Columbia Heights is a neighborhood in central
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
Located in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., Columbia Heights borders the neighborhoods of
ShawShaw is a neighborhood located in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. It is roughly bounded by N Street, NW to the south; New Jersey Avenue, NW to the east; Florida Avenue, NW to the north; and 11th Street, NW to the west--although there is a westward panhandle that extends to 16th Street...
,
Adams MorganAdams Morgan is a culturally diverse neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C., centered at the intersection of 18th Street and Columbia Road. Adams Morgan is considered the center of Washington's hispanic immigrant community, and is a major night life area with many bars and restaurants,...
,
Mount PleasantMount Pleasant is a neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., capital of the United States. The neighborhood is bounded by 16th Street, NW and the Columbia Heights neighborhood to the east, Rock Creek Park to the north and west, and Harvard Street, NW and the Adams Morgan...
,
PetworthPetworth is a residential neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., bounded by Georgia Avenue to the west, North Capitol Street to the east, Rock Creek Church Road to the south, and Kennedy Street NW to the north...
, Park View,
Pleasant PlainsPleasant Plains is a neighborhood in central Washington, D.C. largely occupied by Howard University. For this reason it is also sometimes referred to as Howard Town or, less frequently, Howard Village....
and LeDroit Park. To the east is
Howard UniversityHoward University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States....
. The streets defining the neighborhood's boundaries are 16th Street to the west; Spring Road to the north; Sherman Avenue to the east (the Columbia Heights sign at the intersection of Georgia and Irving prepares visitor for the neighborhood as they approach Sherman Avenue); and Florida Avenue and Barry Place to the south.
Columbia Heights is a neighborhood in central
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
Geography
Located in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., Columbia Heights borders the neighborhoods of
ShawShaw is a neighborhood located in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. It is roughly bounded by N Street, NW to the south; New Jersey Avenue, NW to the east; Florida Avenue, NW to the north; and 11th Street, NW to the west--although there is a westward panhandle that extends to 16th Street...
,
Adams MorganAdams Morgan is a culturally diverse neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C., centered at the intersection of 18th Street and Columbia Road. Adams Morgan is considered the center of Washington's hispanic immigrant community, and is a major night life area with many bars and restaurants,...
,
Mount PleasantMount Pleasant is a neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., capital of the United States. The neighborhood is bounded by 16th Street, NW and the Columbia Heights neighborhood to the east, Rock Creek Park to the north and west, and Harvard Street, NW and the Adams Morgan...
,
PetworthPetworth is a residential neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., bounded by Georgia Avenue to the west, North Capitol Street to the east, Rock Creek Church Road to the south, and Kennedy Street NW to the north...
, Park View,
Pleasant PlainsPleasant Plains is a neighborhood in central Washington, D.C. largely occupied by Howard University. For this reason it is also sometimes referred to as Howard Town or, less frequently, Howard Village....
and LeDroit Park. To the east is
Howard UniversityHoward University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States....
. The streets defining the neighborhood's boundaries are 16th Street to the west; Spring Road to the north; Sherman Avenue to the east (the Columbia Heights sign at the intersection of Georgia and Irving prepares visitor for the neighborhood as they approach Sherman Avenue); and Florida Avenue and Barry Place to the south. It is served by an eponymous
stopColumbia Heights is a Washington Metro station in Washington, D.C., on the Green Line. It is also served by the Yellow Line during off-peak times.- Location :...
on the
Washington MetroMetrorail, commonly called Metro, is the rapid transit system in Washington, D.C. and its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority , which also operates Metrobus service under the Metro name...
GreenThe Green Line of the Washington Metro consists of 21 rapid transit stations from Branch Avenue to Greenbelt. It starts in Prince George's County, Maryland, runs through all four quadrants of the District of Columbia, and exits back out into Prince George's County...
and
YellowThe Yellow Line of the Washington Metro consists of 17 rapid transit stations from Huntington to Fort Totten. The line terminates at the Mount Vernon Square/7th Street-Convention Center station during peak hours. Service is extended to the following stations during off-peak hours: Shaw-Howard...
Lines.
History
Once farmland on the estate of the Holmead family (called "Pleasant Plains"), Columbia Heights was part of
Washington CountyThe County of Washington is one of the five political entities contained within the geographic region comprising what was originally the 100-square-mile District of Columbia. These were the City of Alexandria, the County of Alexandria, Georgetown, the City of Washington, and the County of Washington...
, District of Columbia (within the District but outside the borders of the city of Washington; the southern edge of Columbia Heights is Florida Avenue, which was originally called "Boundary Street" because it formed the northern boundary of the Federal City). Construction of the first building for Columbian College, now The George Washington University , was completed in 1822 on the campus which was bounded by Columbia Road, 14th Street, Boundary Street (Florida Avenue) and 13th Street.. The area began developing as a
suburbSuburbs are defined in various different ways around the world. They can be the residential areas of a large city, or separate residential communities within commuting distance of a city. Some suburbs have a degree of political autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city...
of Washington soon after the
Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
when
horse-drawn streetcarsFor just under 100 years, between 1862 and 1962, streetcars in Washington, D.C. transported people across the city and region.The first streetcars in Washington D.C...
delivered residents of the neighborhood to downtown.
The northern portion of modern-day Columbia Heights (i.e., north of where Harvard Street currently lies) was, until the 1880s, a part of the
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in...
of
Mount PleasantMount Pleasant is a neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., capital of the United States. The neighborhood is bounded by 16th Street, NW and the Columbia Heights neighborhood to the east, Rock Creek Park to the north and west, and Harvard Street, NW and the Adams Morgan...
. The southern portion still retained the name of the original
Pleasant PlainsPleasant Plains is a neighborhood in central Washington, D.C. largely occupied by Howard University. For this reason it is also sometimes referred to as Howard Town or, less frequently, Howard Village....
estate.
In 1871, Congress passed the
D.C. Organic ActThe District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871 is an Act of Congress, which revoked the individual charters of the City of Washington, the City of Georgetown, and the County of Washington and created a new city government for the entire District of Columbia...
, which eliminated Washington County by extending the boundaries of Washington City to be contiguous with those of the District of Columbia. Shortly afterward, in 1881–82, Senator
John ShermanJohn Sherman, nicknamed "The Ohio Icicle" , was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Ohio during the Civil War and into the late nineteenth century. He served as both Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of State and was the principal author of the Sherman Antitrust Act...
, author of the
Sherman Antitrust ActThe Sherman Antitrust Act requires the United States Federal government to investigate and pursue trusts, companies and organizations suspected of violating the Act...
, purchased the land north of Boundary Street between 16th Street and 10th Street, developing it as a subdivision of the city and calling it Columbia Heights in honor of the college at its heart. (The neighborhood's eastern boundary and major traffic artery, Sherman Avenue, is named after its early developer.) Much of Sherman's purchase was land belonging to Columbian College. The college had decided to move into the center of Washington's downtown business district and in 1904, changed its name to The George Washington University in an agreement with the George Washington Memorial Association. Columbian, now George Washington, relocated its major operations to Foggy Bottom by 1912. The federal government also purchased some of the college's land and built
Meridian Hill ParkMeridian Hill Park, also known unofficially as Malcolm X Park, is located in the Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Columbia Heights in the United States. The 12 acres of landscaped grounds are maintained by the National Park Service as part of Rock Creek Park, but are not contiguous with the main...
in the early 20th century. The park, also known as "
Malcolm XMalcolm X , also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African-American Muslim minister, public speaker, and human rights activist. To his admirers, he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against...
Park", contains many statues including those of
Joan of ArcSaint Joan of Arc is a national heroine of France and a Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, claiming divine guidance, and was indirectly responsible for the coronation of Charles VII...
,
DanteDurante degli Alighieri , commonly known as Dante, was an Italian poet of the Middle Ages. His central work, the Divina Commedia , is often considered the greatest literary work composed in the Italian language and a masterpiece of world literature.In...
and
James BuchananJames Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States from 1857–1861 and the last to be born in the 18th century...
.
Upscale development in Columbia Heights circa 1900, was designed to attract upper level managers of the Federal government, U.S. Supreme Court justices, and high-ranking military officers. An imposing mansion known as “Belmont” marked the imposing entrance to the neighborhood between Florida and Clifton Streets. The mansion was emblematic of the confidence that the affluent placed in the concept that Columbia Heights represented the ideal suburb. In the early 1900s, Columbia Heights was the preferred area for some of Washington’s wealthiest and most influential people. Residents included author
Sinclair LewisHarry Sinclair Lewis was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930, he became the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, "for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of characters." His works...
,
Chief JusticeThe Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States...
Melville FullerMelville Weston Fuller was the Chief Justice of the United States between 1888 and 1910.-Early life and education:...
, and Justice
John Marshall HarlanJohn Marshall Harlan was an American Supreme Court associate justice. He is most notable as the lone dissenter in the infamous Civil Rights Cases , and Plessy v. Ferguson , which, respectively, struck down as unconstitutional federal antidiscrimination legislation and upheld Southern segregation...
.
In 1904, the Columbia Heights Citizen’s Association published an illustrated brochure entitled "A Statement of Some of the Advantages of Beautiful Columbia Heights." The publication describes Columbia Heights as a “residential section populated by public and spirited citizens.” Residents at that time were “ever alive to the mental, moral, and spiritual advancements of their homes surroundings.” The neighborhood organization sponsored competitions for landscaping house lots and offered prizes to the best kept lawn and garden, at the same time fought the erection of street poles and overhead telegraph and telephone lines. By 1914, four street car lines served the section providing transportation to
downtown WashingtonDowntown Washington, D.C. is the central business district in the northwest quadrant of the District of Columbia, the capital city of the United States.-Location:...
in twenty minutes.
The popularity of the neighborhood resulted in the construction of several large apartment buildings during the beginning of the twentieth century that changed the suburban character of the area into a more urban and densely populated district. As of mid-century, however, Columbia Heights retained much of its upscale residential appeal, supporting establishments such as the ornate
Tivoli TheatreThe Tivoli Theatre is a landmark building in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C. on 14th Street and Park Road Northwest. Originally built as a movie theater, it currently exhibits live stage productions as the home of the GALA Hispanic Theatre.-History:The Tivoli Theatre was...
movie house (completed in 1924). The neighborhood was adjacent to Washington's thriving middle class black community and came to be home to some of its most notable citizens by the 1930s.
Duke EllingtonEdward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader.Duke Ellington became one of the most influential artists in the history of recorded music, and is largely recognized as one of the greatest figures in the history of jazz, though his music stretched into...
, who had grown up in Shaw, purchased his first house at 2728 Sherman Avenue in Columbia Heights.
In 1949, during the era of racial segregation in the public schools, Central High School, an under-enrolled white high school that bordered the southern edge of Columbia Heights, reopened as a "colored" school to serve the growing black community. The school was renamed Cardozo High School. Significant demographic changes began in the late 1940s when African American residents began to occupy homes previously owned by white students. The neighborhood remained a middle-class
African AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa. In the United States, the terms are generally used for Americans with at least partial Sub-Saharan African ancestry...
enclave in Washington, along with the nearby Shaw and Cardozo neighborhoods and
Howard UniversityHoward University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States....
through the mid-1960s.
In 1968, following the assassination of
Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement. His main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States and he is frequently referenced as a human rights icon today. King is recognized as a martyr...
,
riotsThe Washington, D.C. riots of April 4–8, 1968 erupted with the April 4, 1968 assassination of Civil Rights Movement leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil unrest affected at least 110 U.S...
ravaged Columbia Heights along with many other Washington neighborhoods. Many homes and shops remained vacant for decades.
In 1999, however, the city announced a revitalization initiative for the neighborhood focused around the
Columbia Heights Metro stationColumbia Heights is a Washington Metro station in Washington, D.C., on the Green Line. It is also served by the Yellow Line during off-peak times.- Location :...
that opened that year. The opening of the Metro station served as a catalyst for the return of economic development and residents. Within five years, it had
gentrifiedGentrification and urban gentrification denote the socio-economic, commercial, and demographic change in an urban area resulting from wealthier people buying housing property in a poor community...
considerably, with a number of businesses (including a Giant Food supermarket and
Tivoli SquareThe Tivoli Theatre is a landmark building in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C. on 14th Street and Park Road Northwest. Originally built as a movie theater, it currently exhibits live stage productions as the home of the GALA Hispanic Theatre.-History:The Tivoli Theatre was...
, a commercial and entertainment complex) and middle-class residents settling in the neighborhood. However, unlike some gentrified neighborhoods in the city, it had not become homogeneous: as of 2006, Columbia Heights is arguably Washington's most ethnically and economically diverse neighborhood, composed of high-priced condominiums and townhouses as well as public and middle-income housing.
On March 5, 2008, DC USA, a 546,000 square-foot (51,000 m²) retail complex across the street from the Columbia Heights Metro station opened. The space is anchored by retailers
TargetTarget Corporation, usually known simply as Target, is an American retailing company that was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1902 as the Dayton Dry Goods Company. In 1962, the company opened its first Target store in nearby Roseville...
and
Best BuyBest Buy Co., Inc. is a specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Canada, Mexico, and China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates under both the Best...
. The shopping center also includes 390,000 square feet (36,000 m²) of underground parking.
Demographics
The 2000 census figures estimated Columbia Heights with a 58 percent African American population; 34 percent Hispanic population; 5.4 percent white population; and 3.1 percent other.
There is a popular perception that the majority of people in Columbia Heights are Hispanic, but the majority of residents are African-American. The perception that Hispanics are a majority in Columbia Heights may be due to the neighborhood having the greatest percentage of Hispanics of all Washington, D.C. neighborhoods. Recently some minority renters have moved to less expensive housing outside of the city, particularly to Prince George's County in the state of Maryland. As of 2007, it is estimated that the Hispanic population has fallen to about 25 percent.
Local institutions
In January 2005, the neighborhood became the first permanent home of the GALA Hispanic Theatre which moved into the newly refurbished
Tivoli TheatreThe Tivoli Theatre is a landmark building in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C. on 14th Street and Park Road Northwest. Originally built as a movie theater, it currently exhibits live stage productions as the home of the GALA Hispanic Theatre.-History:The Tivoli Theatre was...
, a former
movie theaterA movie theater, movie theatre, picture theatre, film theater or cinema is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
built in 1924 that had been vacant since 1976. GALA is a theater company dedicated to performing Spanish-language plays.
In November 2006, the Dance Institute of Washington opened a new 12,000 square foot (1100 m²) facility across the street from the Tivoli Theater.
The neighborhood is also home to the Greater Washington Urban League, the local affiliate of the
National Urban LeagueThe National Urban League , formerly known as the National League of black men and women, is a civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of African Americans and against racial discrimination in the United States. It is the oldest and largest community-based...
, in addition to other non-profit community and service-based organizations including: The Latin American Youth Center, CentroNia, Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) and the Shaw/Columbia Heights Family and Community Support Collaborative, all located along the 14th St. and Columbia Rd. corridor.
Columbia Heights is home to the
EcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador , literally, "Republic of the equator") is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America that...
an embassy on 15th Street and the Mexican Cultural Institute on 16th Street. The official residence of the Ambassador of
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
is also on 16th Street in Columbia Heights.
Education
Residents are zoned to
District of Columbia Public SchoolsDistrict of Columbia Public Schools is the traditional public school system of Washington, D.C. in the United States.- Composition and enrollment :...
.
Public schools in Columbia Heights include:
High schools
- Cardozo High School
Cardozo Senior High School is a secondary school at 13th and Clifton Street in northwest Washington, D.C., United States, in the Columbia Heights neighborhood....
- Benjamin Banneker Academic High School
Benjamin Banneker Academic High School is a school located in Washington, D.C., that was built and named in honor of the African-American mathematician, astronomer, clockmaker, and almanac author, Benjamin Banneker. The school population is around 400. The head of school is Anita Berger. Benjamin...
- Bell Multicultural Senior High School
- Booker T. Washington Public Charter School for the Technical Arts
Middle schools
- Lincoln Middle School
Lincoln Multicultural Middle School is a public middle school in District of Columbia Public Schools, serving children in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades....
Elementary schools
- Bruce Monroe Elementary School
- Park View Elementary School
- Tubman Elementary School
Tubman Elementary School is a public elementary school, named after Harriet Tubman, an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy during the U.S. Civil War. It is located in Washington, DC and is under the jurisdiction of the District of Columbia Public Schools. It was built in...
Public Charter Schools
- DC Bilingual Public Charter School
- AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School
- Capital City Public Charter School
- Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School
- Children's Studio Public Charter School
- E. L. Haynes Public Charter School
- YouthBuild Public Charter School
- The Next Step Public Charter School
- Booker T. Washington Public Charter School for the Technical Arts
External links