Section 10-A2001. HISTORY

 

2001.1Urban development in the Mid-City area began in the early 19th century. Some of the city’s earliest mansions were constructed on the high ground above the L’Enfant city, including the Porter Mansion (later to become Meridian Hill Park) and the Holmead Estate (later subdivided as Mount Pleasant). The Columbian College, which would eventually become George Washington University, was founded on Meridian Hill in 1822. Howard University was established 45 years later, in 1867. Still, much of the area remained rural until the late 19th century. Stagecoaches ran up and down what is now 14th Street, connecting the area’s small hamlets, estates, and farms to the center city. 2001.1

 

2001.2The Mid-City’s development boom was tied to the growth of the city’s transportation system. Several streetcar lines were extended north from the city center in the 1880s, including lines along 7th Street and 14th Street. Commercial uses developed along these routes, a pattern that persists to this day. By the turn of the century, streetcars had been extended along Florida Avenue, U Street, 11th Street, 18th Street, Calvert Street, 11th Street, and out to LeDroit Park and beyond. Residential development was extensive, and neighborhoods like Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, Kalorama, Bloomingdale, and Eckington emerged as the city’s first generation suburbs. 2001.2

 

2001.3Many of the Mid-City neighborhoods were quite prestigious. Located above the Potomac escarpment, places like Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights were felt to have healthier air and cooler summertime weather than the old city below. Elegant apartment buildings and embassies were developed along 16th Street, where commercial uses were not permitted in order to preserve the street’s character as the formal gateway to the White House. To the east, neighborhoods like LeDroit Park became home to a growing community of upwardly mobile African-Americans. Howard University emerged as one of the country’s leading African-American colleges and a seat of learning for black scholars and professors. U Street thrived as the city’s “Black Broadway” and a cultural legacy of music, art, and theater was born. 2001.3

 

2001.4By 1930, the area’s initial development was essentially complete. Population continued to grow, and the area continued to develop with apartment buildings and denser housing. Residents were encouraged to take in boarders during the war years, and some of the larger row houses were converted into multi-family buildings and rooming houses. 2001.4

 

2001.5With the end of World War II in 1945 and desegregation of schools in 1954, conditions in the Mid-City neighborhoods began to change. Racial change accelerated in the 1950s and urban renewal created disruption in neighborhoods like Shaw and Eckington. Middle class black and white households began to leave the area, leaving behind a growing population of lower income households. The area’s future was further jeopardized by the proposed Inner Loop Freeway in the 1950s. Had the Freeway been built, much of the Adams Morgan and U Street neighborhoods would have been destroyed. 2001.5

 

2001.6Mid-City was particularly hard hit by the 1968 riots. Many buildings along 14th and U Streets were burned and the psyche of the community was devastated. Reinvestment and recovery were slow. Urban renewal plans for Shaw and 14th Streets brought large numbers of subsidized apartments in the 1970s, but many of the commercial businesses never reopened. 2001.6

 

2001.7While parts of the area continued to decline during the 1980s and 90s, other areas began experiencing a renaissance. By the 1990s, Adams Morgan had gained a reputation as one of the city’s most colorful neighborhoods and many of its homes were restored and upgraded. Loft and condominium construction and residential rehabilitation continues in the neighborhood today. 2001.7

 

2001.8During the 1980s and 90s, an influx of residents from Latin America began to transform communities like Columbia Heights and Mount Pleasant. The transformation continued during the early 2000s following the opening of the Columbia Heights Metro Station. A 500,000 square foot commercial center-the largest retail construction project in the city-will soon rise beside the station. Projects like Harrison Square, the Lincoln Condominiums, and Ellington Plaza have brought hundreds of new residents to U Street. Elsewhere in the Mid-City, vacant homes are being rehabbed throughout Shaw, LeDroit Park, Eckington, Bloomingdale, Park View, and Pleasant Plains. 2001.8

 

notation

The provisions of Title 10, Part A of the DCMR accessible through this web interface are codification of the District Elements of the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital. As such, they do not represent the organic provisions adopted by the Council of the District of Columbia. The official version of the District Elements only appears as a hard copy volume of Title 10, Part A published pursuant to section 9a of the District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1994, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; D.C. Official Code § 1 -301.66)) . In the event of any inconsistency between the provisions accessible through this site and the provisions contained in the published version of Title 10, Part A, the provisions contained in the published version govern. A copy of the published District Elements is available www.planning.dc.gov.