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14th Street (Washington, D.C.)

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Coordinates:38°53′22″N77°1′55″W/ 38.88944°N 77.03194°W/38.88944; -77.03194
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14th Street Southwest and Northwest
Retail and apartment buildings at 14th and U Streets
Retail and apartment buildings at 14th andU Streetsin 2019
Maintained byDDOT
Length7.2 mi (11.6 km)[1]
LocationSouthwestandNorthwest,Washington, D.C.
Coordinates38°53′22″N77°1′55″W/ 38.88944°N 77.03194°W/38.88944; -77.03194
South endI-395/US 1inEast Potomac Park
Major
junctions		US 50(Constitution Avenue) inFederal Triangle
US 29(K Street) inDowntown
North endEastern AvenueinShepherd Park
East13th Street
West15th Street
Construction
Commissioned1791
Fourteenth Street Historic District
14th Street (Washington, D.C.) is located in the District of Columbia
14th Street (Washington, D.C.)
14th Street (Washington, D.C.) is located in the United States
14th Street (Washington, D.C.)
LocationRoughly bounded by S, 12th, N and 15th Sts., NW.,Washington, District of Columbia
Area105 acres (42 ha)
ArchitectBrown, Glenn, et al.
Architectural styleMid 19th Century Revival, Late Victorian, Modern Movement
NRHP referenceNo.94000992[2]
Added to NRHPNovember 9, 1994

14th Street NW/SWis a street inNorthwestandSouthwestquadrants ofWashington, D.C.,located 1.25 miles (2.01 km) west of theU.S. Capitol.It runs from the14th Street Bridgenorth toEastern Avenue.

NorthboundU.S. Route 1runs along 14th Street from the bridge toConstitution Avenue,where it turns east withUS 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 theNinth Street Tunnel,five blocks to the east. 14th Street crosses theNational Malland runs near theWhite Houseand through the western side of Washington'sLogan Circleneighborhood.

Because it connects to one of the main bridges crossing thePotomac RiverintoNorthern Virginia,14th Street has always been a major transportation corridor. It was the location of one of the firststreetcar lines,and today it is the location of several afternoon carpooling "slug lines",which allow commuters to meet thehigh-occupancy vehiclerequirements ofI-395,theHenry 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 manycar dealershipsand 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 ofrace riotsin 1968after theassassination of Martin Luther King Jr.[4]

In the 1970s and 1980s, a portion of 14th Street became known primarily for itsred-light district.Severalstrip clubsandmassage parlorswere concentrated roughly betweenNew York AvenueandK Street,while prostitutes plied their trade aroundLogan Circle.However, rising land values eventually pushed out the adult businesses. TheSource Theatre,founded byBart Whitemanin 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 thegentrificationof the neighborhoods through which it passes – particularly downtown,Logan Circle,theU Street Corridor,andColumbia Heights– 14th Street is now known for live theater, art galleries, and trendy restaurants. Moreover, while the nominal center of the city'sgaylife is stillDupont Circle,theWashington Bladecalled 14th Street between U Street andMassachusetts 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 aWhole Foods Marketat 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 m2) of retail.[11]

Landmarks[edit]

The renovatedTivoli TheatreinColumbia Heightsat Park Road and 14th Street NW.

Transit service[edit]

14th Street has been a major transit route ever since theCapital Traction Companystreetcar line was built around the turn of the 20th century. The successor to that line is theMetrobus14th Street Line—routes 52 & 54.

Rail[edit]

TheDecatur Street Car Barnat 4615 14th St. NW, built in 1906 by the Capital Traction Company. It is now the Metrobus Northern Division garage.

There are twoMetrorailstations on 14th Street (theU Street stationis 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):

Bus[edit]

Metrobus[edit]

The followingMetrobus routestravel along the street (listed from south to north):

DC Circulator[edit]

TheDC Circulator'sWoodley Park–Adams Morgan–McPherson Square Metrobus line travels along 14th Street betweenColumbia Heightsand Franklin Square.[12]

References[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to14th Street (Washington, D.C.).
  1. ^Google(March 9, 2019)."14th Street SW and NW"(Map).Google Maps.Google.RetrievedMarch 9,2019.
  2. ^"National Register Information System".National Register of Historic Places.National Park Service.July 9, 2010.
  3. ^Wilgoren, Debbi (December 20, 2004)."From Showrooms to Showplaces".Washington Post.p. B01.Retrieved26 April2010.
  4. ^Linskey, Annie (April 1, 2004)."D.C.'s 14th Street, once shunned, is the new hot spot".Baltimore Sun.Archived fromthe originalon 6 June 2005.Retrieved25 August2005.
  5. ^Lamb, Yvonne Shinhoster (March 24, 2006)."Source Theatre Founder Bart Whiteman".Washington Post.p. B06.Retrieved9 August2006.
  6. ^Best of Gay DC: CommunityArchived2007-09-30 at theWayback Machine,The Washington Blade,October 7, 2005
  7. ^"Where is DC's Gay Neighborhood? The Winner is..."Borderstan,30 May 2012.
  8. ^Amanda Abrams, "In D.C., a Street's Grit Gives Way to Glamour,"New York Times,1 May 2012.
  9. ^"Best of DC: Best Neighborhood for Dining 2014Archived2014-05-19 at theWayback Machine,"Washington City Paper,2014.
  10. ^"Take a stroll down the new 14th Street,"Washington Post,21 July 2013.
  11. ^ABRAMS, AMANDA (May 1, 2012)."In D.C., a Street's Grit Gives Way to Glamour".New York Times.
  12. ^"DC Circulator".DC Circulator. Archived fromthe originalon 23 August 2010.Retrieved2010-08-31.
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