Here stands the Watkins Building. It is a contributing property in the Takoma Park Historic District. The district is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Watkins Building is an apartment building. It is located in the Takoma section of Northwest Washington D.C.
The Capitol Hill Cluster School was born in 1986. It brought together four separate schools. Peabody, Watkins, Stuart Junior High, and Hobson Middle School were all part of the Cluster. Hobson Middle School was named after Julius Hobson. He was an iconic DC civil rights activist. It was located on the fourth floor in the Watkins Building.
Veola M. Jackson was the first principal of the Cluster. She is credited with its founding vision. Jackson was a graduate of Virginia State University. She was widely regarded as captivating and exceptional.
Jackson became the principal of Peabody in the early 1970s. She became principal of Hobson in the late 1970s. In 1984, she became principal of Watkins. She operated according to a core principle. That principle was to not hoard resources but to share them.
Jackson helped create a thriving school at Peabody. She saw other nearby schools struggling. Her solution was to combine schools. She wanted to mix kids across lines of race and socioeconomics. Jackson also wanted to spread PTA wealth. She first did this with Peabody. It was combined with a nearby elementary school named Edmonds. Eventually she did it with the Capitol Hill Cluster. Jackson asserted her job was to make a good school for everybody.
Not all parents supported the Cluster early on. There were issues of race and class. There were many meetings and a lot of pain. The Cluster was formed nonetheless. Integration, equity, and resource-sharing were core principles from the start. One early Cluster supporter said they wanted to create a school. It would have a wide range of students from all types of backgrounds. Poor, rich, white, black, and the whole bit. Kids come through school together in a public system. They learn that, despite their differences, they have to get along. If you keep people segregated, they end up with a very warped view of the world.
Veola M. Jackson advanced equity and inclusion. She also supported integration at the Capitol Hill Cluster School. She shared opportunities instead of hoarding them. This kept her inspiring vision alive.
Watkins Elementary School is located at 12th and E St. SE. It is named for Catharine R. Watkins. She was the director of District kindergartens between 1898 and 1936. The building ground-breaking ceremony was reported in The Washington Post on May 2nd, 1961. The school was estimated to cost $896,000. It included 29 classrooms, a library, and other facilities. Catharine Watkins was listed in the 1940 U.S. Census. She lived at 3060 16th St. NW at the age of 74. According to the census, she was never married.
The Watkins Alley is one of MCC’s multi-family projects in Southeast DC. It touts a vintage industrial style mixed with classic Georgian architecture. The building contains 44 units. There is a combination of lofts, 2 BR, 3 & 4 BR townhomes. Some of them have elevators. The facade features various colored bricks. It also has brick details and cement fiber board. Amenities include 2 courtyards, a penthouse, a green roof and underground parking. Tenants enjoy the convenience of a brand new Whole Foods just across the street. They also enjoy the many other local offerings of the Eastern Market, Capitol Hill, Penn Ave, Hill East & H Street neighborhoods.