Bloomingdale, Washington, D.C.

The neighborhood of Bloomingdale is in the heart of Washington, D.C. less than two miles (3 km) north of the U.S. Capitol. Specifically, Bloomingdale lies south of Channing Street NW, east of 2nd Street NW (north of Rhode Island Avenue), east of Third Street NW (south of Rhode Island), north of Florida Avenue NW, and west of North Capitol Street. The neighborhood lies in Ward 5, and the current Councilmember is Harry "Tommy" Thomas, Jr. Bloomingdale's most local representatives are (from south to north) Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners Stuart Davenport, John Salatti, and Barrie Daneker (terms 2007-2008).

Quite a few universities are close to Bloomingdale. Howard University borders the neighborhood on the north. Trinity and Catholic Universities are about one mile (1.6 km) northeast. George Washington University is about three miles (5 km) southwest. The University of the District of Columbia is less than four miles (6 km) northwest. Georgetown University is about four miles (6 km) west. American University is about six miles (10 km) northwest.

Most of the homes within Bloomingdale are rowhouses built at the turn of the last century (1900) and are in the Victorian style. Nearby neighborhoods that border on Bloomingdale are Pleasant Plains to the northwest, LeDroit Park to the west, Eckington to the east, Shaw to the southwest, and Truxton Circle to the southeast.

History

The present day boundaries of Bloomingdale originated from several large estates. The subdivisions that currently comprise Bloomingdale are that of Bloomingdale to the southeast, LeDroit Park to the southwest, the Moore & Barbours addition in the center, the Dobbins addition to the northeast, and another LeDroit Park addition to the northwest (map to be added). "See" Hopkins and Baist Real Estate Atlases, Vol. 3, 1968.

The Truxton-Beale Estate

George Beale, born in 1792, in Hampton, Virginia and Emily Truxtun, born 30 Sept 1798 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey were married in Philadelphia May 4, 1819.

Mr. Beale was decorated in 1820 with a Congressional Silver Medal for "Galantry, good conduct, and services in the decisive and splendid victory gained on Lake Champlain on the 11th of September 1814 over a British Squadron of superior force" in the Battle of Plattsburgh in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812 War of 1812] .

In 1823, Mr. Beale bought the 10 acre Bloomingdale estate one mile (1.6 km) north of the Capital for $600.00 from Wm Bradley (who was from Wilkes-Barre, PA). This estate grew to 50 acres, and became the family home for several Beale generations until the death of Emily Beale in 1885. The Beale's grandson Edward Beale McLean, was the publisher and owner of the Washington Post from 1916 until 1933.

George died on the 4th of April 1835 at the age of 44 at his "Bloomingdale" estate in Washington, DC and was buried in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Cemetary Congressional Cemetery] . Emily (picture to be added) passed on 50 years later on May 21, 1885.

Industrial Past

Located just outside the original boundary of the City of Washington as designed by Maj. Pierre L’Enfant in 1792, and in the former [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County%2C_D.C. County of Washington] , the area referred to today as the Bloomingdale neighborhood had its residential development origins over a century later. The lands that comprise Bloomingdale just prior to its residential development in 1877, were utilized for a variety of light industry. Boundary Street, today Florida Avenue, was the dividing line between paved, planned streets laid out in the original city plan, and the country, where a variety of landowners maintained orchards, large country estates, and a mixture of commercial properties. In this area, a small community of Eckington emerged as a result of an intersection of two rural roads about the time that a much more planned and protected [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeDroit_Park LeDroit Park] was conceived in the late 1870s.

One of the first uses for the area, however, was for train yards and transportation routes into and out of the City of Washington. In 1889, Silas Daish established a large flour mill at the corner of 3rd and Florida Avenue, seen in the photograph above (Photograph to be added). It was one of only two flour mills in the city at the time, the other one being located nearby on Delaware Avenue, N.E. The lack of paved streets and the intrusion of massive telephone poles were among the sources of complaints from Eckington residents, many of whom felt the promises of idyllic residential living had been dashed by the intrusion of industrial activity.

Leftover from the earlier industrial use of the area to the north is McMillan Park sand filtration site and McMillan Reservoir, bounded by North Capitol Street, Channing Street, First Street, and Michigan Avenue, N.W. The area is part of a chain of public green spaces established in Senator James McMillan's 1901 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMillan_Plan "McMillan Plan"] for beautifying Washington (see McMillan Commission). The original grounds of the site were designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., The Army Corps added the McMillan Park Reservoir and the Washington City Tunnel (10 meters in diameter and convert|4|mi|km long) [http://www.sewerhistory.org/articles/compon/1894_aen03/index.htm] between 1882 and 1902. In 1905, a slow-sand water-filtration method was added at the McMillan Reservoir, and additional improvements were continually made. Following the death of Senator McMillan in 1902, the grounds of the site were renamed McMillan Park. The site was designated a historic landmark by the DC Historic Preservation Review Board in 1991. One of the finest surviving examples of American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaux-Arts_architecture Beaux Arts] fountains was sculpted by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_St._Gaudens Augustus S. Gaudens] a member of the McMillan Commission (along with Olmstead). The fountain is located behind a fence on the grounds of the McMillan Reservoir (but was formerly located in Crispus Attucks Park). Efforts have been underway to have the fountain relocated to a central and public location in Bloomingdale.

Residential Origins

The rural nature of this area changed before the turn of the twentieth century as the rest of Washington neighborhoods began to experience the pressures of growth stemming from the huge influx of workers and freed men for decades following the Civil War. Bloomingdale, located just east of LeDroit Park (one of Washington’s earliest suburban developments when it was opened in 1877), changed when developers and land speculators began to chart the industrial and orchard lands for proposed development, including the area between the village of Eckington and LeDroit Park. Roads corresponding to the grid system of Washington's streets were improved, curbed, and paved, in order to introduce extensions of the popular trolley lines, opening the area to residential development in the late 1890s. Earlier, streams and creeks were re-directed into large infrastructure projects under [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_%22Boss%22_Shepherd Alexander "Boss" Shepard] like that of Tiber Creek that was redirected into the Washington City Tunnel under the existing Flagler Place.

Churches often led the way, and in 1902, the Rhode Island Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church built their elegant structure at the desirable corner of Rhode Island and 1st Street, N.W. In a postcard dated 1907, (picture to be added) the church was headed by Reverend J. M. Gill. The Church, now named Mount Bethel Baptist Church, (current pastor Bobby L. Livingston, Sr.) houses an active congregation founded by former slaves. Mount Bethel was a staging point for the famed 1963 March on Washington. The century-old church was featured on the History Channel’s show, “ America’s Most Endangered” because of its need for preservation and upkeep, which the church has begun. The congregation is actively involved in community outreach programs.

Eleven homes along the unit block of Rhode Island Avenue joined the M. E. church just a year later, in 1903, and the remainder of the surrounding blocks had been built in a speculative nature by such developers as Harry Wardman, Francis Blundon, and S. H. Meyers within the following decade. The Bloomingdale neighborhood website contains a [http://www.bloomingdaledc.org/wardman.htm list] of Wardman built homes. Blundon built several homes around and including 100 W Street, NW, which he occupied along with his family. The only changes to the exterior of 100 W Street since its original construction have been the former rear porch being filled in with a garage built towards the alley and the replacement of the original clay roof tiles with standard roofing material. Blundon had previously lived nearby at 67 Street, NW. (See TheInTowner, April 2008) [http://www.intowner.com/archive-back-issue-pdf-documents/] .

Home construction often necessitated school construction, with the Gage School in the 2000 block of 2nd Street being erected in 1904. Utilized for decades before school consolidation, the convert|21000|sqft|m2|sing=on facility has been turned into award-winning "Parker Flats at Gage School" that have retained the historic nature of the original school house building. Many homes in the northern section of Bloomingdale still retain carriage houses in the block interiors. Some have been converted to private residences.

The photograph (photo to be added) dated March 7, 1936 at right was captured on 4th Street, looking south from the 2300 block toward Rhode Island Avenue. The larger Eckington neighborhood had begun to take on the identity of several neighborhoods, including this area, coined Edgewood. Other areas of the neighborhood were absorbed into LeDroit Park and the newly named Bloomingdale to the west. The boys waiting in front of the store were no doubt hoping to earn funds carrying groceries home for shoppers in their wagons. The small store was part of the Sanitary grocery chain, founded in 1909, which had hundreds of locations throughout the district until it was purchased by the Safeway Company in 1928. The Sanitary name was utilized until 1941. In a way typical of many neighborhoods, this area, at the edge of Brookland, had a diverse population as the owners of the stores along that block reveal: Henry Lee (Laundry), Samuel Tripi (Shoe Repair), Benjamin Cherkasky (Billiards), Nazret Carcoginian (Grocer), and E. G. Schafer (Plumbing Supplies).

Notable Residents

Samuel Gompers the founder of the American Federation of Labor in 1886 (which later became the AFL-CIO), built a house for himself at 2122 1st Street, N.W., in 1900. Born in London, England on January 26, 1850 to poor Jewish immigrants from Holland, Gompers began working as a shoemaker at the age of 10. He soon switched trades to become a cigar maker, which brought him to New York City (with his family) in 1863. He headed the AFL-CIO until his death on December 13, 1924. His house was declared an individual landmark on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Another notable former resident of Bloomingdale is one of Broadway's most accomplished and versatile singer, dancer, and entertainers, Chita Rivera (1933-present). She is a recipient of the prestigious Kennedy Center honor, presented by the President of the United States, has won two Tony Awards as Best Leading Actress in a Musical and has received six additional Tony Award nominations. [http://www.chitarivera.com/bio.htm] Known to her friends in the neighborhood as Dolores, Ms. Rivera lived with her parents on the 2100 block of Flagler Place NW. Her father was Puerto-Rican and her mother was of Scottish and Italian descent. Chita lived in the neighborhood until the age of 15 when she auditioned for and was admitted to the prestigious Jones-Hayward School of Ballet in New York.

At 127 Randolph Place, Barnet-Aden [http://charlestonscarts.org/307mintmuseumoa.html] was the first privately owned black gallery in the US and one of Washington DC’s principal Art galleries when it opened in 1943. Founded by Joseph Vernon Herring and Alonzo Aden, it was named ‘Barnet-Aden' to honor Aden’s Mother’s family. Howard University professor emeritus and former head of the art department, Dr. James Herring also helped to establish the gallery (picture to be added).

While the owners of the gallery were African American, Barnet-Aden was not conceived as a “black gallery.” It was one of the few art places in the city in which artists representing different nationalities, races and ethnicities were exhibited together. Noted for its afternoon art openings the Barnett-Aden Gallery became an important social gathering place. The collection is currently housed in a museum in Tampa Bay, Florida. [http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/company-structures-ownership/6853628-1.html]

Much of the neighborhood had large Italian, Irish, German, Jewish, and African American populations even before neighboring LeDroit Park had integrated. In 1948, a famous Supreme Court case, Hurd v. Hodge, 334 U.S. 24 (1948) [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=case&court=US&vol=334&page=24] , found the enforcement of racial and religious covenants restricting home ownership from African Americans, Jews, etc. were unconstitutional. The house that was involved in the case is located at 116 Bryant Street, NW and had been purchased by James M. Hodge and his wife, an African American couple. These pioneering home owners made it easier for all people to purchase property in this country.

PRESENT

Today Bloomingdale proudly maintains its close-knit community-oriented character. The population is primarily African American which has maintained deep roots in the community for many years. There is also a growing Hispanic and Caucasian population.

The neighborhood has recently undergone revitalization. Proof of this can be seen at the "Parker Flats at" (the former) "Gage School". [http://www.parkerflats.com/] Designed by Architect David Haresign, AIA, Parker Flats is ranked among the top 12 Residential Designs for 2008. According to the AIA, "this old DC public school building near LeDroit Park in Northwest Washington had sat empty for more than 30 years. Today, the historic landmark is the centerpiece of a 92-unit condominium project that has catalyzed neighborhood revitalization. In addition to the complete restoration of the Gage School, the development includes two new flanking buildings that are in keeping with the architecture of the area’s early 20th century apartment buildings and row houses." [http://www.architecturedc.net/]

Not all of Bloomingdale's energy has gone into improving the homes. Bloomingdale is the rare DC neighborhood to have its own greenspace, Crispus Attucks Park (CAP). CAP is named after African-American Crispus Attucks, who was killed during the Boston Massacre and who is often regarded as the first person killed in the American Revolution. The acre-and-a-quarter park, located within the court bounded by 1st, U, V, and North Capitol Streets NW, is dedicated to all victims of violence, like Crispus Attucks himself. CAP is privately owned, but open to the public, and is maintained through the donations of time, money, and sweat of neighbors. It is a beautiful urban greenspace.

The neighborhood has many active neighborhood groups and associations including, but not limited to, the Bloomingdale Civic Association, the Bloomingdale Garden Club, the Public Safety Initiative, the Big Bear Book Club, the Big Daddy Running Club, and Crispus Attucks Development Corporation (which owns and oversees CAP).

New businesses have recently opened such as the Bloomingdale Inn (a bed and breakfast), Window's Market (a market and cafe with wifi access), Big Bear Cafe (a cafe and coffeehouse), the P Spot (a women's fitness studio featuring strip aerobics and polefit classes), Showtime Barbershop and Salon, and Timor Bodega (serving hard to find produce, wines, beers, and local/organic produce). Every summer, the Bloomingdale Farmers' Market is open on Sundays from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. on R St between Florida Ave and 1st Street, NW. And coming in the spring of 2009, North Capitol Street's first sitdown restaurant in a generation, "Martini 2020 at Engine Co. 12." In this fully-restored firehouse (originally built in 1897), the restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, specializing in brick over pizzas. The three-story restaurant will also have a pasta bar, a sushi bar, a tapas bar, and an espresso bar. The lounge will have live music and broadcasts by XM Satellite Radio, which has its corporate headquarters a quarter of a mile east of the firehouse. Additionally, while only in the permit phase, the owners of Veranda (in the Shaw neighborhood) are looking to open an "American-style" pizzeria and tavern at the corner of T & 1st Streets and Rhode Island Avenue.

External links

* [http://www.bloomingdaledc.org Neighborhood website]

References