Get to know some of the neighborhoods along the Red Line.

WOODLEY PARK  At the time of Washington's early development, the Woodley area consisted of modest manor houses on large sites and at least one working mill on wooded land rising away from the flatland by the river. To attract residents when development began in the 1870's, the area was called Woodley Park after the lovely Federal mansion, "Woodley," built by Philip Barton Key, a lawyer and congressman who was uncle to Francis Scott Key, author of the Star Spangled Banner. In 1888, art collector businessman Thomas Waggaman and John Ridout redesigned the neighborhood into smaller lots focused on Woodley Road, described as "a country road, winding (its) way down the hillside, crossing the creek on wooden bridge(s) a few feet above the level of the stream."

Development began in 1905 with the construction of the small but elegant townhouse at 2600 Connecticut Avenue, designed by Clark Waggaman, son of the now bankrupt Thomas Waggaman. Clark Waggaman's first commissions, all in the area, included the still existing buildings at 2519, 2602, 2604, and 2623¬2627 Connecticut Avenue. These three-to-four-story townhouses prophesied that Connecticut Avenue north of the dividing valley of Rock Creek would develop as a fashionable location.

Apartments appeared in Woodley Park first in 1914 with the construction of a small, multi-unit building designed by architect Frank Russell White and still standing at 2812 Connecticut Avenue. Some of the later apartment buildings, such as Cathedral Mansions and the Kennedy-Warren, were set within park-like grounds allowing all residents to enjoy views of the open land held in common. Other large apartment buildings occupied nearly all of their sites, such as those which punctuated the progress of Connecticut Avenue, constructed by the colorful builder-developer Harry Wardman at 2659, 2700, 2800 and 2854.

The Adams Morgan/Woodley Park Red Line Metro station is a popular destination for anyone interested in the restaurants, bars, and distinctive shopping across The Duke Ellington Bridge in Adams Morgan, locals and tourists visiting the National Zoo as well as the northern section of prestigious Kalorama.

Madelyn Holmes is a writer and historian. Her most recent book, American Women Conservationists, was published by McFarland in 2004. She now lives in Burlington, Vermont.

** Dr. Cynthia R. Field, Architectural Historian Emeritus, Smithsonian Institution and Adjunct Professor, Corcoran College of Art, is a long-time resident of Woodley Park.

Mary Lowry Smith, Realtor® D.C. Red Line Homes (office) 202-387-6180 (cell) 202-247-5077 Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage  Dupont Circle 1606 17th St., NW Washington, D.C.  20009    Contact Mary Online

 Real Estate SEO
Graduate in real estate seminars for Technology Training and Search Engine Optimization.

Northwest Washington D.C. - DC Metro - Dupont Circle Washington, DC Real Estate Listings

Point2 web design | nancy golliday