The Washington Post - 21.03.2020

THE WASHINGTON POST

.

SATURDAy, MARCH 21, 2020

eZ

2

 to see more photos of te nley-

town, go to washingtonpost.com/re-

alestate.

area i t is today.

Much of the recent business de-

velopment is supported through

the work of Te nleytown Main

Street, the community-based non-

profit group founded in 2016 that

works t o assist l ocal businesses, im-

prove the appearance of the neigh-

borhood, refurbish older store-

fronts, and increase and plan com-

munity events.

Events are hosted almost every

month, ranging from discount pro-

grams for students and educators,

to group fitness classes to Art All

Night, a pop-up art gallery, to the

Te nley WinterFest, a w eek-long hol-

iday event featuring a restaurant

week and Yeti-themed scavenger

hunt, says Miles.

“I’ve been very pleased to hear

that t hings are working, that p eople

are seeing progress,” Miles said.

“Things are looking cleaner and

fresher, there’s exciting events hap-

pening in the neighborhood, [and]

there’s new businesses that are

coming in.”

More than 100 local residents

volunteer annually to support its

efforts, a sign of a good r elationship

with the community, Miles said.

Many r esidents live here because

of the high-quality public schools

and neighborhood s afety.

Joan LaMon, 76, moved to Te n-

leytown in 1972 for its affordable

housing. Despite the proximity of

Where We Live te nleytown

BY NATALIE JONES

Perched on the city’s highest

point, Te nleytown in Northwest

Washington is the place to find al-

most a nything y ou want. And if you

can’t find what you’re looking for,

it’s probably just a short walk or

Metro ride away.

Wide sidewalks along Te nley-

town’s sloping, tree-lined residen-

tial streets make getting around the

neighborhood a breeze, whether it’s

a morning walk with the dog or a

trip to one of the many shops or

restaurants lining Wisconsin Ave-

nue. A Metro s top a t the heart of the

neighborhood provides easy access

to the rest of Washington and the

surrounding r egion.

Danielle Schor moved to Te nley-

town three and a half years ago

because everything she wanted was

easily accessible f rom the n eighbor-

hood. The 65-year-old writer isn’t

hindered by not having a car. She

can walk to one of her favorite res-

taurants, S eoul Spice, o n Wisconsin

Avenue to grab lunch or run er-

rands at nearby stores. Whole

Foods and the Container Store an-

chor the c ommercial district, which

includes a hardware store, a phar-

macy, coffee shops, hair salons, res-

taurants and s everal mom-and-pop

businesses.

Because of its amenities, Te nley-

town draws people from all ages

and backgrounds to its walkable,

revitalized m ain corridor.

“It has all the best things about

being a small town w ith a ccess to all

the great things about being in the

city,” says Leigh Catherine Miles, a

longtime r esident and executive di-

rector of the nonprofit Te nleytown

Main S treet.

First developed in the late 18th

century at River Road and today’s

Wisconsin Avenue, Te nleytown is

Washington’s second-oldest com-

munity. It was named after John

Te nnally, whose tavern was at its

heart. Tennallytown eventually be-

came Tenleytown. The once-rural

village served as a home to Union

forces protecting Washington in

the Civil War before undergoing

commercial and residential growth

in the late 1800s and early 1900s,

when the streetcar connected it to

downtown Washington and it be-

gan to develop into the bustling

A refreshed

corner of

D.C. wins

in a walk

NW neighborhood’s

many amenities are all

within an easy stroll

but it’s the quality of life, the mix of

everything you could e ver want i n a

neighborhood,” Miles s aid.

The Te nley-Friendship Neigh-

borhood Library, which was reno-

vated in 2011, serves as a place for

adults and children to learn new

things, study for school or just read

a book. It has conference rooms,

computers and a vegetative green

roof.

Te nleytown has a competitive

housing market. There are few

homes for sale, and those that are

often sell in less than seven days on

average, according to Simone Velv-

el, a real estate agent with Keller

Williams Capital Properties, who’s

been selling homes i n the neighbor-

hood for s even years.

“It’s great for sellers, and very

competitive for b uyers,” Velvel said.

“Buyers are facing multiple offers

and escalated prices.”

Velvel recommends that inter-

ested buyers write a strong offer

with few to no contingencies. She

also advises choosing a reputable

lender who can deliver a fast clos-

ing time and including an escala-

tion clause if there are multiple

offers.

Living there: Tenleytown is

bounded b y Chesapeake Street N W

to the north, Nebraska Avenue and

39th Street NW to the east, Van

Ness Street to the south and 43rd

Street N W to the w est.

According to Velvel, 35 homes

have sold in Te nleytown in the past

year. The lowest-priced was a one-

bedroom, one-bathroom condo for

$380,000. The highest-priced was a

six-bedroom, six-bathroom house

for just o ver $ 2 million.

There are four properties for

sale, ranging from a one-bedroom,

one-bathroom condo for $448, 900

to a six-bedroom, six-bathroom

house f or j ust under $3 million.

Two new apartment buildings,

Frequency Apartments and Tenley

View, have opened in the past five

years. The average one-bedroom

rental price is $ 2,400 a month.

Schools: Janney Elementary, Al-

ice Deal Middle, and W ilson High.

Transit: The Te nleytown-AU

Metro station, in the center of the

neighborhood at W isconsin Ave-

nue and Albemarle Street, provides

Red Line rail service. Buses also run

along Wisconsin Avenue, N ebraska

Avenue, Chesapeake Street a nd Van

Ness Street. American University,

located just south of the neighbor-

hood, has a shuttle bus service to

the main campus, Washington Col-

lege of Law and the Spring Valley

Building.

[email protected]

PHotos bY CRAIg HuDson foR tHe WAsHIngton Post

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Budding blooms on a Tenleytown street; a canine companion eyes the revitalized Wisconsin Avenue;

nighttime traffic near St. Ann Catholic Church; Adelaide Nevitt, 6, leads her sister Lucia, 5, and parents Ali and Brian Nevitt on a walk.

several private schools, LaMon

chose to send her children to the

neighborhood public schools, say-

ing that i t “gave them a n opportuni-

ty to meet more people and have

more choices.”

Miles, whose son is a fourth-gen-

eration Tenleytowner on her hus-

band’s side, loves that her son and

other c hildren in the neighborhood

feel safe walking to the park. She

also appreciates that there’s a

wealth of p laces for t hem to p lay.

“The best part of living here is

tough to narrow down because

there’s so many wonderful things,

RIVE

R R

D.

WIS

. (^) AV
E.
NW
W MILITARY RD. NW
ESTE
RN
AVE.
NW
ALBEMARLE ST. NW
NEBRASKA AVE. NW
VAN NESS ST. NW
CO
NN
ECT
IC
UT A
VE
M.^ NW
ASS
. (^) AVE

. NW

Rock Creek

Rock

Creek

Park

Glover

Archbold

Park

FRIENDSHIP

HEIGHTS

TENLEYTOWN-AU

MARYLAND

D.C.

MONTGOMERY

COUNTY

Tenleytown

Palisades

NW

SE

SW

NE

D.C.

Detail

Source: Maps4News/HERE

MEGHAN KELLY FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

1 MILE