Building on a Legacy

FROM THE ROOFTOP of the Asberry, a sleek new senior residence in Southeast D.C., rich history and a promising future converge in view. Five humble World War II-era houses sit just beyond mounds of dirt and clamoring construction vehicles, with the Anacostia River and Washington Monument on the horizon.

Maia Shanklin Roberts M.C.P. ’11 is working to bridge the gap between the past and future. As vice president of real estate development at the nonprofit Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), she’s leading the redevelopment of the historic Black community of Barry Farm. The revitalized area—initially established for formerly enslaved African Americans, rebuilt as public housing and bulldozed after government neglect—has begun welcoming back previous residents alongside new ones, with Shanklin Roberts ensuring their voices are heard throughout the transformation.

“What my goal is and what my organization’s goal is is to revive that sense of pride, revive that legacy of ownership and self-determination,” she says of the project, which is slated for completion in 2030. “This will largely still be a very strong Black neighborhood. I think it’s important that we weave in this history.”

A D.C. native herself, Shanklin Roberts majored in urban studies at Stanford University before earning her master’s in community planning at UMD. She “fell in love with low-income housing tax credits” while at law school at American University, she says, and practiced as an affordable housing attorney until 2022. That’s when she came across the Barry Farm project in her hometown.

Its roots reach back to 1867, when a new federal agency called the Freedmen’s Bureau purchased the land to create a self-sustaining community for African Americans after the Civil War. Residents built their own homes, schools and churches, forming a close-knit neighborhood that fostered creativity and advocacy. Political activists, including Frederick Douglass’ family, called Barry Farm home.

Those themes continued into the 1940s, when the government seized a section of the community to form the 442-unit Barry Farm Dwellings, a public housing project for Black residents.

“That is the story that I feel like is a little bit lost or at least dampened by some of the more recent history, which is the history that we see of a lot of public housing communities: high crime, high violence, poverty and substance abuse,” Shanklin Roberts says. The area, isolated by two major highways, deteriorated as the city failed to provide maintenance and repairs, resulting in crumbling ceilings, leaky faucets, and infestations of rats and roaches.

Now, under the city’s New Communities Initiative, Shanklin Roberts’ team is helping residents reclaim their once-vibrant neighborhood. The Asberry, the site’s first residence, began leasing its 108 affordable units in November, and the project when completed will consist of 900 units in multifamily buildings and townhomes. Of those, at least 380 will be replacement units for former Barry Farm residents, who were relocated after demolition in 2019.

The site will also include 40,000 square feet of commercial space, a community center and park, plus new infrastructure and utilities—all of which has involved complex conversations with several D.C. agencies, says Rodger Brown, POAH managing director of real estate development.

Shanklin Roberts “has been a great thought partner as we figure out how to navigate the twists and turns of transforming a community in Washington while protecting the rights and interests of existing residents,” he says.

Regaining that resident trust has been what Shanklin Roberts calls a “beautiful challenge.” After tenants and allies pushed for a section of Barry Farm to earn historic landmark status, her team is preserving five original buildings. They’ll be repurposed, she says, as part of the new, thriving community.

“Everything that has been happening is for us,” says former Barry Farm resident Pamela House. “I’ve actually thought about packing up now because I am ready to leave this temporary place. Back home is where I want and need to be.”