In the late 19th and early20th centuries, Warwick served as the summer home of Frank Humeand his family. Warwick was positioned on a hill west of where Commonwealth andMount Vernon avenues intersect today. Hume, a Confederate veteran andsuccessful businessman who owned a wholesale grocery in Washington, D.C.,acquired the two-story home in 1879 and hosted a large Thanksgiving dinnerthere later that year.
Over the next 25 years, Warwick was the site of many holiday and familycelebrations where guests enjoyed Humes hospitality, as well as views of thePotomac and Washington. As many as 150 guests at a time attended Fourth of Julycelebrations where large U.S. flags adorned trees and guests enjoyed picnicfeasts, lemonade and champagne. These events were especially memorable for thetwilight fireworks display and the firing of a cannon.
After Hume died in 1906, Warwick remained in the family and some descendantsheld weddings there. In 1920, a fire nearly destroyed Warwick but it wasrebuilt. Seen to the left in this 1937 image, Warwick was positioned along awinding road that reached from Mount Vernon Avenue on the east to Mosby Streeton the south.
In the early 1950s, Warwick and the surrounding Hume property were sold fordevelopment and the old home was demolished in 1953. Warwick Village,originally a development of rental homes, was laid out across 55 acres on theold Hume estate. About half of the planned street names were replaced, withLandover instead of Marlboro, Guthrie in place of London, and Ancell overWarwick. The former Hume home stood approximately where the 2900 block ofLandover Street is today.
