First built in 1887 and originally called the Phelps School, the Grimke School was renamed in 1934 after Archibald Grimke. The school building is designated as a contributing building to the U Street Historic District and has since been converted to various office buildings throughout its existence. 

HENRY ADAMS provided the MEP engineering design for the LEED Gold $42M, 65,000 SF redevelopment of the  3-story Grimke School into a mixed-use building. The project includes expanded/additional exhibition spaces for both the African-American Civil War Museum and CulturalDC.