Barracks Row is a commercial strip along 8th Street SE that connects the Navy Yard and

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill is a neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in both the Northeast, Washington, D.C., Northeast and Southeast, Washington, D.C., Southeast quadrants. It is bounded by 14th Street SE & NE, F S ...

neighborhoods in the

Southeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, ...

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 ...

, south of Eastern Market, between M Street SE and

Pennsylvania Avenue Pennsylvania Avenue is a primarily diagonal street in Washington, D.C. that connects the United States Capitol with the White House and then crosses northwest Washington, D.C. to Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown. Traveling through So ...

SE. The area takes its name from the Marine Barracks, also known as 8th & I, which it faces along 8th Street SE.

History

Barracks Row is the oldest commercial district in the

District of Columbia 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, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

due to its proximity to the

Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is a ceremonial and administrative center for the United States Navy, located in the federal national capital city of Washington, D.C. (federal District of Columbia). It is the oldest shore establishment / base of ...

, established in 1799, and the Marine Barracks, established in 1801. Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the neighborhood entered a decades-long decline, which was hastened by the building of the Southeast Freeway in 1962, which bisected the corridor, and the 1968

race riots This is a list of ethnic riots by country, and includes riots based on ethnic, sectarian, xenophobic, and racial conflict. Some of these riots can also be classified as pogroms. Africa Americas United States Nativist period: 1700s� ...

that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1999, the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...

chartered Barracks Row as a Main Street, a program dedicated to revitalizing struggling commercial districts. Since that time, the northern end of the strip nearest the Eastern Market

Washington Metro The Washington Metro, often abbreviated as the Metro and formally the Metrorail, is a rapid transit system serving the Washington metropolitan area of the United States. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ...

station at

has seen a rejuvenation. However, the southern end has not experienced the same build-up, largely due to the continued existence of the Southeast Freeway, which acts as a large physical barrier to continued development. Much of this development has been spurred by Barracks Row Main Street, an organization that continues to play an active role in the neighborhood's growth. In addition to the dining and shopping scene, Barracks Row is home to the Miracle Theatre and Capitol Hill Books, a historic book shop located in the area.

References

External links

Barracks Row Main Street

Tour of Duty: Barracks Row Heritage Trail

Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., official site

Washington Navy Yard//CNIC Naval District Washington, official site
Streets in Washington, D.C. Capitol Hill {{WashingtonDC-geo-stub