Get to Know Deanwood - CarbonfreeDC

Get to Know Deanwood 08/08/2009

At the extreme eastern corner of the District’s diamond, Deanwood embodies a calmer, small-town feel that is often missing from the fast-paced bustle of the more central neighborhoods. The neighborhood’s charm can be attributed to the influence of well-known African-American architects W. Sidney Pittman and Howard D. Woodson. Deanwood’s residents have also been responsible for designing and building many of the neighborhoods' homes.

Deanwood boasts the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, one of the region’s most unique yet overlooked national parks. This area is also proud to be the birthplace and former home of Marvin Gaye and civil rights activist Nannie Helen Burroughs, who founded a local independent boarding school for African-American girls in 1909.

Deanwood’s heyday took place during the first half of the 20th century, when cultural life centered around the Strand Theater until the late 1950s. The DC Council has recently renovating the theater.

During the same time period, Suburban Gardens, an African-American owned amusement park, provided a respite from segregation, before it closed in 1940.

Deanwood is set to experience a renaissance, as several housing, retail, and office projects are revitalizing the area, particularly around the Minnesota Ave. metro station.

Deanwood is also an up-and-coming experiment in implementing environment sensitivity principles and practices in public and private development and involving residents in this transformation. Impending projects include:

The District Department of Transportation pledging to use low-impact development in and along Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue NE, one of the neighborhood’s main thoroughfares, in the implementation of the Great Streets program.
The neighborhood borders Watts Branch, the longest tributary of the Anacostia River and
The area is the “birthplace” of Groundworks Anacostia River DC (GWARDC). GWARDC is a local affiliate of the national Groundwork USA program directed by the National Park Service and the Environmental Protection Agency.

CarbonfreeDC hopes that our efforts to improve the energy efficiency of several homes in Deanwood will not only benefit the targeted home owners, but can also be a part of broader efforts to reinvigorate the neighborhood.

Sources:

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suburban_Gardens

Washington City Paper: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/neighborhoods/guide/show/affordia

Washington, DC Economic Partnership: http://www.wdcep.com/pdf/neighborhoods/deanwood.pdf

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User klesefske