Brightwood | |
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 Bank of Brightwood building | |
 Map of Washington, D.C., with Brightwood highlighted in red | |
| Coordinates: 38°57′40″N77°01′39″W / 38.9612°N 77.0275°W Coordinates: 38°57′40″N77°01′39″W / 38.9612°N 77.0275°W | |
| Country | United States |
| District | Washington, D.C. |
| Ward | Ward 4 |
| Government | |
| • Councilmember | Janeese Lewis George |
Brightwood is a neighborhood in the northwestern quadrant of Washington, D.C. Brightwood is part of Ward 4.
The boundaries of Brightwood have varied over the years. In the mid-nineteenth century, the name generally encompassed the region north of Brightwood Park, west of Fort Totten, east of Rock Creek, and south of the Maryland line. [1] : 89 Today, the Brightwood Community Association, an association of residents and business owners from the western part of Brightwood, define the neighborhood's boundaries as Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Aspen Street to the north, 16th Street and Rock Creek Park to the west, Georgia Avenue to the east, and Kennedy Street to the south. [2] Other widely accepted variations bound Brightwood on the east by 5th Street. [3] The DC Government's Citizens Atlas bounds the Brightwood Assessment Neighborhood to the south at Missouri Avenue. [4] Nearby neighborhoods include Shepherd Park and Takoma to the north, Manor Park to the east, and Sixteenth Street Heights and Petworth to the south. At the 2010 census, the neighborhood had 11,242 residents. [5]
Much of the retail stores in the neighborhood sit along Georgia Avenue. The neighborhood has no Metrorail stations, although the Takoma Metrorail station and Fort Totten Metro Station are within walking distance. Several Metrobus routes serve the community.
Brightwood is at an elevation of 292 feet (89 m). [6]
The land was part of a land patent called White Mill Seat in 1756. [7] The name was changed to Peter's Mill Seat in 1800. [7] Later, the area was called Crystal Springs, named after the pure water that flowed from several nearby springs. [7] One of the springs was located near the modern-day intersection of Fourteenth and Kennedy streets, [1] : 98 which still flows in the present day, creating a constant stream of water on the sidewalk of the western side of Fourteenth Street, across from the Metrobus building. The area had many chestnut trees, and it was considered a place to enjoy with family. [8] The Passenger Railroad Company ran hourly stagecoaches from Fourteenth Street and Boundary Avenue to the springs, charging 25 cents per ride. [9]
The area was later known as Brighton, but residents decided to change the name to Brightwood in the 1840s [10] because the postal service frequently confused it with Brighton, Maryland. Archibald White and Louis Brunett are generally given credit for the new name. [1] : 98
Emory M.E. Church was built in 1832 when A.G. Pierce donated a half-acre of land in to build a church and a school. The original building stood two stories high: a first floor of logs for the school; and a second story of frame construction for worship, with a separate entrance from the outside. Black worshippers sat in a gallery. The church was named for John Emory of Queen Anne's County, Maryland, who had just been ordained bishop. Bishop Emory paid the $200 salary of the preacher's salary. In 1856, the 72-person congregation replaced the building with a red-brick structure that was torn down in 1861 for Union Army fortifications. A stone church was built in 1870. [1] : 101 The present-day building, at 6100 Georgia Avenue NW, was erected in 1921. The churchyard was originally used as a cemetery, customary use of such land in those days. [1] : 102 Some of the deceased were later moved to Rock Creek Cemetery. [1] : 101
From the late 1970s to 1992, Emory's membership sharply declined, and the church was sold on almost two occasions. In 1992, Rev. Joseph W. Daniels Jr. came to Emory to serve as its part-time pastor. At the time, Emory's membership was 85 with an average worship size of 55 people. Under Daniels, average weekly attendance has grown from 55 people to more than over 400.[ citation needed ] The United Methodist Church organization has given Emory the "Kim Jefferson Northeast Jurisdictional Award" for effective urban ministry and designated it one of the 25 Congregational Resource Centers in the "Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century" effort.[ citation needed ]
Brightwood is home to Fort Stevens, a Civil War fortification built by the Union Army as part of the defenses of Washington, D.C. The fort was built on the site of Emory Church, which was torn down and its bricks were used for the fort and baking ovens. A nearby log building used by the church was also torn down and its logs used to build a guardhouse for unruly soldiers. [1] : 101 Fort Stevens was attacked by 20,000 Confederate soldiers led by General Jubal Early during the Battle of Fort Stevens, July 11–12, 1864. The Confederate attack was repulsed. The congregation petitioned Congress for compensation for the torn-down church, Congress appropriated $412 for rent for use of the grounds. [1] : 102 Following petitions from veterans formerly stationed at the fort, [11] Congress established a park at the site and a memorial plaque. [1] : 102 Forty soldiers are buried in the nearby historic Battleground National Cemetery. [12] An 1885 police census documented the population of Brightwood as 104. [13]
Brightwood was home to a horse racetrack originally named Crystal Springs Park, then Piney Branch Park, and finally Brightwood Trotting Park. [1] : 98 [14] A tavern was nearby, operated by Frederick G. Rohr and later by his widow Annie M. Rohr. It was common for people to watch the races, swim in nearby Rock Creek, and have a picnic lunch. After many years, Brightwood Trotting Park greatly decreased in popularity. During its last year of operation, it was primarily used for racing mules. [1] : 99 The course was closed in 1909 [15] in order to make way for the extension of Sixteenth Street. [16]
Moreland's Tavern sat at the corner of modern-day Georgia and Missouri avenues before the Civil War. The building later became the Brightwood Club House, known for being a nice place to ride a horse and enjoy a drink. It eventually became the site of a Masonic Temple. [7]
Brightwood was also the location, in 1909, of the first successful flight by a helicopter in the United States, built by Emile Berliner. [17] His Gyro Motor Company building, which has been nominated for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, still stands at 770-774 Girard Street, NW. [18]
The Sheridan Theater, a motion-picture theater, opened on Georgia Avenue between Rittenhouse and Sheridan Streets in 1937. [19] The first feature was Sing Me A Love Song. [19]
Other historic sites include Engine Company 22 on Georgia Avenue NW, Fort View Apartments, which overlook the site of Fort Stevens and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Military Road School, which opened in 1864 and was one of the first schools in Washington to open after Congress authorized the education of African Americans. [20]
The 21st century brought redevelopment of the commercial area along Georgia Avenue. [21]
Condominiums were completed at the corner of Georgia and Missouri Avenues in 2006. A restaurant, Meridian, operated on the first floor from January to June 2008, [22] reopened as Brightwood Bistro in August 2008, [23] and closed in 2012.
The corner of Georgia Avenue and Peabody Street was for years the site of the Curtis Chevrolet dealership and a car barn built in 1909. In 2007, Foulger-Pratt Development Inc., the company that redeveloped much of downtown Silver Spring, [24] filed plans to build a new building with 400 residential units (up to 8 percent of which would be reserved as affordable), restaurants, retail, and underground parking at the site. [24] [25] [26] [27] The D.C. Historical Preservation Society requested that Foulger-Pratt's design incorporate rather than demolish the car barn, [28] for which it planned to seek historical designation. [24] In response, Foulger-Pratt proposed to raze only the rear of the structure and renovate the front. [24] [29] Groundbreaking was anticipated in summer 2010 [29] but the plans fell through. In November 2010, Walmart announced interest in opening a store at the location by 2012. [30] [31] Some neighborhood residents opposed the plan, [32] but the company razed the entire site, including the car barn, in March 2012 and the store opened in December 2013. [33]
The Beacon Center, a $55.3 million redevelopment surrounding the historic Emory United Methodist Church in Brightwood, opened in 2019. The project delivered 99 housing units: 91 reserved for tenants earning 60 percent or less than the area's median income, and eight for people leaving homelessness. [34]
Brightwood has the highest percentage of immigrants of any neighborhood in D.C., with immigrants making up nearly 50 percent of the population. Brightwood also has the highest percentage of Ethiopians (16%) and Salvadorans (19%) of any neighborhood; [35] Salvadorans and Ethiopians are the two largest immigrant groups in Washington D.C. Brightwood's immigrant communities are mainly from Ethiopia, Eritrea, El Salvador and the rest of Central America, the Caribbean, and the Philippines. [36]
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, and it shares a border and history with the adjacent 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.
Druid Hills is a community which includes both a census-designated place (CDP) in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, as well as a neighborhood of the city of Atlanta. The CDP's population was 14,568 at the 2010 census. The CDP formerly contained the main campus of Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) however they were annexed by Atlanta in 2018. The Atlanta-city section of Druid Hills is one of Atlanta's most affluent neighborhoods with a mean household income in excess of $238,500.
Cascade is an urban neighborhood abutting Downtown Seattle, Washington, United States, located adjacent to South Lake Union. It is bounded by: Fairview Avenue North on the west, beyond which is the rest of the Cascade Neighborhood; the Interstate 5 interchange for Mercer St to the north, beyond which is Eastlake; Interstate 5 on the east, beyond which is Capitol Hill; and Denny Way on the south, beyond which is Denny Triangle. It is surrounded by thoroughfares Mercer Street (eastbound), Fairview Avenue N. and Eastlake Avenue E., and Denny Way. The neighborhood, one of Seattle's oldest, originally extended much further: west to Terry Avenue, south to Denny Hill on the South, and east to Melrose Avenue E through the area now obliterated by Interstate 5. Some recent writers consider Cascade to omit the northern "arm", while others extend it westward to cover most of South Lake Union.
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.
Virginia–Highland is an affluent neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, founded in the early 20th century as a streetcar suburb. It is named after the intersection of Virginia Avenue and North Highland Avenue, the heart of its trendy retail district at the center of the neighborhood. The neighborhood is famous for its bungalows and other historic houses from the 1910s to the 1930s. It has become a destination for people across Atlanta with its eclectic mix of restaurants, bars, and shops as well as for the Summerfest festival, annual Tour of Homes and other events.
Petworth is a residential neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. It is bounded to the east by the Armed Forces Retirement Home and Rock Creek Cemetery, to the west by Arkansas Avenue NW, to the south by Rock Creek Church Road NW and Spring Road NW, and to the north by Kennedy Street NW.
Overtown is a neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States, just northwest of Downtown Miami. Originally called Colored Town in the Jim Crow era of the late 19th through the mid-20th century, the area was once the preeminent and is the historic center for commerce in the black community in Miami and South Florida.
Streetcars in Washington, D.C. transported people across the city and region from 1862 until 1962.
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. Both Howard University and Walter Reed Army Medical Center are located on Georgia Avenue.
Park View is a neighborhood in central Washington, D.C., immediately north of Howard University.
New Hampshire Avenue is a diagonal street in Washington, D.C., beginning at the Kennedy Center and extending northeast for about 5 miles (8 km) and then continuing into Maryland where it is designated Maryland Route 650. New Hampshire Avenue, however, is not contiguous. It stops at 15th and W Streets NW and resumes again on the other side of Columbia Heights at Park Road NW, a few blocks from Georgia Avenue. New Hampshire Avenue passes through several Washington neighborhoods including Foggy Bottom, Dupont Circle, Petworth and Lamond-Riggs.
Brightwood Park is a small neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C. in the United States. The neighborhood is bounded by Georgia Avenue NW to the west, Missouri Avenue NW to the northeast and Kennedy Street NW to the south. More recently, areas that are technically part of the northern extremity of the Petworth neighborhood have been increasingly referred to as Brightwood Park. Often these informal boundaries extend south to Emerson Street NW, and east to New Hampshire Avenue NW. Another definition places Hamilton Street NW as Brightwood Park's southern boundary. Yet another definition places Brightwood Park's southern boundary as Ingraham Street NW. It is located in Ward 4.
Sixteenth Street Heights is a large neighborhood of rowhouses, duplexes, and American Craftsman and American Foursquare detached houses in Northwest Washington, D.C.
Fort Stevens Ridge is a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C. built during the 1920s. The neighborhood comprises about 50 acres (0.20 km2) and is very roughly bounded by Peabody Street, Fifth Street, Underwood Street, and Ninth Street. As of the 2010 census, the neighborhood had 2,597 residents. It was named for nearby Fort Stevens, a Civil War-era fort used to defend the nation's capital from invasion by Confederate soldiers.
Capitol View is a historic in-town southwest Atlanta neighborhood 2.5 miles from downtown Atlanta, Georgia that was named for its view of the Georgia State Capitol building. Its boundaries include Metropolitan Parkway to the east, Lee Street to the west, and the Beltline to the north. On the south, the border follows Arden Street, Deckner Avenue, and Perkerson Park.
Parkridge is a neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, located off Magnolia Avenue east of the city's downtown area. Developed as a streetcar suburb for Knoxville's professional class in the 1890s, the neighborhood was incorporated as the separate city of Park City in 1907, and annexed by Knoxville in 1917. In the early 1900s, the neighborhood provided housing for workers at the nearby Standard Knitting Mill factory.
English Avenue and Vine City are two adjacent and closely linked neighborhoods of Atlanta, Georgia. Together the neighborhoods make up neighborhood planning unit L. The two neighborhoods are frequently cited together in reference to shared problems and to shared redevelopment schemes and revitalization plans.
Brightwood Education Campus is a public school located in the Northwest quadrant of the District of Columbia.
Engine Company 22, also known as the Brightwood Firehouse, was a fire station at #5760 Georgia Ave NW and it is also a historic structure located in the Brightwood Park neighborhood in Washington, D.C. It was listed on both the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites and on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. The two-story brick building was designed by Leon E. Dessez and built in stages. It was initially completed in 1897 and then enlarged between 1907 and 1911. The current address of DCFD Engine Company 22 and Truck Company 11 is #6825 Georgia Ave NW.
Appleton Prentiss Clark Jr. was an American architect from Washington, D.C. During his 60-year career, Clark was responsible for designing hundreds of buildings in the Washington area, including homes, hotels, churches, apartments and commercial properties. He is considered one of the city's most prominent and influential architects from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of his designs are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
Places adjacent to Brightwood (Washington, D.C.) | |
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| General | |
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| National libraries | |
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