The Greater Fourteenth Street Area Today

As Washington expanded northward along the streetcar lines, and the automobile made the newly developing suburbs accessible to the middle class, the Greater Fourteenth Street neighborhood began a period of decline. Houses, many divided up into rooming houses and apartments, suffered from neglect, while the commercial area along Fourteenth Street stagnated. The neighborhood was hard hit by the riots of the late 1960's which resulted in the destruction of many businesses and buildings along Fourteenth Street.

However, the neighborhood's attributes--its architecture, history, and affordable prices--began to attract new residents interested in restoring its old houses in the 1970s. In 1972, Logan Circle received recognition and a level of protection through listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Since 1977, the Logan Circle Community Association has sponsored an annual house tour to foster appreciation of the neighborhood's architecture. More recently, the Fourteenth Street commercial corridor has begun to rebound. In the 1980s, the street was designated as an arts district, spurring the relocation of local theatre groups to the street's old auto showrooms. The Studio, Woolly Mammoth, and Source Theaters have all renovated historic commercial buildings and have helped to anchor old and new restaurants and shops. While renovation work remains to be done, Fourteenth Street continues to provide local residents with needed neighborhood services while attracting a regional audience to its theaters, nightclubs, and restaurants.