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The neighborhoods
of Ward 5 each have unique histories, some of which date back to the Civil War era or earlier. A number of the Ward’s
neighborhoods were originally part of large estates owned by prominent individuals. Presented below (in alphabetical order)
is a sampling of the neighborhood histories that make up the fabric of Ward 5.
Bloomingdale
Located just east of LeDroit Park, Bloomingdale was one of Washington’s earliest suburban developments. In the late
1800s, the land that now comprises the residential blocks of Bloomingdale was used for a variety of light industrial uses.
For example, in 1889, a large flour mill was constructed at the corner of 3rd Street and Florida Avenue, NW.
It was one of only two flour mills in the city at the time. In response to the growth of Washington, in the early 1900s developers
and land speculators began to chart the industrial area that is now Bloomingdale for development. Leading the way, the Rhode
Island Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church was built in 1902 at Rhode Island Avenue and 1st Street, NW. In the
year following, 11 homes along the unit block of Rhode Island Avenue, NW joined. Surrounding blocks were subsequently built
by developers such as Harry Wardman and S. H. Meyers. Because home construction often necessitates school construction, the
historic Gage School, located on the 2000 block of 2nd Street, NW was erected in 1904.
Eckington
The land which became Eckington was originally the country home of Joseph Gales, Jr., owner of the National Intelligencer
newspaper and the Mayor of Washington from 1827 to 1830. Gales bought the tract in 1815, and in 1830 erected a two-story house
on the hilltop, about where Third and U Streets, NE intersect today. Gales named his estate Eckington after after
the village in England where he was born. During the Civil War, the house was used as a hospital. After the war, Eckington,
commonly known as Gales Woods, was a popular picnic ground. In 1887, Eckington was bought by George Truesdell, who subdivided
the property, sold lots, and built several houses. Eckington was wired for electricity in 1889, two years before electricity
was installed in the White House.
Edgewood
This neighborhood, outside the original boundaries of Washington City, was originally part a
30-acre farmland estate, called Metropolis View. In 1863, Salmon P. Chase, then U.S. Treasury Secretary under Abraham Lincoln,
purchased the estate and another 20 acres of land nearby. He built a mansion and renamed the newly expanded estate Edgewood.
The mansion was located at what is now the corner of Edgewood and Fourth Streets, NE. In the early 1900s, the house belonged
to the St. Vincent's Orphanage Asylum and Catholic School. The city eventually gained possession of the estate and began
developing it as an urban neighborhood in the 1950s.
Ivy
City
Ivy
City is located outside the boundaries of the original L’Enfant plan for Washington, D.C. In 1831, the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad received approval to build its Washington Branch. As part of the construction, the railroad company built its
last roundhouse (the current AMTRAK yard) one mile outside the city limit. The railroad then worked with land speculators
to develop the tract immediately adjacent to the roundhouse as Ivy City, to serve as a suburb to house B&O
employees. Ivy City officially became part of the city of Washington with the passage of the Organic Act of 1878. In 1911,
the neighborhood’s first school for African Americans was constructed—Alexander Crummell Elementary School. The
school quickly became a symbol of civic pride in the neighborhood and a major community anchor.
Trinidad
The land that is now the Trinidad neighborhood once belonged to the family of a man who lived in Trinidad. He planned
to relocate to the D.C. neighborhood, but died enroute to the states. It later belonged to a member of the Corcoran family
who bequeathed it to The George Washington University. The university sold the land to the Washington Brick Machine Company.
Realizing it they did not need all of the land, the brickworks company began selling off parcels, and, in the late 1800s/early
1900s, the first houses in Trinidad were built.
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