Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Georgetown is a neighborhood located in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., along the Potomac River waterfront. It was formerly a separate city, predating the establishment of the city of Washington and the District of Columbia. The primary commercial corridors of Georgetown are M Street NW and Wisconsin Avenue, which are popular for the high-end shops, bars, and restaurants. Georgetown is home to the main campus of Georgetown University.
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[edit] History
First settled by Europeans in 1696, Georgetown was incorporated as a town and first regularly settled in 1751, when the area was part of the British colony of the Province of Maryland (initially in Frederick County and later in Montgomery County), later one of the 13 colonies. Situated on the fall line, Georgetown was the farthest point upstream to which oceangoing boats could navigate the Potomac River. It grew into a thriving port and became a key point for transferring goods, particularly tobacco, from boats on the Potomac to boats on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.
[edit] Origin of the name
Georgetown was founded in 1751 in Frederick County, Maryland (in a section later divided to become into Montgomery County) by George Beall and George Gordon as the Town of George. Given the curious coincidence of the both of the founders' first names and that of the English king at the time, historians dispute the source of the name of the town: One theory suggests that it was designated to honor King George II, while another argues that it was named for its founders.[1]
[edit] Early history
George Washington frequented Suter's Tavern in Georgetown, and worked out many land deals from there to acquire land for the Federal City. In the 1790s, City Tavern, the Union Tavern, and the Columbian Inn opened and were popular throughout the 19th century.
The home of Francis Scott Key was in Georgetown. Dr. William Beanes, a relative of Key, captured the rear guard of the British Army while it was burning Washington during the War of 1812. When the mass of the army retreated, they retrieved their imprisoned guard and took Dr. Beanes as a captive to their fleet near Baltimore. Key went to the fleet to request the release of Beanes, was held until the bombardment of Fort McHenry was completed, and gained the inspiration for "The Star-Spangled Banner."
[edit] Merger with Washington
After the American Revolution, Georgetown became an independent municipal government of the federal District of Columbia along with the City of Washington, City of Alexandria, and the newly created County of Washington and County of Alexandria (now Arlington County, Virginia). It was officially known as Georgetown, D.C.
In 1862, the Washington and Georgetown Railroad Company began a horsecar line running along M Street in Georgetown and Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, further integrating the two cities.
Georgetown was not formally annexed by the City of Washington until 1871, and remained nominally separate until 1895. The streets in Georgetown were then renamed to conform to the street names in use in Washington.
[edit] Later history
Many African-Americans moved to Georgetown following the Civil War, establishing a thriving community, but an 1890 flood and expansion of the railroads brought destitution to the C&O Canal, and Georgetown became a depressed slum. As a result, many older homes were preserved relatively unchanged.
The waterfront area retained its industrial character in the first half of the 20th century. Georgetown was home to a lumber yard, a cement works, and a meat rendering plant, and its skyline was dominated by the smokestack of a garbage incinerator. Indeed, in 1949, the city constructed the Whitehurst Freeway, an elevated highway above K Street, to allow motorists entering the District over the Key Bridge to bypass Georgetown entirely on their way downtown.
[edit] Gentrification
As the only existing town at the time, Georgetown was the fashion and cultural center of the newly-formed District of Columbia. As Washington grew, however, the center of social Washington moved east across Rock Creek to the new Victorian homes that sprang up around the city's traffic circles, and to the gilded age mansions along Massachusetts Avenue. While many "old families" stayed on in Georgetown, the neighborhood was well past its prime by the early 20th century. The neighborhood began to return to its past glory when gentrification began during the 1930s, as a number of members of the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved into the area. By the 1950s, a wave of new post-war residents arrived. Many of these new residents were well-educated, from elite backgrounds and they took a keen interest in the neighborhood's historic nature. At about the same time, the Citizens Association of Georgetown was formed.
The area reached the height of fashionablity when Georgetown resident John F. Kennedy was elected president. Kennedy lived in Georgetown in the 1950s as both a Congressman and a Senator. Parties hosted by his wife, Jackie, and many other Georgetown hostesses drew political elites away from downtown clubs and hotels or the upper 16th Street corridor. Kennedy went to his presidential inauguration from his townhouse at 3307 N Street in January 1961. Since then, Georgetown has acquired a reputation as a center of wealth and style within the U.S. capital.
[edit] Present day
Many leading figures in politics, media, and commerce reside in this upper-bracket community. Current inhabitants include Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, past Washington Post Editor Ben Bradlee, Washington Post Watergate reporter and current assistant managing editor Bob Woodward, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Clinton aide George Stephanopoulos, and Montana Senator Max Baucus, among others. High-end developments and gentrification have revitalized Georgetown's formerly blighted industrial waterfront. One remnant is the District's old refuse incinerator smokestack, preserved as an historic landmark and, as of 2003, incorporated into the layout of a newly built Ritz Carlton Hotel. The Whitehurst Freeway has been proposed for demolition.
[edit] Geography
Georgetown is bounded by the Potomac River on the south, Rock Creek to the east, Burleith and Glover Park to the north, with Georgetown University on the west end of the neighborhood. The neighborhood is situated on bluffs overlooking the Potomac River. As a result, there are some rather steep grades on streets running north-south. The famous "Exorcist Steps" connecting M Street to Prospect Street were necessitated by the hilly terrain of the neighborhood.
The primary commercial corridors of Georgetown are M Street and Wisconsin Avenue, whose high fashion stores draw large numbers of tourists as well as local shoppers year-round. There are also several high-end developments on K Street, on the waterfront, featuring outdoor bars and restaurants popular for viewing boat races. Between M and K Streets runs the historic Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, today plied only by tour boats; adjacent trails are popular with joggers or strollers.
Georgetown is home to the main campus of Georgetown University, as well as the embassies of France, Mongolia, Thailand, and Ukraine.
[edit] Historic landmarks
Georgetown is home to many historic landmarks including:
- Dumbarton Oaks, where the United Nations was outlined in 1944.
- The Old Stone House, built in 1765, located on M Street is the oldest original structure in Washington, D.C.
- Mount Zion Cemetery, which offered free burials for Washington's earlier African-American population.
- Tudor Place and Dumbarton Court
- The Oak Hill Cemetery, a gift of William Wilson Corcoran whose Gothic chapel and gates were designed by James Renwick, is the resting place of Abraham Lincoln's son Willie and other figures.
- The City Tavern Club, built in 1796, is the oldest commercial structure in Washington, D.C.
[edit] Transportation
The Washington Metro was originally planned to stop in Georgetown, but when the Metro was being planned in the 1970s, subways were associated with crime and danger, with the New York City Subway, then at a low point in its history, a prime example. In order to protect the area from these perceived risks, Georgetown residents petitioned to keep the Metro out of Georgetown. Since then, the Metro has far exceeded these low expectations and there have been discussions about adding an additional subway line and tunnel under the Potomac to service the area, though no firm plans are currently in place. Three stations are located roughly one mile from the center of Georgetown: Rosslyn (across the Key Bridge in Arlington), Foggy Bottom-GWU, and Dupont Circle. Georgetown is also served by the 30-series Metrobuses and the DC Circulator. Additionally, GUTS buses run from the Leavey Center at Georgetown University to Dupont Circle and Rosslyn, as well as other campus-related locations.
[edit] Education
[edit] Colleges and universities
Georgetown University's main campus is located in Georgetown.
[edit] Primary and secondary education
[edit] Public schools
District of Columbia Public Schools operates area public schools.
The neighborhood is zoned to:
- Hyde Elementary School (located in Georgetown)
- Hardy Middle School
- Wilson High School
[edit] Private schools
Throughout the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries the concentration of wealth in Georgetown sparked the growth of many private college preparatory schools in the neighborhood including; Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, National Cathedral School, St. Albans School, and several others. Georgetown Preparatory School is near Georgetown in unincorporated Montgomery County, Maryland.
[edit] Popular culture
Numerous movies have been filmed in Georgetown, most notably the 1973 horror film The Exorcist, which was set in Georgetown. In the movie's climactic scene, the protagonist hurls himself down the 75-step staircase connecting Prospect Street with M Street below at 36th Street; subsequently, that staircase was rechristened the Exorcist Steps. The 1984 Brat Pack classic St. Elmo's Fire was set in Georgetown, though portions were filmed at the University of Maryland campus in College Park. Interestingly, the 1987 film No Way Out featured a Georgetown Metro stop as a plot device even though no such station actually exists.
[edit] References
[edit] Other references
- Historical Overview of Georgetown, from the Georgetown Partnership.
- Griffith, Gary. "Whitehurst Freeway Coming Down?" at WestEndGuide.us
- Slovick, Matt. "D.C. Movies: The Exorcist," The Washington Post.
- Georgetown's Hidden History, from the Washington Post, by Andrew Stephen, July 16, 2006
- Georgetown's early history
[edit] External links
- Georgetown Partnership (Business Improvement District)
- The Georgetown Current (neighborhood newspaper)
- The Georgetowner (neighborhood magazine)
- USGS GNIS
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
