Walking The District

Day 19 (2)

Tenleytown / Wakefield / Connecticut Avenue (July24, 2019)

We decided to take advantage of a rare Summer evening here in DC when it was rather pleasant to be outside and headed out for a second walk, this time in the early evening. We walked up to Tenleytown to check out the Grant Road Historic District. The Historic District consists of two blocks of houses dating back to the mid-1800s. The road itself dates back to the 1700s but gained greater significance due to its proximity to Fort Reno during the Civil War. During the 1880s and 1890s it became one of the most densely developed streets in Tenleytown. The rapid expansion of the area and development of new roads in the early and mid twentieth century led to many buildings being demolished in the area. However, this segment survived and provides a visible reminder of the rural origins of this part of the District.

After walking along Grant Road, we made our way down through Wakefield toward Connecticut Avenue, passing Murch elementary school on the way. Murch was founded in 1930 but has recently undergone an extensive renovation. It has approximately 600 students. It is named after Benjamin Murch, a long time teacher and principal in District schools during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Across from Murch is St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. The Gothic Revival church, completed in 1958 looked particularly moody with rain clouds rolling in.

With rain starting to come down, we sought shelter at Politics and Prose bookstore and walked into a book reading by Emily Nussbaum, the television critic for the New Yorker. The place was packed, as it often is for readings. It doesn’t seem that long ago that independent bookstores were being driven to extinction by the Borders and Barnes and Nobles of the world. Now those chains are also disappearing before Amazon’s quest to conquer the world and the advent of ebooks. But Politics and Prose battles on, proving that if you give the customers what they want, they will come. There is a great coffee shop downstairs that is always bustling. The store itself is busy pretty much all of the time. Hopefully, these are good signs that the store will be with us for many years to come.

Just down the block is Comet Ping Pong, a pizzeria with three ping pong tables in the back that get regular play. The restaurant is also a concert venue, showcasing local and lesser known national bands. Comet hit national and international headlines in late 2016 when several websites and online forums falsely implicated the restaurant as a part of a supposed child trafficking ring. Responding to these accusations, a gunman entered the restaurant and fired three rounds from a semi-automatic rifle before being arrested. Fortunately, no-one was injured. The gunman was sentenced to four years imprisonment in 2017.

Day 19

Forest Hills (July 24, 2019)

We came across another Travis Price home that we liked very much. The car wasn’t bad either.

In an earlier post, we discussed how, many of the old call boxes scattered throughout the District have been made into works of art. Here’s a beautiful example. Often, the name of the work and artist are on the back.

Just off the west side of Connecticut Avenue on Albemarle Street NW, there is the entrance to a pretty path through the woods and along the Soapstone Valley tributary of Rock Creek. We are truly lucky to have so many paths right in Ward 3 and throughout the District, where you can imagine that you are out deep in the woods and not in the middle of a large city.

This house, reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece, Fallingwater, may be our favorite house so far. The architect of the house is, actually, another iconic American architect, Richard Neutra. Neutra is most famous for his Southern California houses and this is the only house he designed in the District. It is also, apparently, the last house he designed before his death in 1970.

The house was also surrounded by beautiful sculpture, including this piece nestled in behind a row of ferns against a stucco wall.

Lauren’s grandparents lived in this building on the corner of Connecticut Avenue and Albemarle Street NW. Theirs was the fourth floor corner apartment with the balcony in the photo below. She spent many happy hours there as a child.

We are not sure when this church was built but it definitely has a mid-century feel to it.

Capital Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church

Day 18

Forest Hills (July 23, 2019)

Today, we once again ventured into Forest Hills with its shady streets of diverse houses. On our walk we came across this suspicious character, casing out a possible house to burgle.

It’s amazing to us how wildlife has adapted to life in the District’s suburbs. In our neighborhood, which is reasonably densely populated and not too close to Rock Creek Park, we have seen raccoons, foxes, possums, squirrels, rabbits, coyotes and deer. On one occasion we even came across a large stag standing in a neighbor’s yard. It had massive antlers and we were certain it was a life size reindeer decoration put up for Christmas, until it turned and stared at us while we passed.

We continued to admire the mid-century modern homes in the area, including this one.

We were also taken by this rather whimsical home.

We were greatly admiring this modern residence with its copper cladding . . .

. . . when the owner / designer of the house, Travis Price, arrived home. He graciously discussed his process in designing the house.

To see photos of the inside of this home and other spectacular buildings designed by Travis, visit his website at http://www.travispricearchitects.com

Travis also designed this more traditional house next door to his home.

We liked the clean lines of this home

And the quirkiness of this one

Day 17

Friendship Heights (July 22, 2019)

With thunderstorms in the area, we decided to stay close to home, wandering our own neighborhood of Friendship Heights.

Sitting on the corner of Western Avenue and 41st Street NW, Livingston Park is a great asset for the neighborhood. It includes an extensive playground, a little league field, basketball and tennis courts, and a dog park. We spent many happy hours there with our boys and their friends when they were small. Since then the Park has undergone a number of improvements, including the addition of a spray park for the little kids.

During our walks we have come across a number of semi-detached houses. These two took our fancy.

A group of entrance markers were erected in 1932-33 on the borders of major roads passing between the District and Maryland. The markers, known as the Garden Club of America Entrance markers, were erected as part of the George Washington bicentennial celebration and are listed on the National Register of Historical Places. The following pair are on the northwest and northeast corners of Western and Wisconsin avenues in Friendship Heights. The markers have District of Columbia written on the District side of the stone and Maryland written on the Maryland side.

The markers shouldn’t be confused with the forty milestones that marked the four lines forming the boundaries between the District and Maryland and Virginia. Those marker stones are much older, having been erected in 1791-92. Today 36 of the original marker stones survive as the oldest federally placed monuments in the United States. A number can be found along side Western Avenue which constitutes the northwest border of much of Ward 3 with Maryland.

Sitting on 44th Street NW, between Jenifer and Harrison streets is the Western Bus Garage. The Garage is a large bus and service facility, taking up close to four acres. Included on the site is the brick bus garage pictured below that was built in the first decade of the 1900s. It was designed by architect, Arthur Heaton. Heaton was particularly interested in the slight variations in moldings, bricks and details of old buildings and the Garage reflects this interest. We have often thought that it would be awesome as a large indoor food market, along the lines of Union Market in northeast DC.

We have not come across much Brutalist architecture during our walks. This is a rare example.

We’ve always had a soft spot for this building which houses the Joy of Motion Dance Center, Chevy Chase Ballroom, and Paul’s liquor store. Dancing and alcohol all in one spot, what could be better?

If we were only allowed access to one store, we would choose Rodman’s. As it is, we are there most days. We like pretty much everything about it. Even the in store music is excellent, playing only classical. The staff are friendly and knowledgable and the variety of produce is incredible for such a small place. There is a good variety of wine and beer and food from all around the world. If you’re a Swede missing your favorite cookies from back home. This is your place. If you’re an Aussie and you need your fix of Vegemite. This is your place. If you’re a Brit, looking for your favorite UK lolly or chocolate bar. This is your place. You get the idea. It’s an expat paradise.

And that’s just the foodstuffs. Downstairs there is a whole other section, selling everything from home supplies, to soaps and shampoos, to pharmaceutical supplies. You’ll even find that very rare species, an independent pharmacist. You remember what it used to be like before CVS and Walgreens conquered the world. When your pharmacist actually knew your name. Well, it’s still like that at Rodman’s.

Down Wisconsin Avenue toward Tenleytown from Rodman’s and on the other side of the road is one of our favorite local restaurants, Le Chat Noir. If you have a hankering for some French bistro food, give it a try.

Day 16

Forest Hills (July 18)

We continued our exploration of Forest Hills on a hot muggy evening.

Occasionally we have come across houses that look to have started life looking the same but have grown apart as they have grown older. Here are a couple of examples.

We were delighted to come across some mid-century modern houses, a personal architectural favorite style of ours.

Another in our “one of these houses is not like the others” series is this house with what appeared to be a rooftop atrium and an appealing checkerboard pattern.

We were surprised to find this little chapel nestled in beside a large old house on a quiet residential street.

From what we can determine through an internet search, the chapel is for the Convent of Divine Providence of the Oblate Sisters of the Most Holy Eucharist. The Convent resides in the large house next to the Chapel. The Oblate Sisters are, apparently, a small contemplative order from Mexico with convents in Massachusetts as well as the District.

Day 15

Forest Hills / Connecticut Avenue (July 16, 2019)

This evening we set out to explore the Forest Hills neighborhood. Forest Hills sits between Connecticut Avenue to the west and Rock Creek Park to the east. We began our walk by ambling down 36th street where you can easily imagine you are out in the middle of West Virginia rather than in Washington DC.

Once in Forest Hills, we found it to be a wonderfully eclectic neighborhood of single family homes from a variety of styles. Ranging from traditional ramblers and cottages . . .

To palace wannabes . . .

To modern giants.

We finished up the evening walking along Connecticut Avenue, passing by the stately apartment and condo buildings.

There is something strangely appealing about gas stations at twilight.

Day 14

Spring Valley (July 15, 2019)

Today we completed our tour of Spring Valley. We have enjoyed the last few days, exploring this neighborhood with its charming houses and shady trees.

The neighborhood is served by a number of shops and restaurants lining Massachusetts Avenue, including the wildly popular Millie’s.

Day 13

Spring Valley / American University (July 13, 2019)

We continued our discovery of Spring Valley. Today we walked along a number of streets that include much larger houses. Many had country flags flying out front, suggesting that they are embassy residences. We particularly like the residence of the Korean Ambassador with it’s distinctly Asian design.

Residence of the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea

A small creek flows down along next to Glenbrook Road so a number of houses have small stone bridges giving street access.

We loved this cottage with its charming garden.

Dotted throughout Ward 3 and the rest of the District are the red cast iron remnants of emergency call boxes. These boxes were first installed in the 1860s but have not been used since the 1970s. The call boxes were connected to a central alarm center. If a person saw a fire nearby, they could open the door of the box and pull a fire alarm lever and operators would dispatch trucks to the right location. There are also blue call boxes, allowing police officers to check in with their precincts. Many of the boxes have now been transformed into art or historical markers.

We made our way up the hill and onto the American University campus. We were surprised at its extensiveness, having never wandered through the whole grounds. A quick google search informed us that the main campus actually spans 90 acres, serving over 8000 undergraduates and 5,500 postgraduates.

Day 12

Spring Valley (July 12, 2019)

Today we started walking in the older part of Spring Valley, and found it much different than our walk of the previous day. The houses were older and the streets more tree lined. We found it to be very beautiful and well kept. It was similar to AU Park with quiet streets of, albeit generally larger, single family homes.

During our walks we have noticed many houses with Adirondack chairs placed in front lawns to enjoy a view of the street.

This home with red door and flag seemed the quintessential American cottage.

It’s Sunflower season. We noticed this little guy hard at work.

Day 11

Spring Valley (July 11, 2019)

Today we began walking in Spring Valley. Our exploration started in the northern part of the neighborhood, consisting primarily of large brick houses on winding roads. They look as though they were built as part of a single development in the late eighties or early nineties. The development does not appear to have included the planting of street trees. Hence, there was little shade, making walking on a hot and humid day much less pleasant.