Near Northeast is a neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C. It is bounded by North Capitol Street to the west, Florida Avenue to the north, F Street to the south, and 15th Street to the east.

History

Early history It is believed that the general area was occupied as early in the Paleo-Indian period (10,000-8,000 B.C.) all the way to the Woodland period (1000 B.C. to the time of European Contact).Archaeological Resources - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms National Headquarters Building - Draft Environmental Impact Statement - 2000 Several streams flowed throw the area feeding into Tiber Creek (also known as Goose Creek) making it an attractive area for settlements for Native tribes and hunting.Faehtz, E. F. M., Pratt, F. W., Toner, J. M., Seibert, S. R. & Trill. (1792) Sketch of Washington in embryo: viz., previous to its survey by Major L'Enfant. [Washington, D.C.?: s.n] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/87694246/(1792) View of the city of Washington in. [Washington, D.C.?: s.n., 186-?] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/87694269/Native Peoples of Washington, DC - https://www.nps.gov/articles/native-peoples-of-washington-dc.htm - National Park Service

Near Northeast started a patchwork of several different European landowners' claims. Most of the land belonged to Notley Young, under the name of YoungsboroDescription of the Potomac Region - page 51 - A History of the National Capital Volume 1 by Wilhelmus Bogart Bryan - 1914 or Isherwood or Mill Tract by the 1790s. His property extended into what is today Trinidad. The other land owners were Daniel Carroll (who owned the hill on which the Capitol was built), George Walker and Abraham Young.

The tract of land was included shortly thereafter in the original survey of land for the new national capital, and Young and a few other landowners gave the land to the Federal government in exchange for a promise that Congress would divide the land into lots and return half of those lots to the original landowners.

Once the capital was created, streets were laid out in the grid system that Pierre L'Enfant had designed, with Boundary Street (renamed Florida Avenue on January 14, 1890"Boundary Street No longer; it Will Be Known as Florida Avenue in the Future". The Washington Post. January 15, 1890. p. 8.) forming the northern border of the city. However, nearly all of the land remained undeveloped, used as farmland to cultivate fruits and vegetables for the fresh market in the more developed sections of the city. The land lots that were used for non-agricultural purposes in the early 19th century were mostly cemeteries.

19th century In the 1830s, the B&O Railroad constructed its Washington Branch, which entered the city of Washington at roughly 9th and Boundary Streets and proceeded through the neighborhood down I Street NE and Delaware Avenue NE to the New Jersey Avenue Station located between the current Union Station (built in 1907) and the Capitol."New Depot at Washington," Baltimore American. Murphy, J Patrick, Laws and Ordinances Relating to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, 1850. Its presence gradually led Old City to evolve into a working-class neighborhood: wood and coal yards appeared to serve the railroad and its terminals, with houses subsequently built for the employees of the railroad industries.Image 61 of Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia - http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3851gm.g01227003Image 48 of Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia - http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3851gm.g01227003 The neighborhood remained undeveloped and sparsely populated through the end of the 19th century.

By the 1890s, H Street NE was the eastern terminus of the Washington streetcar system (at 15th Street). Many of the older houses still standing in the area were built in that period. Commercial development began to develop along H Street to serve these new customers.

20th century Near Northeast evolved into mixed neighborhood. It was a major center of black population in the first half of the 20th century as well as a significant neighborhood for immigrant populations from Ireland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Jews from Eastern Europe as well as African Americans.Hub, Home, Heart – Greater H Street NE Heritage Trail – https://www.culturaltourismdc.org/portal/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=c9ebb5a6-c0a8-459e-a25d-c84243bfc8b0&groupId=701982 Many Russian-Jewish immigrants settled on H Street during the early 1900s, founding Ezras Israel Congregation in 1907. Union Station's construction destroyed the poor Irish neighborhood known as Swampoodle, buried Tiber Creek and allowed for development to increase. Today, Near Northeast sides on the Eastern part of the now non-existent Swampoodle.Department of Transportation Headquarters: Environmental Impact Statement, GSA June 2000

During this same period, a twelve-block strip of H Street (from 3rd Street to 15th) became one of the most important shopping corridors in Washington. It catered primarily to a working-class clientele, but was densely commercial, with restaurants, theaters, banks, grocery stores and clothing stores. It was the location of the first Sears Roebuck store in Washington.

In addition, two of the most recognizable and popular locations were the whites-only Moderne-style Atlas Theater at 1331 H Street which opened in 1938. For black customers, the Plymouth Theater down the block at 1365 H Street opened its doors in 1943. Like the theaters, most of the businesses in the H Street corridor (and elsewhere in Old City) were strictly segregated, but some businesses (an unusual number of which were black-owned) catered to both black and white customers. By 1950, however, approximately 50 percent of the residents of Old City/Near Northeast were African American.

The neighborhood was devastated by the race riot that ripped Washington for the three days following the April 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Order was restored with the assistance of the US military brought in to assist the DC Police. Looting, vandalism, and arson made Near Northeast one of the worst casualties of the riots; many burned-out or otherwise destroyed properties remained in that condition for decades. Most white residents moved out of the neighborhood to Maryland and Virginia. The neighborhood became a poor black neighborhood with few resources until its revitalization more than three decades later.

Present day H Street, so long the center of the neighborhood's life, is being structured as an arts district. In 2002, H Street Main Street, in partnership with the city and community members started breathing new life in the neighborhood.WTOP – Growth of H Street: Where people used to ‘run,’ now they stay Theaters, jazz clubs, performance spaces and exotic restaurants appeared in the neighborhood. In 2005 and 2006, more venues and bars opened in the H Street corridor. Business owners in that area are calling the area the Atlas District, after the movie theater (now a dance and performance studio) that has been its most prominent landmark for half a century.

A new wave of residents has rapidly changed the area with sit-down restaurants, hip bars, more upscale retail establishments. The older residents note that this process has also made the neighborhood feel safer with more affluent residents investing in the community. This is a return to a more diverse community as it was before the 1968 riots when most white residents left.

Neighborhood landmarks

Demolished landmarks

The Northeast Temple and Market

In 1897, The Northeast Temple and Market, an indoor marketplace and Lodge temple was built. These were the first buildings electrified on H Street NE. The Northeast Temple was located at 1119-1123 H Street NE and the Market was located next door from 1125 H Street NE to the corner of 12th Street NE.“Northeast’s New Market”, The Evening Times, March 20, 1897, page 2

Apollo Theater

In 1913, the Apollo Theater was built on H Street NE. It was located at 624-634 H Street NE."Building Permits", The Evening Star, April 2, 1913 The Theater showed many of the popular black and white movies of the time. It played silent movies and by the 1930s, it was obsolete as it was not able to play "talkies".New Apollo Movie Plan to Seat 2,500 - June 29, 1930 - The Washington Post - page R2 The land was sold to Ourisman Chevrolet, Inc. who also owned the land across the street.Deed recorded January 3, 1950 of the sale - DC Recorder of Deeds - Book 9117, page 510 The theater was demolished in 1955 and replaced by a five-story service center used by the dealership. A new Buick dealership took over the premise in 1966.New Buick Showroom - November 19, 1966 - The Washington Post - page D9 The property changes hand several times from the 1960s to the 1990s until the building is leased in 1999 to the "H Street Self Storage Center".Lease recorded on January 26, 1999 - DC Recorder of Deeds - Roll 1213, Frame 1417 Finally, in 2014, the land was sold and the buildings demolished, to be replaced by the current "Apollo" luxury apartments and the Whole Foods.

Landmarks still standing

Home for the Aged Men and Women

In 1872, the Little Sisters of the Poor built the Home for the Aged Men and Women on H Street NE between 2nd Street NE and 3rd Street NE. It would become a well-known local institution caring for elderly poor residents regardless of race, sex or religion.Alexandria Gazette and Virginia Advertiser - June 21, 1872Temporary Exit - The Washington Post - March 12, 1977 The order provided care to residents who could not care for themselves and had no family to care for them. They relied on donations from individuals and businesses to support their mission.The Little Sisters - The Evening Star - January 30, 1886

In 1977, the Little Sisters of the Poor moved out due to the construction of the Hopscotch Bridge under their windows. The building became vacant until 1979, when the National Children's Museum occupied it, moving out in 2004. It was visited on January 22, 1990 by First Lady Barbara Bush to read Three Billy Goats Gruff to a group of children as part of her Foundation for Family Literacy.First Lady Barbara Bush reads to Dominic Bines, 3, (on lap) and other children during a visit to the National Learning Center at Capitol Children's Museum It was purchased in 2005 and parts were demolished and replaced by a luxury apartment complex.Urban Turf - H Street: A Place To Party, and To Settle Down - https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/h_street_a_place_to_party_and_to_settle_down/1446

Uline Arena