Columbia Heights is a
neighborhood in central
Washington, D.C.
Geography
Located in the
Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., Columbia Heights borders the neighborhoods of
Shaw,
Adams Morgan,
Mount Pleasant,
Petworth.
Park View, and
Pleasant Plains although considered by many to be separate neighborhoods, are legally part of Columbia Heights. On the eastern side is
Howard University. The streets defining the neighborhood's boundaries are
16th Street to the west; Spring Road to the north; Park Place to the east; and Florida Avenue to the south. It is served by a subway station
stop on the
Washington Metro Green and
Yellow Lines.
History
Once farmland on the estate of the Holmead family (called "Pleasant Plains"), Columbia Heights was part of
Washington County,
District of Columbia (within the District but outside the borders of the city of Washington; 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). In 1815 an engraver from England,
William J. Stone, purchased a 121-acre tract of the Holmead estate — east of Seventh Street Road (present-day
Georgia Avenue), and north of Boundary Street — and established his own estate known as the Stone Farm. Nearby, construction of the first building for Columbian College, now
The George Washington University , was completed in 1822 on the campus which was bounded by Columbia Road,...
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