Langdon, is a neighborhood located in Ward 5 of Northeast

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Historical surveys of D.C. recognize Langdon as a neighborhood dating back to at least 1903. Langdon is bounded by Montana Ave. NE to the west/southwest, New York Ave. NE to the south, Bladensburg Rd. NE to the southeast, South Dakota Ave. NE to the northeast, and Rhode Island Ave. NE to the north/northwest. Langdon is adjacent to the Northeast D.C. neighborhoods of Brentwood (west), Woodridge (east), Fort Lincoln (southeast), Gateway (south), and Brookland (north).

History

Starting in 1632, the land comprising present-day Langdon was part of the

Maryland colony The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S. state of Maryland ...

, The non-county land was incorporated into

Prince George's County ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrook ...

with its creation in 1695. The land became part of Washington County, D.C. with its creation in 1801. A topographical survey map from 1793 shows the Old Bladensburg Rd. (present-day Brentwood Rd. NE, a few fragments of which still dot the present-day grid just north of Rhode Island Ave. NE), running right by the land that would become the neighborhood. Washington County was integrated into the City of Washington in 1871. In the early 1850s, much of the land that would become Langdon was purchased by a bronze sculptor named Clark Mills. Mills operated a foundry where a WMATA bus depot now stands (as of 2015). Mills Rd. NE was the original path leading up to this foundry. Maps from the late 1800s suggest a B&O Railroad station ("Mills Station") served the foundry and Mills' land. The area served as the site of multiple reinforcements during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

(1861-1865), when a ring of forts, batteries, and trenches was built in the District of Columbia's periphery. Many of these fortifications were still intact as of the 1887 survey of D.C., but have since disappeared with little trace. Many of the houses that today stand in the neighborhood were built starting with the extension of Rhode Island Ave. NE up from Boundary Rd. (now Florida Ave.) to Eastern Ave., and the building of the streetcar thereon, starting around 1890. The area was served by the Rhode Island Ave. streetcar until its dismantling in 1962. Before being deemed unenforceable in the 1948 Supreme Court decision, Shelley v. Kraemer, many neighborhood homes were subject to restrictive covenants barring ownership by non-whites. At some point during the process of

white flight White flight or white exodus is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the United States. They refer ...

in the 1960s, the neighborhood became majority black. Since at least 1938, the neighborhood has been home to a large municipal park. Langdon Park's public swimming pool was chosen as the first place that Mayor Williams started the tradition of launching "DC's Summer Fun" by cannonball diving into a chosen pool. As recently as 2013, Langdon Park featured a small amphitheater, which featured performances of

go-go Go-go is a subgenre of funk music with an emphasis on specific rhythmic patterns, and live audience call and response. Go-go was originated by African-American musicians in the Washington, D.C. area during the mid-60s to late-70s. Go-go has l ...

bands.

Present Day

In 2014, a section of Langdon Park was renamed the Chuck Brown Memorial Park and redesigned as a memorial for

artist

Chuck Brown Charles Louis Brown (August 22, 1936 – May 16, 2012) was an American guitarist, bandleader and singer known as " The Godfather of Go-Go". Go-go is a subgenre of funk music developed around the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area in the mid-197 ...

. The plans initially included an improved amphitheater, to continue serving as a go-go performance venue, but neighborhood residents protested and eventually got the amphitheater removed from the plans. This resulted in the complete removal of the pre-existing go-go performance space. Nevertheless, there is an annual free go-go concert celebration on Chuck Brown's birthday, officially known as Chuck Brown Day. The historically industrial south end of the neighborhood presently houses a large rock/electronica music venue (Echo Stage) as well as several nightclubs and a waste management facility.

Capital Subdivision The Capital Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of Maryland and the District of Columbia. The line runs from near Baltimore, Maryland, southwest to Washington, D.C., along the former Baltimor ...

tracks separate the industrial sections of the neighborhood from the more residential ones. Woodridge Library, a newly rebuilt municipal library branch, was constructed at the corner of 18th St. and Hamlin St. NE, and opened in September 2016. In terms of transportation, residents of Langdon have access to the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station as well as access to Metrobus routes that serve the Rhode Island Avenue NE (Route 1) Corridor and Bladensburg Road NE Corridor.

References

{{Authority control 1903 establishments in Washington, D.C. Neighborhoods in Northeast (Washington, D.C.)