Section 10-A2201. HISTORY

 

2201.1European settlement in the Rock Creek East Area dates back to 1712, when St. Paul’s Episcopal Church was sited in the area. Rock Creek Cemetery was established in 1719. The area initially developed as a result of the presence of underground springs and the area’s popularity for recreational horse racing in the early to mid-1800s. Brightwood Turnpike, later renamed Georgia Avenue, was built in 1819 and served as a major route for race patrons and agricultural commerce between Maryland and downtown Washington. During the Civil War, Fort Totten, Fort Slocum and Fort Stevens were developed to defend the capital from attack. Fort Stevens was the site of Civil War combat in 1864, a battle that gained notoriety as the only military action in which a sitting U.S. President came under fire from an enemy force. All three of the forts are now part of the National Park Service’s Fort Circle Parks, and the Battleground National Cemetery on Georgia Avenue is on the National Register of Historic Places. 2201.1

 

2201.2Following the Civil War, development in the area increased, especially along Georgia Avenue and Military Road. Farms, estates and summer homes were the first housing types to be developed. Toward the end of the 19th century, Brightwood became a suburban village where affluent families lived on large estates. As further development occurred, Brightwood was subdivided into the neighborhoods that we know today as Petworth, Brightwood Park, Brightwood and Lamond. 2201.2

 

2201.3On the northeast edge of Brightwood, Takoma Park was founded by Benjamin Gilbert in the early 1880s and developed around the Brightwood Railroad Station (later renamed Takoma Park Station) near Fourth Street and Blair Road. Many of its spacious wood-frame bungalows and Victorian homes remain today, and much of the neighborhood is a designated historic district. 2201.3

 

2201.4Federal facilities also shaped the growth of Rock Creek East. Chief among them were the U.S. Soldiers and Airmens Home, established in 1851 near Rock Creek Church Road, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, built I 1909 on Georgia Avenue. Walter Reed’s development sparked residential and commercial development in surrounding areas. For example, the Shepherd Estate north of Walter Reed was subdivided in 1911 and developed as Shepherd Park during the 1910s. Shepherd Park initially was developed with restrictive covenants that excluded African-Americans and Jews from the community. However, by the 1960s, the neighborhood was the heart of the District’s Jewish community and today it is one of the most racially diverse neighborhoods in the city. 2201.4

 

2201.5The racial composition of Rock Creek East shifted during the 1950s and 1960s. The area was predominantly white prior to 1950, but by 1970 it was predominantly black. The area became a desirable neighborhood for upper middle and middle income black professional families and the stately homes and subdivisions along 16th Street developed a cachet as Washington’s “Gold Coast.” Racial composition remained fairly constant during the 1970s and 1980s, but became more diverse during the 1990s as the number of Latino residents increased. 2201.5

 

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.