Berkley is a neighborhood in the
Northwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...
quadrant of
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
Geography
Berkley is bounded by
Wesley Heights Park to the north, MacArthur Boulevard to the southwest,
Battery Kemble Park to the west, and 44th Street and Foxhall Road to the east. Beyond the line formed by 44th and Foxhall lies
Glover-Archbold Park
Glover Archbold Park is a 183-acre quasi-natural, stream-valley park in Northwest Washington, D.C., on the western edge of Georgetown University and adjacent to the Burleith-Hillandale, Glover Park, McLean Gardens, and Westchester neighborhoods. ...
, meaning that Berkley is surrounded on three sides by parkland. Its fourth side is adjacent to two neighborhoods,
Foxhall and
The Palisades, and as such is sometimes confused for them.
Landmarks
Berkley is a suburban-style neighborhood, naturally isolated from the more cosmopolitan parts of the city by its location between parks. It is home to the
Embassy of Germany and
George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
's Mt. Vernon campus.
It was also very nearly the site of an
official residence
An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of th ...
of the
mayor of Washington, D.C., in 2001 when Betty Brown Casey, widow of millionaire
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
real estate developer
Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to other ...
Eugene B. Casey, donated of land at 1801 Foxhall Road to the city for the purpose of a mayoral mansion. However, the city was bogged down for nearly a year in attempting to purchase adjacent land from the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
; additionally, many vocal city activists and residents felt that for a city marked by increasing
gentrification
Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...
and socioeconomic diversity, building a mayoral residence in such a wealthy enclave sent a bad message. The city ultimately gave up on the project in 2003 and ceded the land to the
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...
.
References
Neighborhoods in Northwest (Washington, D.C.)
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