Woodley Park Historic District
Encompasses roughly the area bounded by Rock Creek Park to the east, Calvert Street and Woodley Road to the south, 29th Street to the west, and Cathedral Avenue to the north.
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Platted in the mid-1870s, Woodley Park was originally conceived as a residential suburb which its promoters described as the finest country seats ever offered for sale near the urban center, a mere 20 minute walk from Dupont Circle. Construction in Woodley Park did not begin until the early 20th century. As the subdivision evolved, it became an urban neighborhood characterized by townhouses and rowhouses set within a lush, park-like setting. The architecture, the repetition of common stylistic elements, the scale of the buildings, and landscape plan, which are consistent within the traditional boundaries of Old Woodley Park, give the district a distinct visual identity.
The neighborhood features flat-fronted houses in predominantly classical styles, with front porches and light-toned materials common. There are many commercial and apartment buildings along Connecticut Avenue.
Within the historic district are the works of many notable local architects and builders, including Middaugh and Shannon, Harry Wardman, Clarke Waggaman, Albert Beers, A.H. Sonnemann, Hunter and Bell, William Allard, Joseph Bonn, and George Santmyers.
The district includes approximately 395 buildings, dating from about 1905 to 1938.
DC Inventory: April 18, 1990
National Register: June 15, 1990
