Downtown is a neighborhood of

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, ...

, as well as a colloquial name for the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the " cit ...

in the northwest quadrant of the city. It is the fourth largest central business district in the United States. Historically, the Downtown has been defined as an area east of

16th Street NW 16th Street Northwest is a prominent north–south thoroughfare in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. Part of Pierre L'Enfant's design for the city, 16th Street begins just north of the White House across Lafayette Park at H Street and ...

, north of the

National Mall The National Mall is a landscaped park near the downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institution, art galleries, cultural institutions, and va ...

and

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the Legislature, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is form ...

, and south of

Massachusetts Avenue Massachusetts Avenue may refer to: * Massachusetts Avenue (metropolitan Boston), Massachusetts ** Massachusetts Avenue (MBTA Orange Line station), a subway station on the MBTA Orange Line ** Massachusetts Avenue (MBTA Silver Line station), a stati ...

, including the

Penn Quarter Penn Quarter is a neighborhood east of Downtown Washington, D.C. and north of Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Penn Quarter is roughly equivalent to the city's early downtown core near Pennsylvania Avenue and 7th Street NW, The definition of Downtown W ...

. However, the city says that most residents, workers, and visitors think of Downtown in a broader sense—including areas as far north as

Dupont Circle Dupont Circle (or DuPont Circle) is a traffic circle, park, neighborhood and historic district in Northwest Washington, D.C. The Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded approximately by 16th Street NW to the east, 22nd Street NW ...

, the Golden Triangle, as far west as

Foggy Bottom Foggy Bottom is one of the oldest late 18th- and 19th-century neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., located west of the White House and downtown Washington, in the Northwest quadrant. It is bounded roughly by 17th Street NW to the east, Rock C ...

, and as far east as

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...

. A small portion of this area is known as the Downtown Historic District and was listed on the

NRHP The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2001.

Geography and subdistricts

There are no neighborhoods or neighborhood boundaries that the D.C. Government officially defines, so there are varying definitions of which areas constitute Downtown D.C. or the

of D.C. In a 2008 map shown in this article, the city's planning department showed as existing Downtown areas a broad swathe of everything between Georgetown on the west and Union Station on the east, with a northern boundary of and Massachusetts Avenue, and a southern boundary, roughly, of E Street, thus including the

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

, Golden Triangle, Traditional Downtown, Chinatown,

Mount Vernon Square Mount Vernon Square is a city square and neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. The square is located where the following streets would otherwise intersect: Massachusetts Avenue NW, New York Avenue NW, K Street NW, and 8t ...

, and Downtown East. 2008 map of Downtown area and emerging Center City areas.jpg, Pink area was designated in 2008 as "existing Downtown areas of Washington, D.C.; blue indicated then-emerging areas of Center City Washington. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' in 2014 referred to "downtown" as the areas covered by two business improvement districts (BIDs): *Downtown D.C. (the historic central business district east of the White House) and * Golden Triangle (areas which have more recently been regarded as part of the CBD, west of the White House). Together, they form a diamond-shaped area stretching from Union Station, south to the National Mall, northwest past the White House to Washington Circle in Foggy Bottom and northeast to DuPont Circle.

Traditional Downtown

Southern Building - SW corner - 850 F Street NW Washington DC - 2012

The Downtown BID boundaries roughly conform with the more traditional definitions of Downtown and those of the Downtown Urban Renewal Action Area and are: *North-northeast: Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. and the

Mount Vernon Triangle Mount Vernon Triangle is a neighborhood and community improvement district in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. Originally a working-class neighborhood established in the 19th century, present-day Mount Vernon Triangle experienced a decl ...

Shaw Shaw may refer to: Places Australia *Shaw, Queensland Canada * Shaw Street, a street in Toronto England * Shaw, Berkshire, a village * Shaw, Greater Manchester, a location in the parish of Shaw and Crompton *Shaw, Swindon, a suburb of Swindon ...

, and Logan Circle neighborhoods, *East: North Capitol Street, N.W. and Louisiana Avenue, N.W. (roughly

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

), and the

neighborhood, *South: east of 6th Street, N.W., by Constitution Avenue, N.W. and the

, and west of 6th Street, N.W., by Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. and

Federal Triangle The Federal Triangle is a triangular area in Washington, D.C. formed by 15th Street NW, Constitution Avenue NW, Pennsylvania Avenue NW, and E Street NW. Federal Triangle is occupied by 10 large city and federal office buildings, all of which ar ...

*West: 15th and 16th streets, N.W. (roughly, the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C., NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. preside ...

grounds) – to the west of the White House is the Golden Triangle BID – The Downtown BID thus encompasses

, Chinatown,

CityCenterDC CityCenterDC is a mixed-use development consisting of two condominium buildings, two rental apartment buildings, two office buildings, a luxury hotel, and public park in downtown Washington, D.C. It encompasses and covers more than five city b ...

, and the

F Street shopping district Parts of F Street and 7th Street, N.W. and nearby blocks have historically been the heart of the Washington, D.C. downtown shopping district. In the first half of the 20th century there were numerous upscale large department stores along and ne ...

Golden Triangle

The Golden Triangle is an area defined by the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID). It is part of a larger Downtown area according to ''The Washington Post'' and DC Department of Planning. The Golden Triangle boundaries are, very roughly: *Northwest: New Hampshire Ave., N.W., and the

DuPont Circle Dupont Circle (or DuPont Circle) is a traffic circle, park, neighborhood and historic district in Northwest Washington, D.C. The Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded approximately by 16th Street NW to the east, 22nd Street NW ...

neighborhood, *Northeast: Massachusetts Ave., N.W., and the

neighborhood, *East: 16th Street, N.W. and the DowntownDC BID, *Southwest: Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. and the

neighborhood, *West: 21st Street, N.W., and the Foggy Bottom and the

neighborhoods. The Golden Triangle BID thus overlaps a southern portion of the

neighborhood. The Washington, D.C. tourist office, exceptionally and in contrast to other sources, promotes the Golden Triangle area as "Downtown" , and Traditional Downtown as "Penn Quarter & Chinatown".

Character, attractions, and services

By the 1990s and continuing into the 2010s, the core of the downtown district was almost exclusively commercial, and its primary commercial use was as office buildings.Bednar, p. 243. The area also featured a number of attractions, including museums (such as the

International Spy Museum The International Spy Museum is an independent non-profit museum which documents the tradecraft, history, and contemporary role of espionage. It holds the largest collection of international espionage artifacts on public display. The museum opened ...

National Aquarium There are several institutions known as the National Aquarium: Africa * National Marine Aquarium of Namibia Asia * National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Taiwan Europe * National Aquarium Denmark * National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth, Eng ...

, National Archives,

National Building Museum The National Building Museum is located at 401 F Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is a museum of "architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning". It was created by an act of Congress in 1980, and is a private non-profit i ...

National Museum of Women in the Arts The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), located in Washington, D.C., is "the first museum in the world solely dedicated" to championing women through the arts. NMWA was incorporated in 1981 by Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay. Since ope ...

, National Portrait Gallery,

Newseum The Newseum was an American museum dedicated to news and journalism that promoted free expression and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, while tracing the evolution of communication. The purpose of the museum, funded by the ...

, and

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds ...

) and theaters (such as

Ford's Theatre Ford's Theatre is a theater located in Washington, D.C., which opened in August 1863. The theater is infamous for being the site of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. On the night of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth entered the theater bo ...

, National Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre, Warner Theatre, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre).Jabado, p. 57-60. The Penn Quarter and Chinatown areas in particular are home to many bars and restaurants,Jabado, p. 57. and the observation deck in the tower of the Old Post Office Pavilion is known for its views of the city. 7th Street NW between H and F Streets NW—a short commercial strip known as "Gallery Place"—has become a major hub of bars, restaurants, theaters, and upscale retail shops.Davenport, Christian; du Lac, J. Freedom; Rosenwald, Michael S.; Schulte, Brigid; Shapira, Ian; Shin, Annys; and Sieff, Kevin. "Fights, Teens Among Challenges as D.C.'s Gallery Place Entertainment Area Matures." ''The Washington Post.'' August 13, 2010. However, even as late as 2010, most of the core area tended to be empty of pedestrian foot traffic at night, except for streets immediately around theaters and restaurants. Downtown D.C. has been adding residents, however, and pedestrian traffic at night is increasing. In 1990, the area had about 4,000 residents, but this had increased to 8,449 by 2010.O'Connell, Jonathan. "Mixed-Use Project Is Coda for Downtown D.C. Revival." ''The Washington Post.'' April 5, 2011. Such increases appear small, but are more significant than they seem because the city's height restrictions limit population density.Pristin, Terry. "Washington Makes Downtown a Destination Again." ''New York Times.'' September 1, 2004. The completion of the $950 million

project in late 2013 is estimated to add another 1,000 or more residents. One exception to the low nighttime foot traffic is Gallery Place. Large crowds gather day and night at Gallery Place, especially after sporting events at the

Capital One Arena Capital One Arena is an indoor arena in Washington, D.C. Located in the Penn Quarter neighborhood, the arena sits atop the Gallery Place rapid transit station of the Washington Metro. It has been largely considered to be a commercial success an ...

. Crime and street brawls in the area skyrocketed in the area and its adjacent Gallery Place Metro station between 2008 and 2010, primarily due to the large groups of teenagers (from throughout the metropolitan region) gathering there. Several notable restaurants exist in the downtown district, including Fogo de Chão, Kinkead's,

Loeb's NY Deli Loeb's NY Deli is a historic kosher-style deli in downtown Washington, D.C., United States. Opened in 1959 by Walter Loeb, the deli was originally located at the corner of 15th and G Streets, NW, in a space currently occupied by the Old Ebbitt Gri ...

Old Ebbitt Grill Old Ebbitt Grill is a historic bar and restaurant located at 675 15th Street NW in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It is Washington's oldest bar and restaurant, and is owned by Clyde's Restaurant Group. It first opened as an unnamed rest ...

, and Wok 'n' Roll (located in the Mary E. Surratt Boarding House). Chinatown and Gallery Place are noted for being geographically small but also having a very large number of restaurants.

(originally named the MCI Center and later changed to the Verizon Center), a major basketball, hockey, and events venue, opened in the Chinatown neighborhood on the eastern edge of the downtown district in 1997.McGregor, p. 285. It proved to be a major attraction, drawing more than 20 million visitors in its first decade of operation.

Cityscape

The majority of downtown Washington is composed of office buildings of varying architectural styles. The oldest tend to be of the Federal school, as are the

, the

Treasury Building A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be State ownership, state or royal property, churc ...

Blair House Blair House, also known as The President's Guest House, is an official residence in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The President's Guest House has been called "the world's most exclusive hotel" because it is primarily used ...

, and the

rowhouses In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house ( UK) or townhouse ( US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls. In the United State ...

that line Lafayette Square. Others run the gamut from Neoclassical (such as the buildings at Federal Triangle) to

Second Empire-style Second Empire architecture in Europe is an architectural style rooted in the 16th-century Renaissance, which grew to its greatest popularity in Europe in the second half of the nineteenth century and early years of the twentieth century. As the st ...

(the

Eisenhower Executive Office Building The Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB)—formerly known as the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB), and originally as the State, War, and Navy Building—is a U.S. government building situated just west of the White House in the U.S. ca ...

) to

postmodern Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of modern ...

(One

Farragut Square Farragut Square is a city square in Washington, D.C.'s Ward 2. It is bordered by K Street NW to the north, I Street NW to the south, on the east and west by segments of 17th Street NW, and interrupts Connecticut Avenue NW. It is the sister pa ...

South and Franklin Tower at 1401 I Street NW). The historic

Willard Hotel The Willard InterContinental Washington, commonly known as the Willard Hotel, is a historic luxury Beaux-Arts hotel located at 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Downtown Washington, D.C. It is currently a member oHistoric Hotels of America the offi ...

was built in the Beaux-Arts style.Denby, ''Grand Hotels: Reality and Illusion'', 2004, p. 221–222.

Height restriction

Unlike other large cities in the U.S., Washington's downtown has a low skyline. With the advent of the

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ri ...

and the construction of the Cairo Hotel, residents were concerned that the city's

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

an feel might be dwarfed by high-rise buildings. Congress therefore passed the Heights of Buildings Act in 1899, limiting any new building in Washington to a height of . The act was amended in 1910 to allow buildings higher than the width of the adjacent street. , the tallest building in downtown Washington—excluding the

Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk shaped building within the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (1775–1784) in the American Revolutionary War and ...

, U.S. Capitol,

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Washington, D.C., the ca ...

, and the

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a large minor Catholic basilica and national shrine in the United States in Washington, D.C., located at 400 Michigan Avenue Northeast, adjacent to Catholic University. ...

, all of which are outside of the downtown district—is the Old Post Office Pavilion, whose tall clock tower looms far above other nearby structures. The tallest commercial building is One Franklin Square, at .

Parks and public squares

1001 14th Street NW - Washington DC - Holiday Inn Hamilton Crowne Plaza Hotel

A number of public

urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Pe ...

s exist in the downtown area. Among the more prominent are:

, Franklin Square,

Judiciary Square Judiciary Square is a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C., the vast majority of which is occupied by various federal and municipal courthouses and office buildings. Judiciary Square is located roughly between Pennsylvania Avenue to the ...

, Lafayette Square (the portion of

President's Park President's Park, located in Downtown Washington, D.C., encompasses the White House and includes the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the Treasury Building, and grounds; the White House Visitor Center; Lafayette Square; and The Ellipse. ...

north of the

), McPherson Square,

, the National World War I Memorial (formerly Pershing Park), Scott Circle, Thomas Circle, and

Washington Circle Washington Circle is a traffic circle in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., United States. It is located on the border of the Foggy Bottom and West End neighborhoods, which is a part of the Ward 2 section in Washington. It is the inters ...

. The largest paved square in the city,

Freedom Plaza Freedom Plaza, originally known as Western Plaza, is an open plaza in Northwest Washington, D.C., United States, located near 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, adjacent to Pershing Park. The plaza features an inlay that partially depicts ...

, is located on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 13th and 14th Streets NW.

Governance

Two business improvement districts cover the downtown D.C. area. The Downtown DC Business Improvement District (Downtown DC BID) is bounded by 16th Street NW, Massachusetts Avenue NW, and Constitution Avenue NW, and is funded by a voluntary tax provided by 825 businesses in the area.Ford, p. 69. The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (Golden Triangle BID) is bounded by 16th Street NW, Massachusetts Avenue NW, 21st Street NW, and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Both BIDs work to enhance the diversity of business in their respective jurisdictions as well as the quality of life by providing directions for tourists, improving street and sidewalk cleanliness, and advising police about potential or existing problems. Various federal ( Federal Protective Service,

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...

United States Mint Police The United States Mint Police (USMP) is a U.S. federal law enforcement agency responsible for the protection of the facilities of the U.S. Mint. In 2004 they employed 376 police officers. History The United States Mint Police was founded in 1792 ...

United States Park Police The United States Park Police (USPP) is one of the oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agencies in the United States. It functions as a full-service law enforcement agency with responsibilities and jurisdiction in those National Park Servic ...

, etc.), city (

Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC), more commonly known as the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the DC Police, and, colloquially, the DCPD, is the primary law enforcement agency for the District of Columb ...

, District of Columbia Housing Authority Office of Public Safety), and regional (

Metro Transit Police Department The Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) is the transit police agency of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), created by the WMATA Compact on June 4, 1976. The MTPD is unique in U.S. law enforcement as it is the only U ...

) law enforcement agencies have concurrent, overlapping jurisdiction in downtown D.C. Both BIDs in the area also provide semi-uniformed unsworn police forces, which help to maintain order and provide street intelligence by communicating via cell phone with the Metropolitan Police Department and Metro Transit Police.Manning, p. 113. D.C. Housing Authority Police do not have jurisdiction outside public housing, but do patrol Gallery Place to pick up and provide intelligence on the activities of youth congregating there who live in city-provided housing units.

Education

Higher Education

The George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presi ...

, Foggy Bottom Campus.

References

Bibliography

*Bednar, Michael J. ''L' Enfant's Legacy: Public Open Spaces in Washington, D.C.'' Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. *Dempsey, John S. and Forst, Linda S. ''An Introduction to Policing.'' Clifton Park, N.Y.: Delmar Cengage Learning, 2012. *Dickey, Jeff. ''The Rough Guide to Washington, D.C.'' New York: Penguin, 2011. *Ford, Elise Hartment. ''Frommer's Washington, D.C., from $80 a Day.'' Hoboken, N.J.: Frommer's, 2004. *Gutheim, Frederick A. and Lee, Antointte J. ''Worthy of the Nation: Washington, D.C., From L'Enfant to the National Capital Planning Commission.'' Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. *Jabado, Salwa. ''Fodor's 2010 Washington, D.C.'' New York: Fodor's, 2010. *Manning, Peter K. "The United States of America." In ''Plural Policing: A Comparative Perspective.'' Trevor Jones and Tim Newburn, eds. New York: Psychology Press, 2006. *McGregor, James H. ''Washington From the Ground Up,'' Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2007. *Minetor, Randi and Minetor, Nic. ''Washington, D.C.: A Guided Tour Through History.'' Guilford, Conn.: GPP Travel, 2009. *Smith, Bruce R.; Pistolesi, Andrea; and Kelly, Michael T. ''Art and History of Washington D.C.'' Florence, Italy: Bonechi, 2007.

External links

Downtown DC Business Improvement District

Golden Triangle Business Improvement District
{{Coord, 38, 54, 9, N, 77, 1, 58.3, W, display=title

Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Neighborhoods in Northwest (Washington, D.C.) Victorian architecture in Washington, D.C.

Geography and subdistricts

Traditional Downtown

Golden Triangle

Character, attractions, and services

Cityscape

Height restriction

Parks and public squares

Governance

Education

Higher Education

See also

References

Bibliography

External links