Francis A. Gregory Library History

The Francis A. Gregory Regional Library, one of the city’s four regional libraries, was erected at 3660 Alabama Ave. S.E. in 1961. Originally known as the Fort Davis Branch, the library was renamed in 1986 in honor of a local public servant and neighborhood resident. The branch was the fifth of 11 branch libraries funded under the D.C. Public Works Program at a cost of $457,000. The building was designed by Victor E. DeMers in cooperation with the District's Office of the Supervising Architect, and constructed by N.S. Stavrou of Washington, D.C. The library opened as the Fort Davis Branch in January 1961 in a two-story, brick and concrete building on a portion of park land transferred from the National Capital Planning Commission.

Francis A. Gregory Regional Library is located in the Fort Davis neighborhood in far southeast, adjacent to the Maryland-District line on the north side of Alabama Avenue between the Anne Beers School and Pennsylvania Avenue S.E. Named for the nearby Civil War fort, the neighborhood was mainly residential, having developed during the 1940s and 1950s.

A plan to establish a branch of the D.C. Public Library in the Fort Davis area was first considered in the early 1950s. However, in 1953, the construction of the Anacostia Branch took precedence, and the library in Fort Davis was put on hold.

In 1954, the Public Library's Board of Trustees began searching for an appropriate site to locate the proposed Fort Davis branch. They chose a 15,000-square-foot parcel located on the north side of Alabama Avenue that was reserved as park land by the federal government. The Fairfax Village-Fort Davis Library Association, consisting of 26 civic, church and educational organizations headed by president Charles A. Froman, supported the acquisition of the site along with the parents of local school children. Approval of the National Capital Planning Commission was necessary for the site to be transferred to the District of Columbia Commissioners because the land was considered federal property. Negotiations between the Public Library and the Planning Commission began in 1954 and continued until April 5, 1957, when the Planning Commission agreed to transfer the site for library use.

Meanwhile, Congress approved funds for the preparation of plans for the new Fort Davis Branch, but eliminated the $35,000 set aside for the purchase of a site. The plans were prepared by architect-engineer DeMers, who maintained an office at 1211-A Connecticut Ave. N.W., between 1956 and 1962, and became a member of the Washington Metropolitan Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1945. The plans were complete by summer 1958, yet due to aesthetic objections from the Commission of Fine Arts, the designs had to be revised. By the end of 1959, the Commission of Fine Arts had approved the plans, and Congress appropriated $457,000 for construction of the branch.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the new Fort Davis Neighborhood Library occurred in September 1959. N.S. Stavrou was the general contractor. The building was expected to be completed by summer 1960, but because of a steelworkers’ strike, the schedule was delayed.

The dedication program for the Fort Davis Neighborhood Library in February 1961 described the building as "an example of modern, functional architecture." Its reinforced concrete construction, spare red brick-faced facade adorned only by architectural concrete trim, a large display window and two tempered glass doors reflected the contemporary aesthetics of the District's Office of the Supervising Architect. The design followed specific requirements laid out in a service plan developed by the Public Library staff.

The library building incorporated 18,000 square feet and could accommodate 50,000 books. The first floor contained a lobby, adult reference-reading room, book stacks and a sound-proof listening booth for audio material. The second floor consisted of the children's room and space for the staff. The basement held book storage rooms, the heating plant and a community meeting room. The interior was lit by fluorescent lights, and the walls consisted of painted cinder blocks. The open interior spaces were designed to allow for maximum flexibility with moveable double-faced bookcases providing the only partitions.

During its 36 years of service, the Francis A. Gregory Regional Library has played an important role in educating and serving the community. In 1979, Fort Davis initiated Operation College Bound, a program that brought 40 school representatives to the library to provide information to prospective students.

In 1977, the branch was designated one of four regional branches, meaning it maintained a larger book collection, was open longer hours, and provided administrative coordination and staff support for the local branches. The new regional system was organized in response to fiscal constraints, allowing the library to centralize administrative services and pool its collections. In 1986, the Fort Davis Regional Library was renamed at the request of its staff and the community to honor Francis Anderson Gregory, who served for 12 years as president of the Public Library's Board of Trustees, and was the board's first black president. Gregory lived in the Fort Davis neighborhood for more than 30 years, before his death in 1977.

The branch provides such community services as a film series, lectures and an open meeting room. The Friends of the Francis A. Gregory Regional Library was formed in 1982 with the goal of benefiting the library and its community. Over the years, the Friends have sponsored numerous local events, including arts and crafts programs for seniors and Operation College Bound. The group has also helped by purchasing equipment, holding fundraising events and providing snacks for the children's story hour.