Anacostia Past and Present

Author's note: Working in the Anacostia real estate market, I often get questions about the history of the area. I'm attempting to provide a brief history of Anacostia. We'll call it Anacostia: 101! I also include some of the great things that are happening in the present. As always, I appreciate your comments.

Past

The name "Anacostia" comes from the name of a Nacochtank Native Americans settlement along the Anacostia River. Captain John Smith explored the area in 1608, and met Anacostans while traveling up the "Eastern Branch" or Anacostia River.

The core, which is now the Anacostia historic district was incorporated in 1854 as Uniontown. It was one of the first suburbs in the District of Columbia. It was designed to be financially available to Washington's working class, many of whom were employed across the river at the Navy Yard; its (then) location outside of and isolated from the city made its real estate inexpensive.

The initial subdivision of 1854 originally carried a restrictive covenants prohibiting the sale, rental or lease of property to anyone of African or Irish descent, but Abolitionist Frederick Douglass, often called "the sage of Anacostia," bought an estate in Anacostia called, Cedar Hill from the developer of Uniontown in 1877. He lived there until he died in 1895. The home is still maintained as a national historical site.

During the Civil War, Anacostia was protected by a series of forts upon the hills southwest of the city. Following the conclusion of the war, the forts were dismantled and the land returned to its original owners.

There is shopping, dining, and entertainment facilities throughout Anacostia. Anacostia, has it’s own recreation center located at the waterfront. It features: a Boys and Girls Club, tennis courts, swimming pools, work out facilities, a skating rink, biking and riding trails and is home to many river-rowing, and soccer teams.

The Anacostia National Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The historic district retains much of its mid-to-late 19th-century low-scale, working-class character, as is evident in its architecture.

In 1959, an Anacostia landmark the "World's Largest Chair", was installed at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and W Street, SE. The chair was built by Bassett Furniture for Curtis Brothers Furniture Store, formerly located at this site. In the summer of 2005, the “Big Chair”– as it is known – was removed for repairs, then returned in April 2006.

Present

Today, Anacostia has the most reasonable real estate prices in the Washington Metropolitan area with large houses which offer great views of the river, city and Monuments.

It is easily accessible to major thoroughfares (I-295, I-395, I-95, Suitland Pkwy, and BW Pkwy) and less than 10 minutes to downtown Washington, DC.

Most recently, Washington DC's focus has been on making the Anacostia River a focal point of the city and a world-class waterfront.

In years past, Anacostia was the home of many of the city’s lower-income residents. New classes of upwardly mobile professionals are moving into the area everyday. Drawn to the area’s reasonably priced new luxury Condos & Townhouses that are being developed all over the area.

In recent years, Anacostia has seen a resurgence of new business’ that include; art galleries, banks, restaurants, such as, Anacostia Cafe, the new JazzNSoul Cafe (Anacostia's Blues Alley), and Anacostia's first full-service real estate company, my company, Anacostia River Realty.

New residents love the small town community feel of the area. They have dubbed the area "River East" versus the title “East of the River” ridding itself of the many negative connotations associated with the name from years past.

www.AnacostiaRiverRealty.com
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