Takoma (Washington, D.C.)

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Takoma
Takoma Masonic Building DC.jpg
Takoma Masonic Building
USA District of Columbia location map.svg
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Takoma
Coordinates: 38°58′30″N77°1′13″W / 38.97500°N 77.02028°W / 38.97500; -77.02028
Country United States
District Washington, D.C.
WardWard 4
Government
  Councilmember Janeese Lewis George

Takoma, Washington, D.C., is a neighborhood in Washington, D.C. It is located in Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B, in the District's Fourth Ward, within the northwest quadrant. It borders the city of Takoma Park, Maryland.

Contents

Overview

Intersection of 5th St. and Aspen St. NW, Takoma, February 2019 Intersection of 5th St. and Aspen St. NW, Takoma, Washington, DC.jpg
Intersection of 5th St. and Aspen St. NW, Takoma, February 2019

Takoma is a diverse neighborhood, populated mostly by middle-class families. Its small downtown has recently been redeveloped, bringing in new residents and attractive new businesses. Many of the houses in Takoma are historic, and some are over 100 years old.

Takoma and the rest of Ward 4 are represented in the Council of the District of Columbia by Janeese Lewis George.

Geography

Map of Washington, D.C., with Takoma highlighted in red Map takoma.jpg
Map of Washington, D.C., with Takoma highlighted in red

Along Eastern Avenue, Takoma borders Takoma Park, Maryland, a city with which Takoma shares its origins. Takoma shares a common identity with the neighboring city in Maryland, and the downtown area surrounding the Takoma Metro station crosses the District of Columbia line.

Takoma is bounded by Georgia Avenue to the west, somewhere between Tuckerman and Van Buren Streets to the south, and Eastern Avenue to the northeast. The former site of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Georgia Avenue separates it from Rock Creek Park. However, the neighborhood historically and culturally spans across the Maryland line into the greater neighborhood of Takoma Park.

History

Takoma Park Historic District
Takoma HD, DC.JPG
House on Cedar St. NW
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LocationRoughly bounded by DC/Maryland boundary, 7th Street, Piney Branch Road, Aspen Street, and Fern Street.
NRHP reference No. 83001416
Added to NRHPJune 30, 1983

Takoma, which was originally named Takoma Park, was developed in 1883 by developer Benjamin Franklin Gilbert as a commuter suburb on the Metropolitan Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad line. [1] Gilbert welcomed the Seventh-day Adventist Church to set up their world headquarters and publishing house in Takoma Park, D.C. with a hospital and college in neighboring Takoma Park, Maryland, and promoted the community's reputation for vegetarianism and "clean living" away from the "malarial swamps" of the city. Takoma, D.C. was originally regarded as the commercial hub for the entire surrounding area, prior to the development of Silver Spring, Maryland, as it featured large shops and industrial buildings in the area now occupied by the Metro station. Its commercial hub is considered to be part of Takoma Park's Historic District. [2]

Gilbert wished to rename the train stop called Brightwood, and the name Takoma was chosen in 1883 by D.C. resident Ida Summy, who believed it to mean "high up" or "near heaven". [3]

The Seventh-day Adventist Church maintained its world headquarters and a publishing house on the Eastern Avenue side of the D.C. line until the early 1980s; after moving to Silver Spring, the former site of the publishing house became art lofts and rehearsal space for the Washington Opera.

The Takoma Theater, built in 1924, is located in the neighborhood and is supported by the Takoma Theatre Conservancy, a nonprofit preservation group that raised money to buy and refurbish the theater. [4]

The Takoma Masonic Center's ground-breaking ceremony took place on November 12, 1924, at the corner of Carroll Street NW and Maple Street NW. On November 29, 1924, the masonic cornerstone ceremony was conducted by the Grand Master of Masons of the District of Columbia, Charles F. Roberts, and Grand Lodge officers and members of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, Free And Accepted Masons. [5] Hiram-Takoma Lodge No. 10 [6] and Takoma Chapter No. 12, Order of the Eastern Star of the District of Columbia, have met there since May 27, 1925.

Both Takoma Park, D.C., and Takoma Park, Maryland, have been noted, regionally and nationally, for progressive politics dating from the 1960s, [7] when area residents (led by future Takoma Park, Maryland mayor Sam Abbott) rallied to prevent a 10-lane freeway from bisecting the community, [8] and lobbied to build the Metrorail system, near the site of the former B&O railroad station around which the community had been built. Neighbors Inc, a non-profit interracial group of DC residents, worked extensively in the early 1960s to oppose blockbusting efforts and to foster integrated middle-class neighborhoods. [9] Both of the remaining areas, on either side of the D.C.-Maryland line, are now protected as U.S. Historic Districts. [2]

Education

District of Columbia Public Schools operates public schools. Takoma Education Campus and Coolidge High School are located in Takoma, D.C.

District of Columbia Public Library operates the Takoma Park Neighborhood Library. [10] It was the first neighborhood library in Washington, D.C., [11] and a Carnegie library. Washington Adventist University (formerly Columbia Union College—1960-2010) is the only graduate university in Takoma Park, and the only graduate institution in Montgomery County, Maryland.

EF International Languages Center Washington, D.C., a private English school for foreign students, is located in Takoma.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Takoma Park, Maryland</span> City in the United States

Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, and part of the Washington metropolitan area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called "Azalea City", is a Tree City USA and a nuclear-free zone. A planned commuter suburb, it is situated along the Metropolitan Branch of the historic Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, just northeast of Washington, D.C., and it shares a border and history with the adjacent Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Takoma. It is governed by an elected mayor and six elected councilmembers, who form the city council, and an appointed city manager, under a council-manager style of government. The city's population was 17,629 at the 2020 census.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Takoma station</span> Washington Metro station

Takoma station is a Washington Metro station on the Red Line in the Takoma neighborhood of Washington, D.C., bordering Takoma Park, Maryland. The station is considered to be located in part of Takoma Park's Historic District. It is the last station in the District of Columbia on the eastern end of the Red Line heading to Maryland, located east of the intersection of Blair Road NW and Cedar Street NW. The station's parking lot and bus stops are accessed from Eastern Avenue NW, which runs along the DC–Maryland line.

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Shepherd Park is a neighborhood in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. In the years following World War II, restrictive covenants which had prevented Jews and African Americans from purchasing homes in the neighborhood were no longer enforced, and the neighborhood became largely Jewish and African American. Over the past 40 years, the Jewish population of the neighborhood has declined but the neighborhood has continued to support a thriving upper and middle class African American community. The Shepherd Park Citizens Association and Neighbors Inc. led efforts to stem white flight from the neighborhood in the 1960s and 1970s, and it has remained a continuously integrated neighborhood, with very active and inclusive civic groups.

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

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Woodridge is a residential neighborhood located in Ward 5 of Northeast Washington, D.C. Woodridge is contained between Eastern Avenue N.E. to the east, Taylor Street N.E. to the north, South Dakota Avenue N.E. to the west, and Bladensburg Road N.E. to the south. Its central commercial strips are Rhode Island Avenue NE and Bladensburg Road N.E. Woodridge borders the adjacent neighborhoods of Brookland, Langdon, North Michigan Park, and Fort Lincoln in Northeast Washington D.C. In addition to these neighborhoods in the District of Columbia, Woodridge borders the city of Mount Rainier and town of Cottage City in Maryland. In terms of public transportation, residents of Woodridge have access to the Brookland-CUA and Rhode Island Avenue Metro stations.

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

Brightwood is a neighborhood in the northwestern quadrant of Washington, D.C. Brightwood is part of Ward 4.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Avenue</span> Major north-south artery in NW Washington, DC, and Montgomery County, Maryland, US

Georgia Avenue is a major north-south artery in Northwest Washington, D.C., and Montgomery County, Maryland. Within the District of Columbia and a short distance in Silver Spring, Maryland, Georgia Avenue is also U.S. Route 29. Howard University is located on Georgia Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryland Route 195</span> State highway in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, known as Carroll Avenue

Maryland Route 195 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Carroll Avenue, the state highway runs 1.90 miles (3.06 km) from Eastern Avenue at the District of Columbia boundary in Takoma Park north to MD 193 in Silver Spring. MD 195 is the main north–south state highway through Takoma Park in southeastern Montgomery County. The highway provides access to Washington Adventist University and Washington Adventist Hospital and crosses Sligo Creek on the Carroll Avenue Bridge. The state highway was constructed from Washington, D.C. to Silver Spring in the late 1920s on a road that has existed since the 19th century. The Carroll Avenue Bridge was built in 1932 as the third bridge at the site. Reconstruction of the bridge began in 2015 and was completed in 2017.

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Riggs Park, also known as Lamond Riggs, is a residential neighborhood in Ward 4 of Northeast Washington, D.C. Riggs Park is contained between Eastern Avenue N.E. to the east, Riggs Road N.E. to the south, North Capitol Street N.W. to the north and west, and the Blair Road Community Garden to the north. Riggs Park is adjacent to the neighborhoods of Queens Chapel, North Michigan Park, and Fort Totten, located in Ward 5 of Northeast Washington D.C. In addition to these neighborhoods, Riggs Park also borders the city/neighborhood Chillum, which is located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The WMATA Red Line train tracks pass through the Riggs Park neighborhood when traveling between the Takoma and Fort Totten Metro Stations. In addition to the WMATA Red Line, the CSX, MARC, and Amtrak train tracks, pass through the Riggs Park neighborhood as well.

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The Takoma Park Neighborhood Library is part of the District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) System. It was opened to the public in 1911.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chillum Road Line</span> Bus route in Washington

The Chillum Road Line, designated as Route F1 is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Cheverly station of the Orange Line of the Washington Metro and Takoma station of the Red Line. The line operates every 25–38 minutes during peak hours, 60 minutes during weekday off peak hours, and 58–62 minutes on the weekends. Trips roughly take 50–60 minutes.

References

  1. Historic Takoma (2011). Takoma Park: Images of America. Arcadia Publishing. p. 9. ISBN   978-0-7385-8641-0.
  2. 1 2 "Washington, DC--Takoma Park Historic District". www.nps.gov. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  3. Kohn, Diana (November 2008). "Takoma Park at 125" (PDF). Takoma Voice. pp. 14–15. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  4. Meno, Mike.Grants offer hope for Takoma Theatre renewal. Maryland Gazette. 2008-07-16.
  5. "The Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia". The Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia.
  6. "Hiram-Takoma Lodge No. 10". Hiram-Takoma Lodge No. 10.
  7. DCist.com. "Takoma Park Votes to Impeach President Bush". Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Commonly referred to as...'The Berkeley of the East'
  8. Historic Takoma (2011). Takoma Park: Images of America. Arcadia Publishing. p. 87. ISBN   978-0-7385-8641-0.
  9. "Race and real estate in mid-century D.C. - D.C. Policy Center". April 16, 2019.
  10. "Hours & Locations." District of Columbia Public Library. Retrieved on October 21, 2009.
  11. "Takoma Park Library History." District of Columbia Public Library. Retrieved on September 21, 2010.