Hi everyone, I hope you have enjoyed the holiday season so far and wish you nothing but the best in the upcoming new year!
I’ve been thinking a lot about the different areas of Washington, DC as friends and family have visited and wanted “the grand tour.” What does that actually mean? The museums? The restaurants? The shopping? Walking down the street with hopes of seeing political celebrities? I decided since I’m a Realtor specializing in certain areas of the city, I’d give a tour of different sorts.
Everyone thinks of “Capitol Hill” as a place where politicians gather and “do their work” and few even realize it’s actually a neighborhood as well. So, here’s a “grand tour” of the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Aside from being a nickname for the U.S. Congress, Capitol Hill is actually the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C. home to approximately 35,000 people in about two square miles — pretty densely populated. Pierre L’Enfant, a French-born American civil engineer and architect, chose the location for the new “Federal City” in 1791 and chose to locate the “Congress House” at the crest of the hill.
To the east of Capitol Hill is the Anacostia River and to the north is the H Street corridor, while the south is bordered by the Washington Navy Yard and the National Mall is found to the west along with the city’s central business district.
The many landmarks of Capitol Hill include more than just the typical buildings – the U.S. Capitol, the Senate and House office buildings, the Supreme Court building, the Library of Congress – but many other areas that should be experienced as well. The Marine Barracks, the Washington Navy Yard and the Congressional Cemetery are not to be forgotten.
All the buildings and landmarks aside, the Capitol Hill neighborhood is largely a residential neighborhood featuring rowhouses built featuring different styles and periods. Walking down a single street you will see 19th Century manor homes, small frame dwellings, federal townhouses, Italiante bracketed houses and brick rowhouses of the 19th Century – many of which feature Richardsonian Romanesque and Queen Anne motifs.
Restaurants, bars and shops are found on Pennsylvania Avenue, a lively commercial street. The Eastern Market opened in 1873 as a public market on 7th Street SE, where vendors still sell fresh meat and produce from indoor stalls and farmers sell produce outside. Recently reopened after a major fire in 2007, the Eastern Market is alive with activity and fresh food once again.
This is a just a brief overview of what the Capitol Hill neighborhood has to offer, and I hop you’ll consider calling it home in the near future. This lively section of Washington DC has something to offer everyone, from young professionals to growing families, let me help you call it home.
~ Michelle