St. Thomas' Parish Church Washington DC Reconstruction of a Historical Landmark

Calvary Parish was formed in 1891 to serve the Dupont Circle area of Washington with the Rev. John Abel Aspinwall as its first rector. The Rev. Aspinswall was the son of William H. Aspinwall, who built the Panama Railroad across Panama. In 1894, the cornerstone of the new St. Thomas Parish church building was laid. The first service took place on June 25, 1899.
St. Thomas became known as a very high society church because so many of the Washington elite came through its doors including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson. On the first Sunday in Lent, 1933, parishioners welcomed the return of Roosevelt who the day before had been inaugurated as President of the United States. The parish shed its aristocratic feel over the next few decades as many of the citys white residents left the city for the surrounding suburbs. Dupont Circle and the rest of the city became mired in the social upheaval of the 1960s.[4] The neighborhood attracted people whose behavior was viewed by some in the mainstream as unconventional, including a core of artists, hippies and some who lived on the fringe of society.
In 1970, the church building was destroyed by arson fire. The Vestry voted to remain in the same location and carry on an active ministry within the community. St. Thomas leaders decided to convert the area where the old church building stood into a park that could be enjoyed by the whole neighborhood. The Parish Hall, which was left standing behind the footprint of the old church, was also transformed. The Upper Room was reshaped into the simple, nontraditional worship space we use today. The rest of the building became a center for community meetings and various recovery groups.

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