NPR

181-Year-Old Lockkeeper's Tiny House Ready For Its Next Chapter

Nestled at the corner of 17th Street and Constitution Avenue in D.C., sits a diminutive, storied house that once belonged to a lockkeeper. It has stood strong while the capital has changed around it.
Built in the 1830s, the Lockkeeper's House is the oldest building on the National Mall.

Millions visit the expansive National Mall each year in Washington, D.C., to see the towering Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, Washington Monument and more. They likely walk right by the Lockkeeper's House — a diminutive, storied house, nestled at the corner of 17th Street and Constitution Avenue. But the oldest building on the National Mall is now at the forefront of its revitalization.

Built in 1837, the 350-square-foot building was home to the lockkeeper of the Washington City Canal. The house was originally situated on the

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