For decades, the neighborhood thrived, oblivious to the dangerous secrets buried beneath. Then, in 1993, a construction worker unearthed unexploded ordnance. This discovery brought the unsettling history of Camp Leach back to life. It triggered a massive investigation and cleanup effort that lasted for years. The Army Corps of Engineers unearthed hundreds of munitions and tons of contaminated soil. One home, believed to be situated atop a disposal pit known as “Hades”, had to be demolished. The Spring Valley Building, though not directly on the “Hades” site, was undoubtedly part of this tumultuous period. It stands as a silent witness to the hidden history of Camp Leach, a stark reminder of a time when this quiet neighborhood was a center for chemical weapons research.