Hill East

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Hill East
800 block Kentucky Avenue SE - Barney Circle - Washington DC - 2014.jpg
RFK Stadium Washington DC August 4 2017.jpg
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Congressional Cemetery 2009 (4).jpg
Top: Residential rowhouses (left) and the RFK Stadium campus (right); bottom: Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Catholic Church (left) and the Congressional Cemetery (right)
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Hill East
Location in Washington, D.C.
Coordinates: 38°53′6.72″N76°58′44.40″W / 38.8852000°N 76.9790000°W / 38.8852000; -76.9790000
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
DistrictFlag of Washington, D.C.svg Washington, D.C.
Quadrants Southeast
Ward7
Government
  Councilmember Wendell Felder
ZIP code
20003
Area code 202
Website https://dc.gov/hilleast

Hill East is a residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C. located in the Southeast quadrant of the city. It is bounded by the Kingman Park neighborhood at East Capitol Street to the north, by the Anacostia River to the east and south, and by Capitol Hill at 15th Street SE to the west. It includes landmarks such as the Congressional Cemetery, RFK Stadium, and the D.C. Armory.

Contents

History

Hill East is the contemporary name for the eastern end of the Capitol Hill neighborhood, coined to give the area its own modern identity distinct from the historic district. [1] While the area had long been part of Capitol Hill, particularly Barney Circle and Kingman Park, Hill East as a distinct neighborhood began circulating in the mid-2010s and formally by the D.C. government by the end of the decade. The existing neighborhood is primarily early 20th‑century brick rowhouses—flat‑front Wardman-style homes with full-width porches, and some Victorian models—with small front lawns, alleys, and occasional carriage houses. [2] The community gardens, tree-lined streets, and area green spaces contribute to the neighborhood's reputation as a nature-rich enclave within Washington, D.C. [3] Hill East and Kingman Park are the only Ward 7 neighborhoods west of the Anacostia River. [4]

Landmarks

Public Vault at the Congressional Cemetery Public Vault roses CC.JPG
Public Vault at the Congressional Cemetery
D.C. Armory D.C. Armory - Washington, D.C..jpg
D.C. Armory

Hill East is home to several landmarks. The Congressional Cemetery, established in 1807, serves as the final resting place for numerous notable figures, including members of Congress and early local residents. [5] South of Congressional Cemetery is the Seafarers Yacht Club. Established in 1945, it is often referred to as the oldest African American boat club on the East Coast. [6] The nearby D.C. Jail has operated as the city's main correctional facility since the 1970s. [7] Adjacent to it is the site of the former District of Columbia General Hospital, previously known as Gallinger Municipal Hospital, which functioned as the city's primary public hospital until its closure in 2001 and demolition in 2018. [8]

Along East Capitol Street, Holy Comforter–St. Cyprian Catholic Church, a historic African American parish, has been a center of community life and worship in the area for over a century. [9] The East Capitol Car Barn, an architecturally distinctive former streetcar facility, has been repurposed for residential and community use. [10] On the eastern edge of the neighborhood the D.C. Armory, built in 1941 as a National Guard training facility, has since served as a major Washington, D.C. venue for military events, sports, concerts, and civic gatherings, and Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (RFK Stadium) was the home venue for the Washington Redskins football team among other sports teams and large-scale events. [11] [12]

Development

Since 2018, the Government of the District of Columbia has been actively transforming the Hill East neighborhood with initial focus on Reservation 13, formerly the D.C. General Hospital campus, into a mixed-use waterfront district under the 2002 Anacostia Waterfront Initiative. [13]

Phase I—completed by Donatelli/Blue Skye Development—delivered over 360 housing units (including permanent supportive and deeply affordable units) along with ground-floor retail. [14] Phase II—completed by Donatelli/Blue Skye for Bundle 1 and R13 Community Partners for Bundle 2—are building a combined ~2,300 units, including deeply affordable, middle-income, and market-rate housing, plus around 60,000 sq ft of retail, a 150‑room Marriott hotel, and new parks honoring RFK's legacy as well as a park dedicated to Relisha Rudd, who was kidnapped from a homeless shelter on the site and murdered back in 2014. [15] [16] As of June 2025, infrastructure work—including relocation of a major 72‑inch sewer line and roadway design—is well underway, with vertical construction for some Bundle II parcels anticipated from 2026. [17]

A $3.7 billion, 180‑acre mixed-use development project centered around a stadium with the working name of New Commanders Stadium will be built on the former site of RFK Stadium. In addition to the stadium, the area would feature 6,000 housing units, retail, restaurants, hotels, offices, and public space. Construction is set to begin in 2026 ahead of the stadium's planned opening in 2030, with its adjacent districts being built out through the 2030s. [18]

Education

Eastern High School Eastern Senior High School, 1700 East Capitol St., NE, Washington, D.C LCCN2010641672.tif
Eastern High School

The District of Columbia Public Schools operates public schools in Hill East. Those schools include: Eastern High School, Elliott-Hine Middle School, Payne Elementary School and The Capitol Hill Cluster Schools (Stuart-Hobson Middle School, Watkins Elementary School and Peabody Elementary School). [4]

St. Coletta of Greater Washington, which operates a special education school and City Center Public Charter School have campuses within Hill East. [19]

Transportation

Hill East is served by Stadium–Armory and Potomac Ave stations on the Washington Metro Blue, Orange and Silver lines. [3]

References

  1. "Get To Know DC Hill East Neighborhood". City Cast DC. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  2. "Hill East: Capitol Hill's Lesser Known Neighbor". UrbanTurf. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Hill East | If You Lived Here". neighborhoods.wetaguides.org. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Loria, Michael; Timberg, Craig; Contrera, Jessica; Smith, Harrison (March 30, 2022). "Hill East is a fairly new name for an old neighborhood". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  5. "Congressional Cemetery (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  6. "Seafarers Yacht Club - This 1945 yacht club is the oldest operational Black boating club in the United States". DC Historic Sites. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  7. "'A Very Dramatic Moment': Attorney Recalls 1972 D.C. Jail Uprising On 50th Anniversary". DCist. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  8. "Historic Medical Sites Near Washington DC". www.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  9. "Lost Capitol Hill: St. Cyprian's Church". The Hill is Home. November 30, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  10. "East Capitol Street Car Barn (Metropolitan Railroad Company Car Barn) - This large, well preserved, picturesque building is intrinsically linked to the history of Washington's rapid transit system". DC Historic Sites. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  11. "DC Armory Venue History | Events DC". eventsdc.com. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  12. "Venue History | Events DC". eventsdc.com. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  13. "Master Plan for Reservation 13 Hill East Waterfront | op". planning.dc.gov. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  14. "Park Kennedy Awarded Best Multifamily Development by Washington Business Journal". Donatelli Development. May 6, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  15. "Mayor Bowser Selects Development Teams for Hill East Phase II EquityRFP | DC". dc.gov. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  16. "RELISHA TENAU RUDD". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  17. "news". CAPITOL HILL CORNER. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  18. Gathright, Jenny; Flynn, Meagan (September 18, 2025). "The Washington Commanders stadium is coming to D.C. Here's what to expect". The Washington Post . Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  19. Shin, Annys (January 6, 2016). "10 buildings you must see around the new boom-time Washington". The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved July 1, 2025.