Gabrielle Edgcomb is the author of two books of poems, Moving Violation (1973), and Survival in Prehistory (undated), as well as two books of nonfiction, From Swastika to Jim Crow: Refugee Scholars at Black Colleges (1993), later made into a documentary film; and Man-Made Lakes (1973), a book on reservoirs in Africa. She also was one of the translators of Marx on Suicide (1999).
Edgcomb was born in Berlin, immigrated to New York in 1936, and moved to DC in the early 1950s, and remained here for the rest of her life. She lived on the top floor at this address for over twenty years, until her death. She was active in the Civil Rights movement. Some of her jobs were as executive director of the Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, research consultant for the Smithsonian Institution, and bibliographer for the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
The Homes
2039 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC (Northumberland Apartments)
This classical revival apartment house was developed by Harry Wardman and retains most of its original features. The lobby has two huge fireplaces, a decorative ceramic tile floor, a marble center staircase, and a wealth of decorative ornamentation. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Gabrielle Edgcomb
2039 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Located in U Street/Strivers Section neighborhood, Northwest - East of Rock Creek