Arthur Capper/Carrollsburg

Last updated
Arthur Capper/Carrollsburg
Aerial view with a focus on plants and other buildings along the Potomac River, Washington, D.C LCCN2011636167 (cropped).tif
Aerial view, 1980s
General information
Location Washington, D.C., US
StatusDemolished
Area23 acres (9.3 ha)
No. of units707 households
Density50 units per acre (120/ha)
Construction
Constructed1958
Architect Hilyard Robinson
Demolished2000

Arthur Capper/Carrollsburg was a public housing project located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Southeast Washington, D.C. Popularly known to its residents as "Capers", [1] the housing project was bound by Virginia Avenue, M Street, 2nd Street, and 5th Street, SE.

Contents

First built in 1958 under the direction of architect Hilyard Robinson, it was named after Kansas Senator Arthur Capper, who, as District of Columbia Committee, helped create the first housing authority in Washington, D.C.

The project consisted of the Arthur Capper Senior, Arthur Capper Family, and Carrollsburg Family developments. The project altogether housed 707 households. [1] Beginning in 2000, the buildings became subject to demolition as part of the city's redevelopment efforts. [2]

Social and cultural life

The Arthur Capper/Carrollsburg project was well known for its sports teams, including the semi-pro football team Washington Stonewalls which was founded in 1946 by Ben Wright. By 1995, the team was recognized as the oldest "continuously operating" [3] semi-pro football team in the United States. The team's first coach was Richard Perry and notable former players include former Major League Baseball player Maury Wills and Luke C. Moore, a DC Superior Court judge for whom a D.C. Public School is named. [3] [4]

The Arthur Capper Recreation Center was the team's practice field and where the team sometimes hosted teams from other predominately black neighborhoods in Washington, DC as well as teams from different states. [3]

The Arthur Capper/Carrollsburg community was also known for musical groups and the Arthur Capper Recreation Center.[ citation needed ] In 1970, the Martin Luther King Jr. Food Cooperative was opened and operated by and for the residents. [5] One of the prominent leaders was Beatrice Gray.

While it was officially named after Senator Arthur Capper, its nickname, "Capers," likely referred to Helen T. Capers. Helen T. Capers was the playground coordinator for decades at the Lincoln Playground located at 6th and L Streets, SE.

Closure and redevelopment

Three of the four Arthur Capper buildings between 5th and 7th streets were demolished in 2000. [2] In 2001, D.C. received a $34.9 million Hope VI grant to redevelop the 23-acre Capper/Carrollsburg public housing project as a mixed-income community. [6] The New York Times noted that officials promised that the "redevelopment of the Arthur Capper and Carrollsburg projects" was "the first in the country to promise replacement of all low-income units within the same neighborhood". [7]

The new buildings at the site are now called Capitol Quarter. [8] In 2007, the new Arthur Capper Seniors Building opened with 162 units. The Capper residents have been waiting for ten years for the rebuilding of the Arthur Capper Recreation Center, which is now being called the Community Center.

Legacy

According to Faye Harrison, the 2007 American Anthropological Association Program Chair, "In response to Hope VI’s plan to demolish Capers’ 707 units, Friends and Residents of Arthur Capper and Carrollsburg was founded in 1999. The neighborhood watchdog organization aims to protect the rights of residents in the relocation process." [9]

Anu Yadav wrote a play called "Capers" based on her work with this group and her research in the community. [10] The D.C. Humanities Council funded this work. Parts of the play appeared in the film "Chocolate City." [11]

Today, the Arthur Capper community has a Facebook page and a website with an oral history project. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urban renewal</span> Land redevelopment in cities

Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighted areas in inner cities in favour of new housing, businesses, and other developments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest (Washington, D.C.)</span> Southwestern quadrant of Washington, D.C.

Southwest is the southwestern quadrant of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and is located south of the National Mall and west of South Capitol Street. It is the smallest quadrant of the city, and contains a small number of named neighborhoods and districts, including Bellevue, Southwest Federal Center, the Southwest Waterfront, Buzzard Point, and the military installation known as Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbia Heights (Washington, D.C.)</span> Neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Columbia Heights is a neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in Northwest D.C. Bounded by 16th Street NW, W Street NW, Florida Avenue NW, Barry Place NW, Sherman Avenue NW, Spring Road NW, and New Hampshire Avenue NW. neighborhood is an important retail hub for the area, as home to DC USA mall and to numerous other restaurants and stores, primarily along the highly commercialized 14th Street. Columbia Heights is home to numerous historical landmarks, including Meridian Hill Park, National Baptist Memorial Church, All Souls Church, along with a number of embassy buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaw (Washington, D.C.)</span> Neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Shaw is a neighborhood of Washington, D.C., located in the Northwest quadrant. Shaw is a major entertainment and retail hub, and much of the neighborhood is designated as a historic district, including the smaller Blagden Alley-Naylor Court Historic District. Shaw and the U Street Corridor have historically have been the city's hub for African-American social, cultural, and economic life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sursum Corda (Washington, D.C.)</span> Neighborhood in the US federal district

Sursum Corda is a small neighborhood located in Washington, D.C., Located in Northeast and Northwest. Bounded by New Jersey Avenue NW, New York Avenue NW & NE, Massachusetts Avenue NW & NE, First Street NW, N Street NW, Florida Avenue NE, Delaware Avenue NE, 2nd Street NE, NoMa-Gallaudet-New York Avenue Metro Train Tracks,

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U Street (Washington, D.C.)</span> Historic district in Washington D.C.

The U Street Corridor or Greater U Street, sometimes known as Cardozo/Shaw, is a neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in Northwest D.C. Centered along U Street, the neighborhood is one of Washington's most popular nightlife and entertainment districts, as well as one of the most significant African American heritage districts in the country.

HOPE VI is a program of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. It is intended to revitalize the most distressed public housing projects in the United States into mixed-income developments. Its philosophy is largely based on New Urbanism and the concept of defensible space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Park View (Washington, D.C.)</span> Neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Park View is a neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in Northwest D.C. The neighborhood is primarily residential with its main commercial corridor of shops and restauarants located along Georgia Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Farm</span> Neighborhood in Ward 8, United States

Barry Farm is a neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C., located east of the Anacostia River and bounded by the Southeast Freeway to the northwest, Suitland Parkway to the northeast and east, and St. Elizabeths Hospital to the south. The neighborhood was renowned as a significant post-Civil-War settlement of free Blacks and freed slaves established by the Freedmen's Bureau. The streets were named to commemorate the Union generals, Radical Republicans, and Freedmen's Bureau officials who advanced the rights of Black Americans during the Civil War and Reconstruction: Howard Road SE for General Oliver O. Howard; Sumner Road SE for Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner; Wade Road SE for Ohio Senator Benjamin Wade; Pomeroy Road SE for Kansas Senator Samuel C. Pomeroy; Stevens Road SE for Pennsylvania Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, and Nichols Avenue for Henry Nichols who was the first superintendent of Saint Elizabeth's Hospital. The neighborhood name is not a reference to the late former mayor of Washington, D.C., Marion Barry, but coincidentally has the same spelling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest Waterfront</span> Neighborhood in Washington, D.C., United States

The Southwest Waterfront is a neighborhood in Southwest Washington, D.C. The Southwest quadrant is the smallest of Washington's four quadrants, and the Southwest Waterfront is one of only two residential neighborhoods in the quadrant; the other is Bellevue, which, being east of the Anacostia River, is frequently, if mistakenly, regarded as being in Southeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capitol View (Washington, D.C.)</span> Place in the United States

Capitol View is a neighborhood located in southeast Washington, D.C., in the United States. It is bounded by East Capitol Street to the north, Central Avenue SE to the southwest and south, and Southern Avenue SE to the southeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Highlands (Washington, D.C.)</span> Residential neighborhood, southeast Washington, D.C., United States

Washington Highlands is a residential neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C., in the United States. It lies within Ward 8. Bounded by Oxon Run Park(Oxon-Run Trail)SE, Livingston Road SE, South Capitol Street SE, Southern Avenue SE, Valley Avenue SE, and 13th Street SE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navy Yard (Washington, D.C.)</span> Place in the United States

Navy Yard is a neighborhood of Washington, D.C., located in Southeast D.C. Navy Yard, situated along the Anacostia Riverfront south of Capitol Hill, takes its name from Washington Navy Yard, the administrative seat of the U.S. Navy. Historically an industrial area, today Navy Yard is a popular entertainment district, home to Nationals Park, a notable nightlife scene, and numerous waterfront esplanades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall Heights (Washington, D.C.)</span> Residential neighborhood in Washington, D

Marshall Heights is a residential neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is bounded by East Capitol Street, Central Avenue SE, Southern Avenue, Fitch Street SE, and Benning Road SE. It was an undeveloped rural area occupied by extensive African American shanty towns, but the neighborhood received nationwide attention after a visit by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1934, which led to extensive infrastructure improvements and development for the first time. In the 1950s, Marshall Heights residents defeated national legislation designed to raze and redevelop the neighborhood. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom visited the area in 1991, at a time when Marshall Heights was in the throes of a violent crack cocaine epidemic. Limited redevelopment has occurred in the neighborhood, which was the site of two notorious child murders in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sixteenth Street Heights</span>

Sixteenth Street Heights is a large neighborhood of rowhouses, duplexes, and American Craftsman and American Foursquare detached houses in Northwest Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodland (Washington, D.C.)</span> Place in the United States

Woodland is a small residential and industrial neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. Woodland lies in Washington's Ward 8, among the poorest and least developed of the city's wards. Like the neighborhoods around it, Woodland is almost exclusively African American. Woodland is bounded by Ainger Place SE to the north; Alabama Avenue SE and Knox Place SE to the east; Hartford Street SE to the south; and Langston Place SE, Raynolds Place SE, and Erie Street SE to the southwest. Fort Stanton Park forms the northwest and northern border of the neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McMillan Sand Filtration Site</span>

McMillan Sand Filtration Site is a twenty-five acre decommissioned water treatment plant in northwest Washington, D.C., built as part of the historic McMillan Reservoir Park. It is bound on the north by Michigan Avenue, on the east by North Capitol Street, on the south by Channing Street and on the west by McMillan Drive; which runs along the edge of the reservoir, to which it was formerly attached. Two paved courts lined by regulator houses, tower-like sand bins, sand washers and the gated entrances to the underground filter cells provided a promenade for citizens taking the air in the park before it was fenced off in WWII.

Potomac Gardens, known to some of its residents as "The Gardens", is a housing project located at 1225 G Street SE, in Capitol Hill, Southeast, Washington, D.C., thirteen blocks to the southeast of the United States Capitol building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">District of Columbia Housing Authority</span> Public housing agency in Washington, D.C., United States

The District of Columbia Housing Authority is an independent government agency whose mission is to provide affordable housing to extremely low- through moderate-income households, foster sustainable communities, and cultivate opportunities for residents to improve their lives throughout the eight wards of Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wharf (Washington, D.C.)</span> Mixed-use development in Washington, D.C.

The District Wharf, commonly known simply as The Wharf, is a multi-billion dollar mixed-use development on the Southwest Waterfront in Washington, D.C. It contains the city's historic Maine Avenue Fish Market, hotels, residential buildings, restaurants, shops, parks, piers, docks and marinas, and live music venues. The first phase of The Wharf opened in October 2017 and the second and final phase was completed in October 2022. The neighborhood encompasses 24 acres of land, 50 acres of water, and contain 3.2 million square feet (300,000 m2) of retail, residential, and entertainment space along 1 mile (1.6 km) of the Potomac River shoreline from the Francis Case Memorial Bridge to Fort McNair.

References

  1. 1 2 Vargas, Jose Antonio (November 4, 2004). "All the Neighborhood's a Stage". The Washington Post.
  2. 1 2 "The Morphing of a Forgotten Neighborhood". Washington Post. 2004-09-02. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  3. 1 2 3 Montgomery, David; Montgomery, David (1995-11-04). "SOLID AS A STONE WALL". The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  4. "School Profiles Home". profiles.dcps.dc.gov. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  5. "Food Co-Op Opens at Capper Housing". DC Gazette. February 3, 1970.
  6. "Capper Redevelopment - Additional Apartment Buildings - JDLand.com". www.jdland.com. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  7. Eckholm, Erik (2008-03-21). "Washington's Grand Experiment to Rehouse the Poor". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  8. "DCHA Celebrates Brand New Neighborhood". District of Columbia Housing Authority. 2012-10-25. Archived from the original on 2012-10-27. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  9. Harrison, Faye (2007). "Life Stories, Grassroots Activism, Theatrical Performance".
  10. "All the Neighborhood's a Stage". The Washington Post. November 4, 2004.
  11. Broyles, Carla (April 27, 2012). "Style". The Washington Post.
  12. "Arthur Capper Public Housing Oral History Project".

38°52′40″N77°00′02″W / 38.8779°N 77.0006°W / 38.8779; -77.0006