This fall I've been presenting a series on important streets in Washington, DC. There have
been 4 installations so far:
14th Street
Sixteenth Street
H Street
Pennsylvania Avenue
Thanksgiving is past and the weather in Washington is rapidly turning from comfortable
to chilly, so this will be the last Autumn Streets thread this year.
It will focus on
Massachusetts Avenue, following the route shown by the red line in
this map (from left to right).
Massachusetts Avenue is, along with Pennsylvania Avenue, the widest and most monumental
of all streets in the city. It is lined with 10 major circles and squares from one end
of the city to the other, more than any other street.
For much of its history Mass Ave was the city's best residential address. As a result,
it is lined with block after block of beautiful and historic grand mansions.
West of Dupont Circle the street retains a strong mansion character. The Vice President's
residence is at the Naval Observatory, just west of Rock Creek Park (unfortunately you
can't see it from the street). Many of the rest of the buildings along the street are
now used as the embassies for foreign countries. So many that this section of Mass Ave
is colloquially known as "Embassy Row".
The tour will begin just east of Rock Creek Park, in the Kalorama neighborhood, along the
heart of Embassy Row.
Welcome to the "haves" of Washington:
Sitting amidst the embassies along the boundary of Rock Creek Park is the National Islamic
Center, which claims to be the foremost mosque in America. Its minaret is visible from
many locations.
For more pictures of the mosque see
this image gallery I prepared a few years ago.
Since Mass Ave is diagonal to the grid, cross streets hit at weird angles.
I'm fond of this little building, the Zambian embassy.
Guess the country by its flag.
Of the 10 mentioned earlier, this tour will hit 4 circles and 1 square. The first is
Sheridan Circle, by far the quietest.
Beginning at Sheridan Circle and going all the way east to the Anacostia River there is a
new circle or square every few blocks.
This image is from Sheridan Circle, looking towards Dupont Circle.
Let's keep headed that direction.
Approaching Dupont Circle the character begins to change to include land uses more
typical of downtown. Taller, commercial buildings appear.
Arriving at Dupont Circle, without a doubt one of the city's best parks. Dupont is
where Connecticut Avenue crosses Massachusetts.
Panorama --------------->
For more pictures of Dupont Circle
go to this set from 2004.
East of Dupont Circle the street changes. It becomes the generally recognized northern
boundary of downtown Washington. The blocks behind it to the north are neighborhoods,
and those to the south are part of downtown. For the rest of this tour the street will
exhibit a transitional character.
Modern expansion to an old building.
Approaching Scott Circle, where 16th Street crosses. You saw it in the thread for 16th Street.
General Winfield Scott.
Scott Circle is flanked by little parks on two of its sides, each with a small monument
in the middle. This is the more impressive of the two, a memorial to Samuel Hahnemann,
the man who invented homeopathy.
It's only a block and half from Scott Circle to Thomas Circle. Standing at one, the other
is easy to see.
Between them.
Thomas Circle, where 14th Street crosses. You saw it in the 14th Street thread.
Looking past it, down the street to the southeast.
Massachusetts Avenue actually goes under Thomas Circle.
The next block over is an interesting mix of different architectural styles.
It trends a little more residential for a number of blocks east of the circles.
Looking north along 13th Street.
Bikesharing! Capital Bikeshare has become ubiquitous around the central city very quickly.
Church of the Ascension.
Looking up 12th Street. Sorry for the shadows.
... And looking down 11th. These few blocks are narrow, and most of the buildings along
them front on the cross streets.
Yes, this is the headquarters for /that/ Cato Institute. The anti-urban
car lobby masquerading as libertarians.
Moving on.
This is a church.
We reach Mount Vernon Square. Washington's new convention center fronts on it from the north.
Mount Vernon Square itself is occupied by Washington's former central public library. When
the library moved to a new Mies van der Rohe building in 1972, this building closed. It's
now a city museum and event space.
Mount Vernon Square is where New York Avenue crosses Massachusetts. Here is NY Ave from the square.
Looking up 6th Street we get a peek of the rowhouse neighborhoods further north.
East of Mount Vernon Square things used to be a little industrial, but in recent years
the street has become lined with large new residential buildings.
This is the corner where I Street splits off.
An unusual church steeple.
Check out the tiny building in the middle of this block. Its owner wanted to sell out when
the redevelopment came, but insisted on demanding such an unreasonably high price that the
developers just built around him. Now his property is virtually worthless, since the
redevelopment is complete. The owner lost out on millions because he was greedy. It's
become a cautionary tale locally.
Many of the new buildings are quite interesting architecturally.
Looking north on 4th Street. Note the Capital Bikeshare station in the shadows.
Where Mass Ave crosses H Street. You saw this same view in the H Street thread.
Crossing over I-395, which is mostly underground but is in an open trench for a few blocks
here. You may recall from the H Street thread that it's due to be capped and developed over.
Like Pennsylvania Avenue, Mass Ave has a lot of little monuments.
Approaching Columbus Circle we come to a historic post office building now used as the
National Postal Museum. Philatelists love it.
Looking back on Mass Ave from Columbus Circle.
This is a curious little building.
Columbus Circle is the end of this tour. My next thread will feature its most famous building:
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