U Street Condo Living: DC Urban Development at Its Finest
Today, the U Street Corridor is a buzzing, lively, vibrant community. The green and yellow line metro stop in the middle of the neighborhood, which didn’t even exist a decade ago, connects the community to the rest of the city. After being in complete disorder years ago, U Street has become the model for urban renaissance in DC. From storefronts to town-homes, condos to parks, U Street today has stuff that makes DC condo buyers drool.
A historically African American community, U street used to be infamous for the riots that occurred there after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, and famous for the amount of big-name jazz musicians that came to the area to play their music. Artists like Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald(who were my grandfather’s favorites until the day he died), Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, would flock to U Street and bring their beautiful tunes to the District.
Now, while the area is still known for its past, it is becoming increasingly known for its present. Over the past ten years, U Street as a living and social attraction has grown legs and ran. The area still retains its African American roots, as the jazz clubs are still standing and the African American Civil War Memorial and Museum is just blocks from the metro. Bars and clubs like Marvin, with a fantastic rooftop, and Bohemian Caverns, one of the originals on U Street, all reflect jazz, blues, and musical culture.
One mainstay of U Street is Ben’s Chili Bowl, a landmark of the community since its opening in 1958. While earlier this year, sadly, Ben Ali, Ben’s Chili Bowl founder, passed away, the diner-style establishment is doing as well as ever. Serving chili half smoke sausages, hot dogs, and much more ’til the wee hours of the morning, Ben’s has recently been featured on Travel Channel’s No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain, and has received a visit from President Obama. Obama paid for his meal, as the rule at the restaurant is that that the “only person who eats free at Ben’s is Bill Cosby”.
With so much history and tradition, as well as this recent resurgence, U Street condos are becoming the hotspot to live in DC. Beautiful, modern-style buildings are popping up left and right, all of which provide residents with instant access to one of DC’s most popular neighborhoods.
U Street isn’t only getting recognized for its comeback by locals…it’s getting national recognition as well.
In April of 2006, Alicia Ault of The New York Times profiled the community, and wrote of its rebirth.
“From the riots after the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 until the mid-1990’s, many of the three- and four-story brick buildings and glass storefronts along U Street were shuttered and derelict, with the exception of stalwarts like Ben’s Chili Bowl, opened in 1958, where people still line up for half-smokes, chili fries and thick shakes,” Ault wrote. “The construction of a Metro stop and the rise of real estate prices in Washington brought new interest in U Street, and in the last five years, condominium high-rises have sprung up and town houses have been renovated. Restaurants, shops and night life have followed.”
Even more recently, in October of last year, Meredith Stanton of Executive Travel, wrote about U Street as one DC’s hippest areas to be:
“As I pop out of the dark metro tunnel and onto vibrant U Street in northwest Washington, D.C., my view of the nation’s capital takes on an Alice in Wonderland effect. Gone are the marble monuments classic to D.C.; the rep ties and suits have nearly disappeared, and the stately houses typically reserved for Georgetown are nowhere to be found. Instead, the “new U” is buzzing with modern energy and urban life. An engaging new epicenter for the District, the neighborhood is the latest in a wave of revitalization projects under way in and around the city.”
U Street, pure and simple, is the model for a DC community renaissance. With gorgeous places to live and a rocking nightlife, up and coming neighborhoods throughout the city will look to U Street as the archetype. Check out our numerous U Street condos, move in, and join in the revolution.
[...] of DC nightlife. Within walking distance of nightlife hotspot communities like Dupont Circle, U Street Corridor, and Columbia Heights, The Viya has a premium location for those who like to have fun after [...]
[...] U Street Corridor is currently one of the most popular neighborhoods to move into for DC Condo buyers. The [...]
[...] & Florida Avenue, in a community that sits in between Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, and the U Street Corridor. The location allows you to walk to Columbia Heights’ brand new shopping megaplex DC USA, [...]
[...] week’s DC Condo and DC Community Spotlight video focuses on the U Street Corridor and one of its brilliant properties: The Flats at Union Row. The Flats at Union Row are a hot [...]
[...] building packed with all up-to-date appliances and amenities, is located right in the heart of the U Street Corridor at 929 Florida Avenue in NW. The Floridian features large, open floor-plans, with window walls [...]