Owner, Renovations Transform Worthington Woods

Where drug dealers once loitered in a barren courtyard, children romp on a new playground. Where trash was once strewn around the property, thousands of tulips grow. Where a downtrodden apartment complex once appeared to be just another reminder of the District's economic and social woes, now stands Worthington Woods.

The complex, formerly the Livingston Manor Apartments, is in the Washington Highlands neighborhood of Ward 8 in Southeast, an area that joins Anacostia and Congress Heights. Its revival is a testament to the resilience of the neighborhood and its residents and to the business plan of William C. Smith & Co., a Washington management and development company that has renovated several apartment complexes in Southeast.

The sprawling garden-style complex was built in 1954 in a hilly, wooded corner of the District, when the neighborhood's population was on the rise and expected to increase for the next several decades. By the 1970s, however, the community was on a downswing and properties lay abandoned, in foreclosure and in disrepair. Livingston Manor was just another failure.

By 1990, Ward 8 had the lowest median income, the highest unemployment rate and the highest number of single-parent households in the District. Seventy percent of the housing in Ward 8 was rental units during this period, and it had the lowest number of homeowners of any of the District's eight wards. By 1997, the median household income there was 34 percent less than the median income for all households in the District.

Longtime tenants in the complex recall living in bug-infested apartments, often afraid of who lived on the other side of the wall. They were reluctant to let their children play outside and were uneasy about the short walk from the bus stop to the front door after dark.

In 1996, hope rose after the property changed hands and renovations began. But no sooner were the repairs underway than money ran out. In 1999, William C. Smith & Co. bought the property and started talking about improvements -- big ones, $15 million worth of renovations.

The work, which includes installing hardwood floors, replacing light fixtures, redoing the bathrooms and kitchens, replastering, painting, and landscaping and security upgrades, is scheduled to be completed in 2003. Half of the renovations are finished. As one building is renovated, residents move to newly rehabilitated apartments in other buildings. The complex is now at half capacity but is expected to be filled when renovations are completed.

Worthington Woods, made up of 12 two-story walk-up buildings, has 392 units made up of six efficiencies, 190 one-bedroom, 190 two-bedroom and six three-bedroom units. The apartments are comfortable and bright, and still smell of new paint and varnish.

The brick exteriors have been freshly painted in what management describes as "historic Williamsburg colors," the shrubs and flower beds are neatly groomed, the walkways are well lit, and safety bars are conspicuously absent from the new windows.

"We wanted to create a quaint atmosphere with a comfortable neighborhood feel," said Pam Askew, the Worthington Woods project manager. "We didn't want bars on the windows because it mars the appearance. We've increased the lighting both inside and out and installed wrought iron fencing around the rear of the buildings for security purposes."

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Last fall William C. Smith & Co. and KaBoom, a nonprofit organization specializing in community playgrounds, built two playgrounds on the property in one day with the help of Peace Corps volunteers and residents of the complex. The playgrounds were built, in part, to benefit the students at St. Thomas Moore School, which is adjacent to the complex.

Worthington Woods is two blocks from South Capitol Street. It is a five-minute walk from shopping centers, parks, schools, restaurants and Hadley Memorial Hospital. The complex is also on several bus routes -- there is a Metro bus stop on the property -- and two miles from two Metrorail stations.

One day, Worthington Woods residents may be a short walk away from a vibrant shopping and restaurant district if plans to revitalize the nearby Anacostia waterfront are realized.

Meanwhile, residents such as Cameron Dixon, 41, who has lived in the complex for five years, say they are happy with the present circumstances, especially after living through Worthington Woods at its worst.

"It's nice and peaceful here now, but it wasn't always that way," Dixon said. "Now kids play outside on the playground that we helped build. We've got good neighbors. It's a comfortable place where people are settled in and there are lots of kids."

Prospective tenants must meet minimum and maximum income qualifications to live in Worthington Woods. For example, a single efficiency occupant must have a minimum income of $20,300 but cannot exceed an annual income of $36,540. A household of five in a two-bedroom unit must have a minimum income of $26,400 and cannot exceed $56,400. Section 8 certificate holders and those who have used other D.C. housing programs are welcome.

Worthington Woods is a starting block for some, a safety net for others, but for many, it is a place they are glad to call home.

April Harris, 27, has lived in the complex for six years. "It used to be roach-infested and there was a lot of drug activity here," she said. "It's totally different now. It's like a neighborhood now. It's like home. When I look around now, I think, 'This is my area.' "

Residents and Peace Corps volunteers built two playgrounds, left, at Worthington Woods. Full kitchens, above, are available in the 12-building 392-unit complex.

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