Shepherd Park
Encyclopedia
Shepherd Park is a neighborhood in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C.
In the years following World War II
, restrictive covenant
s which had prevented Jews and African Americans from purchasing homes in the neighborhood were no longer enforced, and the neighborhood became largely Jewish and African American. Over the past 40 years, the Jewish population of the neighborhood has declined (though it is now increasing again), but the neighborhood has continued to support a thriving upper and middle class African American community. The Shepherd Park Citizens Association and Neighbors Inc. led efforts to stem white flight
from the neighborhood in the 1960s and 1970s, and it has remained a continuously integrated neighborhood, with very active and inclusive civic groups.
Shepherd Park and the rest of Ward 4 are represented in the Council of the District of Columbia
by Muriel Bowser
and is home to a number of prominent people including NAACP President Benjamin Jealous and his wife, law professor, Lia Epperson. A number of judges, professors, newspaper reporters, and doctors also live in the community.
. The neighborhood is further bounded at the south by Walter Reed Hospital, at the east by Georgia Avenue
NW, and the west by 16th Street NW.
Heading out of the city, traveling north on 16th Street, just before getting to the DC-Maryland border, most streets are named after flowers, shrubs and trees. Iris Street, Primrose Road, and Geranium Street are but a few flower-inspired street names.
Georgia Avenue is the only commercial corridor near the neighborhood.
Local architecture includes colonials (both traditional and Spanish style), ramblers, Tudors, farmhouses, split-levels, and a few Sears bungalows.
, the governor of the then-Territory of DC from 1873 to 1874.
Shortly before becoming governor (in 1868), Shepherd built a grand Second Empire-style Victorian that once stood near the corner of Geranium and 13th Street.
Shepherd dubbed his large country home "Bleak House" after a Dickens
novel he and his wife were reading at the time of their home's construction. The mansion was demolished in 1916.
Shepherd owned a plant nursery in the District of Columbia, which enabled the 60,000 trees he had planted. His nursery led to a variety of wild flowers that still thrive in the yards of city residents. It is also the genesis of the streets in Shepherd Park being named for flowers.
The Shepherd Park Citizens Association and Neighbors Inc led efforts to fight blockbusting
and maintain the integrated nature of the neighborhood in the 1960s and 1970s. It is one of the only neighborhoods on the east side of Rock Creek Park
where white flight
was stemmed in those years.
operates public schools.
District of Columbia Public Library
operates the Juanita E. Thornton/Shepherd Park Neighborhood Library.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
In the years following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, restrictive covenant
Restrictive covenant
A restrictive covenant is a type of real covenant, a legal obligation imposed in a deed by the seller upon the buyer of real estate to do or not to do something. Such restrictions frequently "run with the land" and are enforceable on subsequent buyers of the property...
s which had prevented Jews and African Americans from purchasing homes in the neighborhood were no longer enforced, and the neighborhood became largely Jewish and African American. Over the past 40 years, the Jewish population of the neighborhood has declined (though it is now increasing again), but the neighborhood has continued to support a thriving upper and middle class African American community. The Shepherd Park Citizens Association and Neighbors Inc. led efforts to stem white flight
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
from the neighborhood in the 1960s and 1970s, and it has remained a continuously integrated neighborhood, with very active and inclusive civic groups.
Shepherd Park and the rest of Ward 4 are represented in the Council of the District of Columbia
Council of the District of Columbia
The Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch of the local government of the District of Columbia. As permitted in the United States Constitution, the District is not part of any U.S. state and is instead overseen directly by the federal government...
by Muriel Bowser
Muriel Bowser
Muriel Bowser is a Democratic politician in Washington, D.C. She is a member of the Council of the District of Columbia representing Ward 4.-Early life:...
and is home to a number of prominent people including NAACP President Benjamin Jealous and his wife, law professor, Lia Epperson. A number of judges, professors, newspaper reporters, and doctors also live in the community.
Borders
The northern line of the neighborhood is defined by Eastern Avenue NW, which divides Shepherd Park from Silver Spring, MarylandSilver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
. The neighborhood is further bounded at the south by Walter Reed Hospital, at the east by Georgia Avenue
Georgia Avenue
Georgia Avenue is a major north-south artery in Northwest Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland. Within the District of Columbia and a short distance in Silver Spring, Maryland, Georgia Avenue is also U.S. Route 29...
NW, and the west by 16th Street NW.
Heading out of the city, traveling north on 16th Street, just before getting to the DC-Maryland border, most streets are named after flowers, shrubs and trees. Iris Street, Primrose Road, and Geranium Street are but a few flower-inspired street names.
Georgia Avenue is the only commercial corridor near the neighborhood.
Local architecture includes colonials (both traditional and Spanish style), ramblers, Tudors, farmhouses, split-levels, and a few Sears bungalows.
History
Shepherd Park takes its name from its most famous resident: Alexander Robey ShepherdAlexander Robey Shepherd
Alexander Robey Shepherd , better known as Boss Shepherd, was one of the most controversial and influential civic leaders in the history of Washington, D.C., and one of the most powerful big-city political bosses of the Gilded Age. He was head of the DC Board of Public Works from 1871 to 1873 and...
, the governor of the then-Territory of DC from 1873 to 1874.
Shortly before becoming governor (in 1868), Shepherd built a grand Second Empire-style Victorian that once stood near the corner of Geranium and 13th Street.
Shepherd dubbed his large country home "Bleak House" after a Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
novel he and his wife were reading at the time of their home's construction. The mansion was demolished in 1916.
Shepherd owned a plant nursery in the District of Columbia, which enabled the 60,000 trees he had planted. His nursery led to a variety of wild flowers that still thrive in the yards of city residents. It is also the genesis of the streets in Shepherd Park being named for flowers.
The Shepherd Park Citizens Association and Neighbors Inc led efforts to fight blockbusting
Blockbusting
Blockbusting is a business practice of U.S. real estate agents and building developers meant to encourage white property owners to sell their houses at a loss, by implying that racial, ethnic, or religious minorities — Blacks, Hispanics, Jews et al. — were moving into their previously racially...
and maintain the integrated nature of the neighborhood in the 1960s and 1970s. It is one of the only neighborhoods on the east side of Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park is a large urban natural area with public park facilities that bisects Washington, D.C. The park is administered by the National Park Service.-Rock Creek Park:The main section of the park contains , or , along the Rock Creek Valley...
where white flight
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
was stemmed in those years.
Neighborhood Institutions
- The National SynagogueNational SynagogueThe National Synagogue or Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah ; OSTT is the oldest Orthodox synagogue in Washington, D.C.The synagogue is located in the neighborhood of Shepherd Park...
. - Congregation Tifereth Israel.
- Alexander Shepherd Elementary School.
- Shepherd Park Citizens' Association.
- Lowell School.
- The Washington Ethical Society.
Education
District of Columbia Public SchoolsDistrict of Columbia Public Schools
District of Columbia Public Schools is the traditional public school system of Washington, D.C. in the United States.- Composition and enrollment :...
operates public schools.
District of Columbia Public Library
District of Columbia Public Library
The District of Columbia Public Library is the public library system for residents of Washington, D.C. The system includes 25 individual libraries including Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library .-History:...
operates the Juanita E. Thornton/Shepherd Park Neighborhood Library.