A SANCTUARY IN MOUNT PLEASANT: THE ROSEMOUNT CENTER

From The House of Mercy to the Rosemount Center

The Rosemount Center at 2000 Rosemount Avenue NW is more than a neighborhood childcare center.  For over a century, it has reflected shifting ideas about charity, family, immigration, and the role of historic places in Washington, D.C. Its recent recognition on the National Register of Historic Places underscores both its architectural distinction and its deep social history.

Good Work Being Done

The Association for the Works of Mercy, later known as the House of Mercy, was founded in January 1884 by members of the Woman’s Auxiliary to St. John’s Episcopal Church, as a “house of refuge and reformatory for fallen and outcast women.”  A board of “lady managers” and “twelve gentlemen” trustees led the organization.

The institution originally served unwed white mothers and their babies at a time when few alternatives existed and the stigma surrounding single motherhood was severe.  Its programs emphasized domestic training and support, helping women build skills and offering a refuge for those who had few other places to turn. Throughout its history, funding the House of Mercy was a constant challenge. By 1898 it was described as absolutely bankrupt, reflecting the difficulties of sustaining charitable work for marginalized women in that era.  Through the fundraising efforts of the lady managers, the House was able to remain open.

A Patron Steps Up

As the president of the Church’s House of Mercy lady managers, Mrs. Julian James organized numerous fundraisers to support it and in 1910, donated land and $60,000 to the Association for Works of Mercy to allow it to move from its old, “long since inadequate” quarters at 2408 K St. NW to a site “Nestled in the woods bordering Rock Creek Park and fashioned after the ancient Spanish missions, with high walls surrounding its spacious grounds… one of the most completely equipped institutions of its kind in the country.” She also provided it with an endowment that would generate an income of $850 a year to pay part of its expenses for maintaining and operating the home, with the balance coming through the fundraising efforts of the managers and trustees.  To ensure that such a facility would always continue to exist in the city, the property was donated to the Association for Works of Mercy with a deed proviso that it was “to be used for the erection of a house or home to be known as the House of Mercy for unfortunate young girls and their children in the District of Columbia,” and that the House of Mercy “shall have power to sell the said land only for the purpose of re-investing in other real estate in the District of Columbia to be used solely for the purposes of said Association for works of mercy.”

Mrs. Cassie Julian James in 1908.

A House with a Purpose

The resulting building was designed by Nathan C. Wyeth, one of Washington’s most prominent architects, in a Mission-Spanish Colonial Revival style.  It was completed in 1911 in a secluded setting overlooking Rock Creek Park.  The form and materials gave the place a calm, sheltering character that matched its original purpose as a sanctuary.  Wyeth’s work on the project stands out for its dignified integration with the landscape above Rock Creek Park, and the building retains many original features despite later renovations.  Among Wyeth’s other notable works were the Longworth House Office Building, the West Wing of the White House and the first Oval Office, and the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Georgetown.

The Evening Star, September 25, 1911

By 1924, annual garden parties to “Raise Funds to Help Work for Unfortunate Mothers and Children” were being held in the Cathedral Close, or gardens, at Mount St. Albans where the National Cathedral was then under construction.  As noted in the Star, It was hoped that the House of Mercy fete that year would “be even more successful than in former years, as the work done is increasing and the budget must be larger to carry on the expanding program… Last year the profits from the lawn fete amounted to nearly $2,000 [just enough to keep] the Association for Works of Mercy from running behind last year and ruining its fine record.”

The May 19, 1933 Evening Star reported that “approximately 1,000 persons prominent in the city’s social life” attended the House of Mercy’s annual fund-raising garden party in the Cathedral gardens.

In 1954, Mrs. Dwight Eisenhower and Mrs. Richard Nixon headed the list of patronesses for the 26th annual food and apron sale of the House of Mercy.  The sale was officially opened by the wife of the Netherlands Ambassador.  “A Netherlands Christmas” was the special theme of the sale.  The White House sent a cake. Starting in 1937 and lasting through the 1960s, a big fundraising event was the “Phantom Dinner,” where the only real things were the contributions.  

By 1924, annual garden parties to “Raise Funds to Help Work for Unfortunate Mothers and Children” were being held in the Cathedral Close, or gardens, at Mount St. Albans where the National Cathedral was then under construction.  As noted in the Star, It was hoped that the House of Mercy fete that year would “be even more successful than in former years, as the work done is increasing and the budget must be larger to carry on the expanding program… Last year the profits from the lawn fete amounted to nearly $2,000 [just enough to keep] the Association for Works of Mercy from running behind last year and ruining its fine record.”

The May 19, 1933 Evening Star reported that “approximately 1,000 persons prominent in the city’s social life” attended the House of Mercy’s annual fund-raising garden party in the Cathedral gardens.Tickets in 1960 were $5 each. The 1960 Sunday Star noted, “Last year one “guest” bought two “tickets” and added a 15 per cent tip for the phantom waitress.”  About the 1963 Phantom Dinner, the Sunday Star wrote, “the longest and simplest -benefit of the year has already begun… the “guests” are those who send donations to the House of Mercy.  They feed on nothing more than satisfaction— every bit of the proceeds go toward the work of the home.”

Bishop William F. Creighton at the House of Mercy in 1963.

In addition to its historic building, the Center is also notable for the mural along Klingle Road, “Canto a la Esperanza (A Song for Hope),” designed by Jorge Somarriba and painted by Latin American Youth Center members between 1988 and 1990.

Today, the Rosemount Center describes itself as a bilingual, multicultural early childhood program serving more than 240 families through a mix of family support, tuition, and public subsidies.  It remains closely tied to the original mission of helping those with the greatest need, even as the form of that help has changed.

View of the Rosemount mural. Photo by John DeFerrari.

A New Fundraising Push

As its predecessor, the House of Mercy, did in 1898, the Rosemount Center is once again facing the choice of raising substantial funds or closing its facility.  As of May 2026, the Rosemount Center’s current campaign has received a $2 million D.C. Council FY 2026 grant and $1 million D.C. government matching funds after raising $1.352 million in private donations, exceeding a $1.25 million goal set by the District.