Columbia Heights is a neighborhood in central Washington, DC.

Geography

Located in the northwest quadrant of Washington, DC, Columbia Heights borders the neighborhoods of Shaw, Adams Morgan, Mount Pleasant, Petworth , and Pleasant Plains . To the east is Howard University. The streets defining the neighborhood's boundaries are 16th Street to the west, Spring Road to the north, Georgia Avenue to the east, and Florida Avenue and Barry Place to the south. It is served by an eponymous stop on the Washington Metro green line.

History

Columbia Heights was developed as a suburb of Washington soon after the Civil War when horse-drawn trolleys delivered residents of the neighborhood to downtown. The southern edge of Columbia Heights is Florida Avenue which was originally called "Boundary Street" because it formed the northern boundary of the Federal City. The area's population grew quickly with the arrival of the electric street car.

The neighborhood was the first home of George Washington University, then known as Columbian College. The school moved to the Foggy Bottom neighborhood in 1884.

The federal government purchased some of the land vacated by Columbian College and built Meridian Hill Park, sometimes called "Malcolm X Park" in honor of a speech he once gave there. It contains many statues including those of Joan of Arc and Dante.

In 1968, following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., riots ravaged Columbia Heights along with many other Washington neighborhoods. Many homes and shops remained vacant for decades until the opening of the Metro station served as a catalyst for the return of economic development and residents.

In October 2004, the Target Corporation announced a deal to purchase property in Columbia Heights to build their first retail store in Washington, DC. It is expected to open in late 2007. [1]

Local institutions

In January 2005, the neighborhood became the first permanent home of the GALA Hispanic Theatre which moved into the newly refurbished Tivoli Theatre , a former movie theater built in 1924 that had been vacant since 1976. GALA is a theater company dedicated to performing Spanish-language plays.

The neighborhood is also home to the Greater Washington Urban League , the local affiliate of the National Urban League. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting the economic development of minorities.

Columbia Heights is home to the Ecuadoran embassy on 15th Street and the Mexican Cultural Institute on 16th Street.

External links

• GALA Hispanic Theatre
• Greater Washington Urban League
• Mexican Cultural Institute