THE
WASHINGTON
POST
.
SATURDAY,MAY
28, 2022
EZ
4
Street, nowbothusedbyMetro
buses.
Moreland’s Tavernand the
Atxondotapasrestaurant,which
both openedwithin thepastfive
years, are unofficial neighbor-
hood hangouts. Amural by popu-
larD.C.artistRoseJaffe and
collaborator Kate Deciccio is a
hiddentreasureon the Alpha
KappaAlphaInc.buildingnear
14th Streetand Arkansas Av-
enue. Thehomage to sisterhoodBYHOPEHODGESECK
No onecan denythat16th
StreetHeights is changingfast.
Home values, steep almost
anywherein D.C., shotup7.5
percent in thepast12months,
causingrenters andthoselook-
ingtobuy ahomein the North-
west neighborhoodtolament its
lack of affordability. Commercial
development, historically limit-
ed in 16th StreetHeights, is
poisedfor dramaticgrowth—to
theconsternation of some —
with aproposed affordable-hous-
ingprojectset to add101apart-
ments in afive-story,mixed-use
dance-studiobuildingon upper
14th Street.
Yetamidsky-high demandfor
housing andever-increasingin-
terestfromdevelopers, longtime
residentsof16thStreetHeights
sayithas retainedthe character-
istics thatfirstattracted them:a
low-key,friendly enclave where
neighborssit outon bigfront
porches,and catch up with one
anotherwhile walkingtheir dogs
at Hamilton Street Park,the
neighborhood’slargestgreen
space.
“Mydearestlifelong friends
are nowin the neighborhood; we
raisedourkids together,” said
MariaBarry,who haslivedin
several 16th StreetHeights
homessince1994. “This commu-
nity,itfeels veryintentional,and
it feelsverymuchlikeavillage.
So we’relikeavillage in thecity.”
Theneighborhoodof16th
StreetHeights “contains multi-
tudes.”SixteenthStreethas
statelymini-mansions and a
handfulofembassies overlook-
ingRockCreek Park, on the
area’snorthwest corner. Georgia
Avenue,the area’seasternbor-
der,isabusyurban thorough-
fare,withauto-partsstores and
Ethiopianand Latin American
restaurants. Thequieter,tree-
shaded sidestreets featureamix
of rowhouses, detached frame
housesand Victorians,someof
them datingback to theearly
1900s.
“There’sahouse aroundthe
cornerfrommethatwas built in1875,”said Denise Champion,a
realestateagent withLong &
Foster whohas lived in 16th
StreetHeights for 37 years. “We
should be consideredhistoric.”
In its earlydays, the neighbor-
hood wasafavorite spotamong
downtownresidentsfor week-
endand summerhomes, Cham-
pion said. Afew landmarksfrom
itspastremain.Best-knownare a
century-old streetcar turn-
aroundand carbarnon14thcelebrates thelegacyand history
of the historicallyBlack sorority,
foundedatHowardUniversity.
On FarragutStreetNW, the
freshly renovated John Lewis
ElementarySchool—formerly
West Elementaryand recently
renamed forthe late Georgia
congressman and civil rights
icon —gleamsinbrightprimary
colors.
Felix Pagesmovedwithhis
wife, April, to the neighborhood
in 2013, five years beforethe
birthoftheir son. He saidhe’s
already seenhowthe schoolhas
had atransformativeeffectonits
surroundings.
“It’sjustsobeautifuland mod-
ern andgorgeous inside,”hesaid.
“Suddenly,the neighborhoodhas
become alittle bit moredesirable
as peopleflock to this newly
constructed, state-of-the-art
school.”
Despitethe pandemic, neigh-
bors have striven to keep com-
munityeventsgoing—holding a
socially distancedEaster egg
huntfor kids across the yardsof
15 houses. But many are eagerto
returnto larger gatherings.Cin-
dy Morgan-Jaffe, mother of Rose
Jaffe, saidshe’splanning ablock
party on 14th Streetthis summer
to gettoknownewneighbors
andcatch up withold ones.
“There’sbeenso muchturn-
over and lots of newyoung
families,”Morgan-Jaffesaid.
“Mostofushaven’t really metor
talked for twoyears.”
Theneighborhood is frequent-
ly listed as oneofD.C.’smost
diverse, aqualitythatholdspart
of its appeal for many residents.
Alberto Rivera, chair of the
16th Street NeighborhoodAsso-
ciation, saidhe and hiswife,
Sharla, weredrawntothe areaas
buyers aboutthree years ago
becauseitofferedbilingual edu-
cationatLatin American Mon-
tessori Bilingual PublicCharter
School(LAMBPCS)andPowell
Elementary. Originally from
Honduras, Rivera saidhe felt the
diversityofthe area wouldre-
main ahighlightas theneighbor-
hood evolved.
“I justreally likethatthere’s
this broaderkind of historical
context, thatthere’s this blend-
ingoflanguages anddifferent
experiences,”hesaid.
Livingthere: Theneighbor-
hood boundaries vary depending
on whomyouask. Twolocal
groups, the16thStreetNeigh-
borhoodAssociationand the
16th StreetHeights CivicAssoci-
ation, represent smallerareas
insidewhatisgenerally consid-
eredthe neighborhood. Military
Road/Missouri AvenueNWisthe
northernboundary,16thStreet
NWis the westernboundary and
Georgia AvenueNWisthe east-
ern boundary. Most considerthe
slantingArkansasAvenue NW
the southernboundary, butChampion pointsout that tax
assessments extend theneigh-
borhoodfarthereastalongUp-
shurStreetNW. Depending on
howyou draw theneighborhood,
population estimates rangeas
high as 70,000.
In thepast12months, 32
detachedhomeshavesold.The
averagepricewas $1.275 million.
Theleastexpensivewas athree-
bedroom bungalowfor
$840,000; the mostexpensive
wasafive-bedroom,five-bath-
room Craftsmanfor justover
$1.9 million.Seven properties
are on the market now,including
three condominiums—ascarce
commodityinthe area,Cham-
pion said.Average rent fora
one-bedroomapartment is
$1,725.
House-flippersand develop-
ers, shesaid, are increasingly
interested in 16th StreetHeights
as neighborhoods to thesouth
become “tappedout.” They aren’t
above knocking on doorsin
hopes of negotiating asteal.
Longtime residents,manyof
them seniors,maybeparticular-
ly vulnerable to thisstrategy.
“Theymay have onlypaid
$40, 000 or $50,000 for their
house whentheybought it 50, 60
years ago,”Championsaid.“So
whensomeone comesand offers
them $300,000, theythink
they’vewon thelottery.But in
themeantime,thathouse...is
probablyworth $700,000.”
Schools: Brightwood Educa-
tion Campus, John Lewis and
Powellelementary; IdaB.Wells,
Deal andMcFarland middle;
Coolidge andRoosevelthigh.
Transit: TheclosestMetro
stations areColumbiaHeights
andGeorgia Avenue-Petworth
on the Greenand Yellowlines;
both are about 2½ milesaway.
Metro busesalsoserve the neigh-
borhood.If you’dlikeyour neighborhood
featured in WhereWeLive, email
[email protected].WhereWeLive 16th Street HeightsChangescoming toalow-keyenclaveButtheNorthwestD.C.
neighborhoodremains
diverseand friendlyMILI
TARYRD.MONT.CO. DetailP.G.
CO.D.C.
VA.MD.2914106501MILETHE WASHINGTONPOST16THST.ARK.AVE.GA. AVE.GA. AVE.FLA. AVE.
R.I. AVE.S.D. AV
E.MISSO
URI AVE.N.H. AVE.
UPSHURST.COLUM
BIARD.PINEYBR. RD.N. CAP.ST.Rock
Creek
ParkHoward
Univ.TAKOMAFORT
TOTTENGEORGIAAVE.-
PETWORTHMD.16th
Street
HeightsD.C.PHOTOSBY CRAIGHUDSONFOR THE WASHINGTONPOST
FROM TOP: AydenCook,6, practicessoccer at Hamilton Street
Park, theneighborhood’s largestgreenspace.Micah Gunden, 6,
rideshis bikeatJohnLewis ElementarySchool, which was
recently renamedfor the late Georgiacongressman and civil rights
activist. From right, LisaLeff, Masha Belenky, Elisabeth Anker and
Gayle Wald eatatAtxondo,anunofficial neighborhoodhangout.