Petworth
Neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Top: historic rowhomes (left) and St. Gabriel Church on Grant Circle (right); bottom: Upshur Street (left) and Georgia Avenue (right).
Map of Washington, with Petworth highlighted
Map of Washington, with Petworth highlighted
Coordinates: 38°56′32″N 77°01′32″W / 38.942161°N 77.025525°W / 38.942161; -77.025525
QuadrantNorthwest
Ward4
ANC4C & 4D
Government
 • CouncilmemberJaneese Lewis George
ZIP Code
20010, 20011
Area code202

Petworth is a neighborhood of Washington, D.C., located in Northwest D.C.[1][2] While largely residential, Petworth is home to a notable commercial corridor of shops and restaurants, primarily along Georgia Avenue and Upshur Street, as well as a portion of 14th Street. The neighborhood is accessible via the Georgia Ave–Petworth station on the Green Line of the Washington Metro.

History

Petworth Baptist Church, b. 1915
Roosevelt High School, b. 1932

Petworth was the name of the 205-acre country estate of John Tayloe III, of Mount Airy and The Octagon House, likely named for the ancient town of Petworth in West Sussex, England. Here he kept horses for the races at the Washington Jockey Club, a club he founded with Charles Carnan Ridgely of Hampton.

The estate, located at the northeast corner of 7th Street Pike (later known as Brightwood Avenue, now Georgia Avenue) and Rock Creek Church Road, was bequeathed to his son Benjamin Ogle Tayloe. In 1887, it was sold by Tayloe's heirs to developers for $107,000.[3][4] In 1889, developers registered “Petworth” with the District surveyor as a 387-acre plat of subdivision containing the former Tayloe estate and the Marshal Brown estate.[5] In 1893, additional real estate deals formed "West Petworth," from land west of Brightwood Avenue, including the Ruppert Farm, which was sold for $142,680, the 20-acre Burnaby tract, and a 14-acre property known as Poor Tom’s Last Shaft.[6] In 1900, Henry J. Ruppert sold an additional 31.7 acres west of Brightwood and Iowa Avenues and south of Utica Street (now Allison Street)[7] to the District for a proposed municipal hospital.[8]

In the early 1900s, the expansion of a streetcar line along Georgia Avenue to the border of Silver Spring, Maryland, made Petworth more accessible.

Many of the thousands of similar brick row houses in the neighborhood were constructed by Morris Cafritz and by D.J. Dunigan Company in the 1920s–1930s. Dunigan donated the land that became the site for St. Gabriel's Church and School next to Grant Circle.[citation needed]

Demographics

Year Total ANC-4C population[9] % Children % Black % White % Hispanic % Asian/P.I. Average family income Median home sales price
1990 19,875 19% 88% 6% 6% 1% $77,679 $166,000
2000 19,519 23% 72% 6% 20% 1% $85,209 $177,000
2005 19,540 17% 63% 14% 20% 1% $92,009 $491,000
2010 20,330 19% 57% 15% 26% 2% Not Avail. $460,000

Education

Petworth Neighborhood Library
MacFarland Middle School

Petworth Neighborhood Library opened in 1939 at the corner of Georgia Ave. NW, Kansas Ave. NW, and Upshur St. NW.[10] In addition to providing access to DC Public Library general circulation items, the library’s collection includes a Spanish Language collection, job and employment literature, and Adult Basic Education materials.

Petworth is served by District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). Roosevelt Senior High School enrolls students in ninth through 12th grade.[11] Truesdell Education Campus enrolls in grades pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.[12] Powell enrolls students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.[13]

Charter schools

Economy

Shops on Upshur Street

In the 2000s, Petworth experienced growth in its commercial corridor.[19][20] There are restaurants and bars in the neighborhood[21] though several restaurants on Upshur Street closed in late 2018.[22]

Local events

Landmarks

Petworth Methodist Church, b. 1916
Entrance to Rock Creek Cemetery
Israel Metropolitan Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Public art

Notable residents

The historic site of Billy Simpson's House of Seafood and Steaks

References

  1. ^ "Google Maps search for Petworth". Google Maps.
  2. ^ Lasky, Julie (May 15, 2015). "Petworth, Washington, D.C.: A Place of Porches". The New York Times.
  3. ^ "Another purchase of suburban property". The Washington Post. March 4, 1887. ProQuest 138151785.
  4. ^ "Bits of Local News". The Washington Post. January 6, 1888. ProQuest 138253999.
  5. ^ "The Plat of "Petworth" Filed". The Washington Post. January 17, 1889. ProQuest 138395748.
  6. ^ "Sale of West Petworth". The Washington Post. July 27, 1893. ProQuest 138952276.
  7. ^ "New Street Names". The Washington Post. August 2, 1905. ProQuest 144591749.
  8. ^ "Hospital Site Chosen". The Washington Post. November 17, 1900. ProQuest 144159308.
  9. ^ "Neighborhood Info DC". Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  10. ^ "Petworth Library History". District of Columbia Public Library.
  11. ^ a b "Roosevelt High School Project". DC Department of General Services.
  12. ^ "Truesdell Education Campus Profile". District of Columbia Public Schools.
  13. ^ "Powell Elementary School Profile". District of Columbia Public Schools.
  14. ^ "Breakthrough Montessori".
  15. ^ "Bridges Public Charter School".
  16. ^ "Center City Public Charter School – Petworth Campus".
  17. ^ "E.L. Haynes Public Charter School".
  18. ^ "Washington Latin Public Charter School".
  19. ^ Severson, Kim (January 14, 2009). "Chefs Settle Down in 'the Real D.C.'". The New York Times.
  20. ^ STEINHAUER, JENNIFER (October 20, 2014). "Washington Has More on Its Plate". The New York Times.
  21. ^ Hahn, Fritz; Krystal, Becky (February 9, 2017). "A guide to eating and drinking in Petworth". The Washington Post.
  22. ^ Kurzius, Rachel (December 6, 2018). "With Recent Closures, Is Upshur Street In Trouble?". DCist. Archived from the original on December 7, 2018.
  23. ^ "Upshur Street Art and Craft Fair".
  24. ^ "Petworth Community Market".
  25. ^ "Petworth Jazz Project".
  26. ^ "Celebrate Petworth". Celebrate Petworth.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g "DC Inventory of Historic Sites". DC Office of Planning. November 21, 2014.
  28. ^ "Ten Facts You May Not Know About Petworth". DCist. January 31, 2019. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019.
  29. ^ "Here I Stand: The Spirit of Paul Robeson". National Capital Planning Commission.
  30. ^ "Art in Transit: Georgia Ave-Petworth".
  31. ^ "Petworth's Chuck Brown Mural to Be Torn Down for Apartments". Curbed. July 31, 2015.
  32. ^ "Tear down of the Chuck Brown mural on Sweet Mango in Petworth". DC Public Library, The People's Archive, Chip Py Go-GO Collection. January 1, 2020.
  33. ^ "An abstract artwork designed to complement a neighborhood's energy". Petworth News. August 11, 2015.
  34. ^ "New mural on Kansas Ave celebrates the mysteries of nature". Petworth News. July 10, 2016.

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Petworth.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Petworth, Washington, D.C..

38°57′07″N 77°01′11″W / 38.9519°N 77.0196°W / 38.9519; -77.0196

Places adjacent to Petworth (Washington, D.C.)
Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C.
Categories