§ 6-1131 — Declaration of policy.

It is by the People declared the public policy of the District of Columbia to support, advocate, and promote the preservation, restoration, and reuse of the Historic Rhodes Tavern on its present site at the northeast corner of 15th and F Streets, Northwest in the District of Columbia. The objectives of this policy are: To preserve, restore, and reuse Rhodes Tavern on its present site; to protect the District of Columbia’s historic, political, cultural, social, economic, and architectural heritage as reflected and embodied in Rhodes Tavern, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and which is a Category II Landmark on the District of Columbia’s Inventory of Historic Sites; to foster civic pride in the noble accomplishments of the past, including the efforts of citizens who met at Rhodes Tavern, the City of Washington’s first town hall, in 1801 to debate and draft petitions in the continuing struggle for self-government and representation in Congress; to recognize the role of Rhodes Tavern as a polling place in the first municipal elections in the City of Washington on June 7, 1802; to commemorate other meetings held at Rhodes Tavern which resulted in the establishment of the City of Washington’s first public school, theatre, and market place; to enhance the District of Columbia’s attraction to tourists and visitors and the support and stimulus to the economy thereby provided; to promote the use of Rhodes Tavern for the education, pleasure, and welfare of the people of the District of Columbia; and to establish a central landmark for the District of Columbia that will symbolize its local and national historic origins, continuity and identity.

Legislative History

Mar. 15, 1984, D.C. Law 5-69, § 2, 31 DCR 445