Street in northwest and southwest quadrants of Washington, D.C., US
14th Street Southwest and Northwest
Retail and apartment buildings at 14th and
U Streets
in 2019
|
Maintained by
| DDOT
|
---|
Length
| 7.2 mi (11.6 km)
[1]
|
---|
Location
| Southwest
and
Northwest
,
Washington, D.C.
|
---|
Coordinates
| 38°53′22″N
77°1′55″W
/
38.88944°N 77.03194°W
/
38.88944; -77.03194
|
---|
South end
| I-395
/
US 1
in
East Potomac Park
|
---|
Major
junctions
| US 50
(
Constitution Avenue
) in
Federal Triangle
US 29
(
K Street
) in
Downtown
|
---|
North end
| Eastern Avenue
in
Shepherd Park
|
---|
East
| 13th Street
|
---|
West
| 15th Street
|
---|
|
Commissioned
| 1791
|
---|
|
|
Fourteenth Street Historic District
|
|
|
|
Show map of the District of Columbia
Show map of the United States
|
Location
| Roughly bounded by S, 12th, N and 15th Sts., NW.,
Washington, District of Columbia
|
---|
Area
| 105 acres (42 ha)
|
---|
Architect
| Brown, Glenn, et al.
|
---|
Architectural style
| Mid 19th Century Revival, Late Victorian, Modern Movement
|
---|
NRHP reference
No.
| 94000992
[2]
|
---|
Added to NRHP
| November 9, 1994
|
---|
|
14th Street NW
/
SW
is a street in
Northwest
and
Southwest
quadrants of
Washington, D.C.
, located 1.25 miles (2.01 km) west of the
U.S. Capitol
. It runs from the
14th Street Bridge
north to
Eastern Avenue
.
Northbound
U.S. Route 1
runs along 14th Street from the bridge to
Constitution Avenue
, where it turns east with
US 50
. US 1 southbound previously used 15th Street NW due to the ban on left turns from westbound Constitution Avenue to 14th Street, but it now uses the
Ninth Street Tunnel
, five blocks to the east. 14th Street crosses the
National Mall
and runs near the
White House
and through the western side of Washington's
Logan Circle
neighborhood.
Because it connects to one of the main bridges crossing the
Potomac River
into
Northern Virginia
, 14th Street has always been a major transportation corridor. It was the location of one of the first
streetcar lines
, and today it is the location of several afternoon carpooling "
slug lines
", which allow commuters to meet the
high-occupancy vehicle
requirements of
I-395
, the
Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway
.
History
[
edit
]
In the middle of the 20th century, 14th Street NW near the intersection of P Street was home to many
car dealerships
and was known as "
auto row
".
[3]
The Casino Royal at 14th and H Streets was one of the city's most popular nightclubs.
The street was the location of
race riots
in 1968
after the
assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
[4]
In the 1970s and 1980s, a portion of 14th Street became known primarily for its
red-light district
. Several
strip clubs
and
massage parlors
were concentrated roughly between
New York Avenue
and
K Street
, while prostitutes plied their trade around
Logan Circle
. However, rising land values eventually pushed out the adult businesses. The
Source Theatre
, founded by
Bart Whiteman
in 1977, was given some credit for the area's revival. Whiteman stood outside the theater to escort people inside in order to make them feel safer.
[5]
With the
gentrification
of the neighborhoods through which it passes ? particularly downtown,
Logan Circle
, the
U Street Corridor
, and
Columbia Heights
? 14th Street is now known for live theater, art galleries, and trendy restaurants. Moreover, while the nominal center of the city's
gay
life is still
Dupont Circle
, the
Washington Blade
called 14th Street between U Street and
Massachusetts Avenue
(
Thomas Circle
) the best place to see and be seen.
[6]
As of 2012, the center of gravity had shifted and Logan Circle was voted "DC's gay neighborhood."
[7]
The opening of a
Whole Foods Market
at 14th and P Streets in 2000 was considered a turning point for the neighborhood.
[8]
The 21st century brought rapid gentrification along 14th Street, especially south of Florida Avenue. Within a decade, it had become one of the preeminent dining destinations in the Greater Washington area.
[9]
In nine months of 2012 and 2013, two dozen restaurants opened on 14th Street.
[10]
From 2010 to 2012, almost every block of 14th between Rhode Island and Florida Avenues had a major residential redevelopment project scheduled, adding more than 1,200 housing units and 85,000 square feet (7,900 m
2
) of retail.
[11]
Landmarks
[
edit
]
Transit service
[
edit
]
14th Street has been a major transit route ever since the
Capital Traction Company
streetcar line was built around the turn of the 20th century. The successor to that line is the
Metrobus
14th Street Line?routes 52 & 54.
Rail
[
edit
]
There are two
Metrorail
stations on 14th Street (the
U Street station
is one block east, at 13th and U Streets NW and is considered the most convenient stop to visit the heart of 14th St between P and V Sts NW):
Metrobus
[
edit
]
The following
Metrobus routes
travel along the street (listed from south to north):
DC Circulator
[
edit
]
The
DC Circulator's
Woodley Park
?
Adams Morgan
?
McPherson Square Metro
bus line travels along 14th Street between
Columbia Heights
and Franklin Square.
[12]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Google
(March 9, 2019).
"14th Street SW and NW"
(Map).
Google Maps
. Google
. Retrieved
March 9,
2019
.
- ^
"National Register Information System"
.
National Register of Historic Places
.
National Park Service
. July 9, 2010.
- ^
Wilgoren, Debbi (December 20, 2004).
"From Showrooms to Showplaces"
.
Washington Post
. p. B01
. Retrieved
26 April
2010
.
- ^
Linskey, Annie (April 1, 2004).
"D.C.'s 14th Street, once shunned, is the new hot spot"
.
Baltimore Sun
. Archived from
the original
on 6 June 2005
. Retrieved
25 August
2005
.
- ^
Lamb, Yvonne Shinhoster (March 24, 2006).
"Source Theatre Founder Bart Whiteman"
.
Washington Post
. p. B06
. Retrieved
9 August
2006
.
- ^
Best of Gay DC: Community
Archived
2007-09-30 at the
Wayback Machine
,
The Washington Blade,
October 7, 2005
- ^
"
Where is DC's Gay Neighborhood? The Winner is...
"
Borderstan
, 30 May 2012.
- ^
Amanda Abrams, "
In D.C., a Street's Grit Gives Way to Glamour
,"
New York Times
, 1 May 2012.
- ^
"
Best of DC: Best Neighborhood for Dining 2014
Archived
2014-05-19 at the
Wayback Machine
,"
Washington City Paper
, 2014.
- ^
"
Take a stroll down the new 14th Street
,"
Washington Post
, 21 July 2013.
- ^
ABRAMS, AMANDA (May 1, 2012).
"In D.C., a Street's Grit Gives Way to Glamour"
.
New York Times
.
- ^
"DC Circulator"
. DC Circulator. Archived from
the original
on 23 August 2010
. Retrieved
2010-08-31
.