Washington, DC Property Values in the 19th Century

[JakilaTheHun]

Originally Posted by smakawhat

THe Calvary Babtist Church which is in the Penn Quarter/Chinatown area on 755 8th ST NW, was completed in 1862.

Beyond that church back in the day was where the DC border ended, there was NOTHING but open fields and farm land.. If you stand there now it seems impossible to believe

Hope that gives you some perspective.

That's about where the map seemed to cut DC's development off, as well (it was dated 1862). Guess I was a bit surprised by it. Obviously, I didn't expect DC to be in full-blown sprawl stage at that point, but I'm amazed at how completely undeveloped it was even in the mid- to late-19th Century.

[JakilaTheHun]

Originally Posted by jm67

The inner part of DC (the Federal city and what's now the business district south of M St) was mostly settled by the Civil War, along with independent "satellite" communities like Bladensburg, Alexandria, and Georgetown. The original 1791 L'Enfant plan extended north to Florida Ave, then called Boundary Street. That area filled in by ~1900 during a late-19th century building boom. The advent of streetcars in the early 1900's opened up the "suburbs" of Cleveland Park, Columbia Heights, Petworth, Brookland, and Anacostia for development. The rest of the District proper filled in during the 1930's-1950's, together with inner suburbs like Takoma, Silver Spring, and Arlington. I don't know about Civil War era prices, but you can search newspapers from the 1890's at the Library of Congress web site: Chronicling America - The Library of Congress Some of the papers are from DC, and include ads for property. Looks like new row homes at that time were going for a few thousand dollars.

Thanks for all the info!

Funny to think of Columbia Heights and Petworth as "suburbs" now.

[Legs1357]

Originally Posted by Mrs. 14th & You

For more info. on specific neighborhoods, you might try Cultural Tourism DC's web site at Cultural Tourism DC - Historic Neighborhoods.

I love this link! I've been looking for a condensed info source about the different neighborhoods beyond "this is where Columbia Heights is" and "between such and such is Capitol Hill"

[Mrs. 14th & You]

Originally Posted by JakilaTheHun

Information is good, but it's no excuse to be haughty and insulting. Treat people with respect and they are more likely to return the favor.

Also, just because an area is rural does not mean it is a "backwater."

Didn't meant to be insulting at all. My attempt was to clarify the differences in DC neighborhoods. For those who have come to know the area or the area's history in recent years, it's very easy not to know that DC wasn't always the major city it is now.

As for backwater, you are correct; not all rural areas are backwaters. What I meant to convey is that DC was not considered a cosmopolitan or desirable place in the 18th and 19th centuries. There was a decent amount of controversy when the nation's capital was moved here, because it was considered an undesirable place to live. As well, before the east coast was a well-connected mass or urbanized areas, DC was somewhat geographically isolated from other power cities. For quite some time, all DC had to offer was the federal government. Though the Smithsonian Institution was established in the 1840s, many of the theaters, galleries, etc. that make this such a great city did not come along until the 20th century.

In fact, until the industrial revolution, America as a whole was seen as a cultural backwater relative to the Euro-centric world. You can see how our country gained in cultural prominence as we gained in economic and political import. If you look at trends in art, for example, the U.S. would adopt periods years after they had emerged in Europe (Victorian architecture, impressionism in painting). In much the same way, until DC became more populous and more powerful, no one much cared for the trends, opinion, and local celebrity of the area.

I would also like to ask for your respect that you not jump to conclusions about my intentions and attitudes.

[14thandYou]

DC did not have a world-class performing arts venue until the Kennedy Center opened in 1971.

The period of DC being a cultural wasteland is not that long ago.

[bellyofthebeast]

There's an exhibit at the American History Museum about transportation and a section of it dedicated to DC streetcars. It has a few maps on display that show how the streetcar suburbs were developed and where those developments lie in relation to modern DC's street grid. I find it incredibly interesting!

I lived in a house in Adams Morgan that was built in 1900 and the house I currently live in near Union Station was built in 1910.