The Secret DC Neighborhood You’ve Probably Never Heard of
You may hear people refer to it as Georgetown. They might call it Glover Park. You may even hear it called Upper Georgetown, which I don’t think is real.
Today I’m going to tell you about the 4 square blocks of Burleith.
Location
Where is Burleith? It’s a small neighborhood with the northern boundary at Whitehaven Parkway, the eastern boundary is 35th Street, the southern boundary is Reservoir Road and the western boundary is Glover Archbold Park. In the late 1800’s, the Huidekoeper family owned this tract of land before selling it to developers Shannon & Luchs. They hired architects to turn it into the community we know now. The original marketing material from the 1920’s stated that the homes were designed for “a buyer of moderate means but of more than ordinary good taste with a kitchen to delight the housewife.”
Real Estate
What you will find in Burleith are rowhomes. Many many rowhomes and that’s all that’s here. Do they have condos? No. Do they have single family detached homes? No. Only rowhomes.
The earliest homes here were built in 1915, but the bulk of the building occurred between 1924 - 1928. This makes sense with what we know about Georgetown to the south with homes that predate the 1900’s and with Glover Park development starting in the 1930’s. Georgetown was the first area developed in DC, and the movement expanded north from there.
Who Lives in Burleith?
There is a huge mix of people here. I know some long-time families who are in homes they grew up in or who had parents who left the home to them. There are empty nesters, medical staff who work at Georgetown, families and students. All walks of life live here, but the Burleith Citizens Association works hard to ensure there is a prevailing sense of community.
Fun Fact
In 1983, the Dean of Student Affairs and the head of the Burleith Citizens Association wrote a letter to the students in the neighborhood asking them to keep their blaring music down - especially at 3 a.m. At current prices of real estate, it feels safe to say that these homes are no longer a magnet for undergrads.
UnFun Fact
When you’re approaching Burleith from Glover Park, there is a stop sign on 37th Street and Whitehaven Parkway. For close to a decade, there was a defunct “stop sign camera” which didn’t work. One day, without warning, they put it back in service. Every single car was getting tickets. It was so sensitive that if you didn’t stop for 3-5 seconds, you got a ticket. People reacted.
Family & Fun
Burleith’s location feels very much like an enclave in the city without any actual businesses in the neighborhood. Hillandale truly is a gated enclave in the city. Adjacent neighbors include Georgetown University Hospital across Reservoir Road and behind (or south of) the hospital is Georgetown University. Just to the west of Hillandale is the Embassy of France.
Two Final Fun Facts
In the 1890’s, they used to bury dead horses at the end of 38th Street. In the mid 1900’s these alleys parallel to 38th and 39th Street were called the Hanging Gardens of Burleith. There were flowers and shrubs to last through all seasons.
In the 1950’s, 35th Street was called “Incubator Row,” because so many babies and children were living in the houses there. It’s almost like the more things change, the more they stay the same.
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Melissa Terzis
📲 (202) 253-9105
📩 Melissa@MelissaTerzis.com
🌐 www.dcrealesta...
TTR | Sotheby's International Realty
1515 14th St NW
Washington, DC 20005
Office: (202) 234.3344
- Melissa Terzis | DC Real Estate Mama
00:00 Introduction
00:40 Location
02:00 Real Estate
07:04 History of Burleith
07:31 Who lives in Burleith
08:01 Fun Fact
08:31 UnFun Fact
09:55 Family & Fun
11:41 Two Final Fun Facts