Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.)

Coordinates: 38°54′50″N 77°3′11″W / 38.91389°N 77.05306°W / 38.91389; -77.05306
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Massachusetts Avenue
Massachusetts Avenue SE
Massachusetts Avenue NE
Massachusetts Avenue NW
DDOT
Width160 feet (49 m)
LocationWashington, D.C., U.S.
Coordinates38°54′50″N 77°3′11″W / 38.91389°N 77.05306°W / 38.91389; -77.05306
East endSouthern Avenue
Major
junctions
West endWestmoreland Circle
Construction
Completion1871
Massachusetts Avenue Historic District
Miller House, a contributing property to the Massachusetts Avenue Historic District
Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.) is located in Washington, D.C.
Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.)
LocationBoth sides of Massachusetts Avenue between 17th Street and Observatory Circle, NW
Coordinates38°54′50″N 77°3′11″W / 38.91389°N 77.05306°W / 38.91389; -77.05306
Area81 acres (33 ha)
Built1871
ArchitectMultiple
Architectural styleLate Victorian, Beaux Arts
NRHP reference No.74002166[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 22, 1974

Massachusetts Avenue is a major diagonal transverse road in

historic district
that includes part of it.

Appearing in Peter Charles L'Enfant's original plan, Massachusetts Avenue crosses three of Washington's four quadrants.[2] It intersects every major north–south street and passes numerous Washington landmarks. It is a landmark itself, long considered the northern boundary of the downtown as well as home of Washington's Embassy Row.

Massachusetts Avenue is tied with Pennsylvania Avenue as the widest road in the District, at 160 feet (49 m). The two roads run in parallel through much of the city, Massachusetts about seven blocks north of Pennsylvania. Massachusetts Avenue was long Washington's premier residential street, as Pennsylvania was once its most sought-after business address. Both streets were named after states with prominent roles in the American Revolution: Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

The historic district is an 81-acre (33 ha) area in northwest Washington that includes 150

contributing structures. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. It includes multiple properties that are individually listed on the National Register.[1]

Route description

Massachusetts Avenue at the intersection of 3rd and H Streets, NW
A residential area along Massachusetts Avenue on Capitol Hill
The intersection of 13th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, NW near Thomas Circle

The main section of Massachusetts Avenue begins at 19th Street

Northeast D.C.
.

After briefly converging with

NoMa
(North of Massachusetts Avenue).

It intersects with

16th and N Streets NW; this is considered the starting point of Embassy Row
.

Massachusetts Avenue passes through the inner ring of

Charles C. Glover Bridge, it curves around the United States Naval Observatory and Number One Observatory Circle, the official residence of the Vice President of the United States, which forms the southwest boundary of the Massachusetts Heights neighborhood. The Washington National Cathedral, located at the intersection of Mass and Wisconsin Avenues
, is usually considered the end of Embassy Row.

At

State Highway 396, waving through residential sections of Bethesda until terminating at Goldsboro Road, also known as Maryland State Highway 614. Another section of Massachusetts Avenue, discontinuous from this one, lies on the east side of the Anacostia River. That section extends from 30th Street SE near District of Columbia Route 295, to Southern Avenue SE at the border between Washington, D.C. and Prince George's County
.

Other notable institutions located on Massachusetts Avenue include the

St. Nicholas Cathedral, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Numerous embassies and residences are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation
maintains its headquarters on Massachusetts Avenue.

History

Private residences and embassies on Massachusetts Avenue in the Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

The track of the avenue was not paved until the administration of

District line in 1906, although at the time they thought it would really only be used up to its intersection with Nebraska Avenue with the exception of pleasure drives.[3] Residential development along Massachusetts Avenue accelerated in the 1870s, mostly around the circles located west of 9th Street NW. These brick and brownstone structures reflected the Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque styles in vogue at the time. Later, luxurious Georgian Revival and Beaux-Arts mansions inhabited by wealthy and influential Washingtonians sprouted along the boulevard. The section between Sheridan Circle and Scott Circle
became known as "Millionaires' Row".

The

16th Street. Many residences were sold and demolished to make way for office buildings, particularly around Dupont Circle and to its east. Many others, however, survived as embassies and society houses; the former Millionaires' Row is today well known as Embassy Row
.

Several overlapping historic district have been created to preserve the character of the remaining neighborhoods. The Massachusetts Avenue Historic District encompasses all buildings which front the road between 17th Street and Observatory Circle NW.

Transit

While no

Downtown
, Northeast, and Southeast.

Metrobus

The following Metrobus routes travel along the street (listed from west to east):

  • N4 (Dupont Circle to Westmoreland Circle)
  • N6 (Dupont Circle to Westmoreland Circle, making a clockwise-only loop each direction between Idaho Avenue westbound/Cathedral Avenue eastbound and Ward Circle. Runs on weekends and weekdays after 8 PM to replace N2 and N4 service)
  • N2 (Dupont Circle to Idaho Avenue westbound/Cathedral Avenue eastbound, crossing again at Ward Circle)
  • 80 (North Capitol Street to 2nd Street NW westbound/H Street NW eastbound)
  • D6 (Stanton Park to North Capitol St.)
  • X8 (Stanton Park to Columbus Circle)
  • 96 (D.C. General Hospital to New Jersey Ave NW)
  • M6 (Alabama Ave to Southern Ave)

D.C. Circulator

The

D.C. Circulator
travels along the street:

  • Georgetown-Union Station (Columbus Circle to Mount Vernon Square)

Far western and eastern ends

Ride On Route 29 serves Massachusetts Avenue in Maryland from Westmoreland Circle to the avenue's terminus at Goldsboro Road.

The M6, which travels from the Potomac Avenue Metro station to Fairfax Village, runs along Massachusetts Avenue between Alabama Avenue and Southern Avenue.

Washington Metro

The following Metrorail stations have stops located near Massachusetts Avenue:

Commuter rail

Union Station lies on Massachusetts Avenue at Columbus Circle, and it is served by Amtrak, MARC, and Virginia Railway Express
trains.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ISBN 978-0-9727611-0-9). The United States Code states in 40 U.S.C. 3309 Archived 2021-04-02 at the Wayback Machine: "(a) In General.—The purposes of this chapter shall be carried out in the District of Columbia as nearly as may be practicable in harmony with the plan of Peter Charles L'Enfant." The National Park Service identifies L'Enfant as Major Peter Charles L'Enfant Archived 2014-04-05 at the Wayback Machine and as Major Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant Archived 2010-04-03 at the Wayback Machine
    on its website.
  3. ^ "Approve Street Extensions Archived 2021-10-04 at the Wayback Machine". The Washington Post. January 3, 1906. p. 11.

External links

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