U.S. Capitol

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Map of Washington, D.C., with Capitol Hill highlighted in red

Capitol Hill, aside from being the common nickname for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly behind the U.S. Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the oldest residential communities in Washington, and with roughly 30,000 people in just under two square miles, it is one of the most dense neighborhoods in Washington.

The Hill itself rises in the center of DC and extends eastward. The hill, which in 1790 was called Jenkins Hill or Jenkins Heights, was the site chosen by Pierre L'Enfant for the placement of the "Congress House," a site which L'Enfant characterized as a "pedestal waiting for a superstructure." In accordance with this plan, the Capitol was situated upon the crest of the hill facing the city.

The neighborhood straddles two quadrants of the city, Southeast and Northeast. To the east of Capitol Hill lies the Anacostia River, to the north is the H Street corridor and to the south is the Southeast/Southwest Freeway and the Washington Navy Yard.

History

The neighborhood that is now called Capitol Hill began when the government began work at two locations, the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Navy Yard, and came to be a distinct community between 1799 and 1810 as the federal government became a major employer. The first stage in its early history was that a boarding house community developed for members of Congress. In the early years of the Republic, few Congressmen wished to establish permanent residence in the city. Instead, most preferred to live in boarding houses within walking distance of the Capitol.

In 1799 the Washington Navy Yard was established on the banks of the Anacostia River, and provided jobs to craftsmen who built and repaired ships. Many of the craftsmen who were employed both at the Navy Yard and in the construction of the Capitol chose to live within walking distance, to the east of the Capitol and the north of the Navy Yard, and became the original residential population of the neighborhood. In 1806 President Thomas Jefferson selected the location of the Marine Barracks, which had to be within marching distance of both the Capitol and the White House, not far from the Washington Navy Yard. By 1810 shops, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, and churches were flourishing in the area.

The Civil War resulted in more construction in the Capitol Hill area, including the building of hospitals. Construction of new houses continued in the 1870s and 1880s, and the neighborhood began to divide along racial and economic class lines.

Electricity, piped water, and plumbing were introduced in the 1890s, and were first available in the downtown areas of the District of Columbia, including Capitol Hill. There was a real estate development boom between 1890 and 1910 as the Capitol Hill area became one of the first neighborhoods having these modern conveniences.

In 1976, the Capitol Hill Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is one of the largest historic districts in the United States. It includes buildings from the Federal period (1800 to 1820) through 1919, but most of the buildings are late Victorian. Capitol Hill has remained a fairly stable middle class neighborhood throughout its existence. During the so called "Crack Epidemic" of the 1980's, its fringes were often affected, and more recently, the neighborhood has undergone intense gentrification.

Description

Almost every street of the Capitol Hill neighborhood is composed of rowhouses of different stylistic varieties and periods forming a continuous wall broken only by street intersections and the occasional church. Side by side exist early 19th century manor houses, Federal townhouses, small frame dwellings, ornate Italianate bracketed houses and the late 19th century press brick rowhouses with their often whimsical decorative elements combining Richardsonian Romanesque, Queen Anne, and Eastlakian motifs.

Recent estimates in Capitol Hill newspapers suggest as many as a third of all Members of Congress live on Capitol Hill while in Washington.

Capitol Hill has several local community newspapers, such as the Hill Rag and the Voice of the Hill.

The main non-residential corridor of Capitol Hill is Pennsylvania Avenue, a lively commercial street with shops, restaurants and bars. Eastern Market, an 1873 public market, where vendors sell fresh meat and produce in indoor stalls and at outdoor farmer's stands, is an anchor point for nearby stores and restaurants and is the site of an outdoor flea market every weekend. Barracks Row (8th Street SE), so called because of its proximity to the U.S. Marine Barracks, is one of the city's oldest commercial corridors, dating to the late 18th century, and has recently been revitalized.

You can find Frederick Douglas' house in the 300 block of A Street Northeast.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

Grooms, Thomas B. The Majesty of Capitol Hill, Pelican Publishing Company, 2005. ISBN 978-1589802285
Robert, with Rashke, Richard Parker. Capitol Hill in Black and White, 1986. ISBN 978-0396086703
Williams, Paul K. Capitol Hill, Arcadia Publishing, 2004. ISBN 978-0738516158

External links

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