825 21st St. were completed in 1879 by Robert Earl, along with a third unit (2038 I St.), now demolished. Earl is listed in records as having lived in the neighborhood, on H St. between 20th and 21st, as early as 1830; for over forty years he ran a livery stable nearby. His son, Charles, took over in 1874, moving the business a short distance to 19th St. 2040 I St. is not owned by George Washington University, the only structure on the block which is under different ownership. Later uses By the time George Washington University took possession of the houses, some were vacant, and the block was generally in poor condition. Battles to preserve the row of houses began in October 1976, when the developer who owned several of them began demolishing the house at 2022 I St. Don't Tear It Down (forerunner to the DC Preservation League), a group of historical preservationists organized in 1971 to save the Old Post Office building from destruction, convinced a judge to order a temporary restraining order stopping destruction, as a request to declare the entire block a historic landmark was pending at the time. The developer then attempted, in November, to demolish the house at 2030 I St.; this structure was already listed on the National Register of Historic Places, however, and the state historic preservation officer invoked a delay of 180 days. Discussions with the community did not even begin until the 179th day, and a thirty-day extension to the stay was granted. When this expired, the developer began demolition of the house; preservationists managed to get a restraining order in time to preserve the front half of the structure. Citing the requirement for "meaningful discussion" as laid out in a previous historic preservation case, Don't Tear It Down argued that they had not been able to adequately present their case; while the presiding judge stated that "meaningful discussion" was "beyond the court’s comprehension", he nevertheless issued an injunction preventing further demolition before the case could be heard by the DC Court of Appeals. In the event, historic preservation legislation was passed in 1978 before final adjudication, saving the buildings from destruction. The current design of the property is the result of discussions with local preservation groups. Construction of the office building, between 1982 and 1983, involved demolishing the backs of the houses while retaining their facades; it was