West End, Washington, D.C.

West End
Neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Intersection of 22nd Street and New Hampshire Avenue in the West End
Map of Washington, D.C., with West End highlighted in red
Coordinates: 38°54′25″N 77°02′59″W / 38.907056°N 77.049694°W / 38.907056; -77.049694Coordinates: 38°54′25″N 77°02′59″W / 38.907056°N 77.049694°W / 38.907056; -77.049694
Country	United States
District	Washington, D.C.
Ward	Ward 2
Government
• Councilmember	Jack Evans

The West End is a neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., bounded by K Street to the south, Rock Creek Park to the west and north, and New Hampshire Avenue and 21st Street to the east. The West End is so named because it was the westernmost part of the original L'Enfant Plan for the city of Washington, before the annexation of Georgetown. It is home to the embassies of Qatar and Spain as well as the Delegation of the European Union to the United States. The George Washington University and George Washington University Hospital are on the edge of the West End, at Washington Circle.

The West End is home to numerous luxury hotels, upscale condominiums, and fine dining restaurants. The neighborhood exists due in large part to a 1972 urban renewal plan prepared by the city's Office of Planning and Management, designed "to bring life to a declining part of the city." Titled "New Town for the West End," the aerial photograph on the cover of the study showed the area that was planned to become a "new intown community."

The neighborhood is adjacent to Georgetown, Foggy Bottom, Dupont Circle, and Downtown.

History

Historically, West End was a predominantly African American community with brick Victorian rowhouses and warehouses.^[1]

Recent developments

The West End is currently a hotbed of development, with hundreds of new luxury condominiums either under construction or in the planning phase.

In 2007, controversy began over the last remaining "underdeveloped" parcel of land, known as Square 37. Bordered by 23rd Street, 24th Street, L Street, and an alleyway, this anomaly, composed of low-rise buildings from the 1800s to the 1960s, stands out amid a sea of new luxury highrises. Square 37 was home to the Tiverton, the last remaining rent-controlled apartment building in the West End. The Tiverton tenants gained local media attention for successfully battling two upzoning attempts by developers in an effort to maintain the square as-is. Trader Joe's grocery store opened in the neighborhood in September 2006, next to the former Columbia Hospital for Women, now a luxury condominium.

The D.C. Council passed controversial emergency legislation in 2007 to sell the West End public library branch, the D.C. Special Operations Police Station (both on Square 37), and a firehouse (on neighboring Square 50) to the developer Eastbanc.^[2]

Education

District of Columbia Public Schools operates Francis-Stevens Educational Center at 2425 N Street.

References

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