Arboretum
Neighborhood
Arboretum within the District of Columbia
Arboretum within the District of Columbia
Coordinates: 38°54′51″N 76°58′23″W / 38.914211°N 76.973089°W / 38.914211; -76.973089
CountryUnited States
DistrictWashington, D.C.
WardWard 5
Developed1932; 92 years ago (1932)
Government
 • CouncilmemberZachary Parker

Arboretum is a predominantly residential neighborhood located in Northeast Washington, D.C., tucked into the corner of the National Arboretum.

The tiny neighborhood is bounded by New York Avenue NE to the north, Bladensburg Road NE to the west, and the National Arboretum to the south and east. The neighborhood includes the apartment community and three blocks of detached homes.

The neighborhood includes the Arboretum Community Center with several gardens and play areas. The Arboretum Neighborhood Association is the neighborhood's community organization.

Arboretum neighborhood at the intersection of 24th Street and Rand Place NE, November 2018

History

Until the 1930s, the area was virtually uninhabited with only one road, Bladensburg Road, passing by it. New York Avenue was extended to Bladensburg Road in 1931.[1][2]

In 1932, Cafritz Construction began building the first homes in the neighborhood on Randolph Place NE, later renamed Rand Place NE.[3][4] Prior to the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, racially restrictive covenants were used to exclude African Americans and other racial minorities from neighborhoods developed by Cafritz Construction.[5]

In 1935, Fox Brothers built some of the neighborhood's Colonial and English two-story brick detached homes.[6][7] The development was marketed with the name The Village.[6] Fox Brothers' advertisements listed the homes as for $6,750 each (equivalent to $144,000 in 2022).[8]

In 1962, the 185-unit Parkway Plaza apartment complex was built.[4] The developer of the apartment complex donated small parcels of land to the District, which are now the Arboretum Recreation Center and a Metropolitan Police Department station.[4]

Advertisement in The Washington Post, July 21, 1935.

References

  1. ^ "Approaches to Washington". The Washington Post. September 15, 1930. p. 6.
  2. ^ "New York Avenue Extension Opening Is Set November 2". The Washington Post. October 25, 1931. p. M22.
  3. ^ "Cafritz Project Visited By Many: Prospective Home Buyers Are Much Attracted to Randolph Place". The Washington Post. April 10, 1932. p. R1.
  4. ^ a b c Escobar, Gabriel (October 10, 1992). "Putting Down Roots in Arboretum". The Washington Post. p. E1.
  5. ^ "5 marks Jewish developers made on Montgomery County". Washington Jewish Week. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  6. ^ a b "Two Offerings Are Announced By Fox Bros.: New Development, Called The Village,' Opened in the Northeast". The Washington Post. May 5, 1935. p. R2.
  7. ^ "Fox Bros. Will Build 21 Homes on R Street". The Washington Post. December 30, 1934. p. R1.
  8. ^ "The Village" (advertisement). The Washington Post. July 21, 1935. p. R5.
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