Downtown is a neighborhood of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, as well as a colloquial name for the central business district in the northwest quadrant of the city. It is the fourth largest central business district in the United States. Historically, the Downtown has been defined as an area east of

16th Street NW 16th Street Northwest is a prominent north–south thoroughfare in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. Part of Pierre L'Enfant's design for the city, 16th Street begins just north of the White House across Lafayette Park at H Street and ...

, north of the National Mall and

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

, and south of Massachusetts Avenue, including the

Penn Quarter Penn Quarter is a neighborhood east of Downtown Washington, D.C. and north of Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Penn Quarter is roughly equivalent to the city's early downtown core near Pennsylvania Avenue and 7th Street NW, The definition of Downtown W ...

. However, the city says that most residents, workers, and visitors think of Downtown in a broader sense—including areas as far north as

Dupont Circle Dupont Circle (or DuPont Circle) is a traffic circle, park, neighborhood and historic district in Northwest Washington, D.C. The Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded approximately by 16th Street NW to the east, 22nd Street NW t ...

, the

Golden Triangle Golden Triangle may refer to: Places Asia * Golden Triangle (Southeast Asia), named for its opium production * Golden Triangle (Yangtze), China, named for its rapid economic development * Golden Triangle (India), comprising the popular tourist ...

, as far west as

Foggy Bottom Foggy Bottom is one of the oldest late 18th- and 19th-century neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., located west of the White House and downtown Washington, in the Northwest quadrant. It is bounded roughly by 17th Street NW to the east, Rock C ...

, and as far east as Capitol Hill. A small portion of this area is known as the Downtown Historic District and was listed on the NRHP in 2001.

Geography and subdistricts

There are no neighborhoods or neighborhood boundaries that the D.C. Government officially defines, so there are varying definitions of which areas constitute Downtown D.C. or the central business district of D.C. In a 2008 map shown in this article, the city's planning department showed as existing Downtown areas a broad swathe of everything between Georgetown on the west and Union Station on the east, with a northern boundary of and Massachusetts Avenue, and a southern boundary, roughly, of E Street, thus including the West End,

, Traditional Downtown, Chinatown,

Mount Vernon Square Mount Vernon Square is a city square and neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. The square is located where the following streets would otherwise intersect: Massachusetts Avenue NW, New York Avenue NW, K Street NW, and 8th ...

, and Downtown East. 2008 map of Downtown area and emerging Center City areas.jpg, Pink area was designated in 2008 as "existing Downtown areas of Washington, D.C.; blue indicated then-emerging areas of Center City Washington. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' in 2014 referred to "downtown" as the areas covered by two business improvement districts (BIDs): *Downtown D.C. (the historic central business district east of the White House) and *

(areas which have more recently been regarded as part of the CBD, west of the White House). Together, they form a diamond-shaped area stretching from Union Station, south to the National Mall, northwest past the White House to Washington Circle in Foggy Bottom and northeast to DuPont Circle.

Traditional Downtown

Southern Building - SW corner - 850 F Street NW Washington DC - 2012

The Downtown BID boundaries roughly conform with the more traditional definitions of Downtown and those of the Downtown Urban Renewal Action Area and are: *North-northeast: Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. and the

Mount Vernon Triangle Mount Vernon Triangle is a neighborhood and community improvement district in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. Originally a working-class neighborhood established in the 19th century, present-day Mount Vernon Triangle experienced a decl ...

, Shaw, and Logan Circle neighborhoods, *East: North Capitol Street, N.W. and Louisiana Avenue, N.W. (roughly

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

), and the Capitol Hill neighborhood, *South: east of 6th Street, N.W., by Constitution Avenue, N.W. and the National Mall, and west of 6th Street, N.W., by Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. and Federal Triangle *West: 15th and 16th streets, N.W. (roughly, the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

grounds) – to the west of the White House is the Golden Triangle BID – The Downtown BID thus encompasses

, Chinatown, CityCenterDC, and the

F Street shopping district Parts of F Street and 7th Street, N.W. and nearby blocks have historically been the heart of the Washington, D.C. downtown shopping district. In the first half of the 20th century there were numerous upscale large department stores along and ne ...

Golden Triangle

The Golden Triangle is an area defined by the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID). It is part of a larger Downtown area according to ''The Washington Post'' and DC Department of Planning. The Golden Triangle boundaries are, very roughly: *Northwest: New Hampshire Ave., N.W., and the

DuPont Circle Dupont Circle (or DuPont Circle) is a traffic circle, park, neighborhood and historic district in Northwest Washington, D.C. The Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded approximately by 16th Street NW to the east, 22nd Street NW t ...

neighborhood, *Northeast: Massachusetts Ave., N.W., and the

neighborhood, *East: 16th Street, N.W. and the DowntownDC BID, *Southwest: Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. and the

neighborhood, *West: 21st Street, N.W., and the Foggy Bottom and the West End neighborhoods. The Golden Triangle BID thus overlaps a southern portion of the

neighborhood. The Washington, D.C. tourist office, exceptionally and in contrast to other sources, promotes the Golden Triangle area as "Downtown" , and Traditional Downtown as "Penn Quarter & Chinatown".

Character, attractions, and services

By the 1990s and continuing into the 2010s, the core of the downtown district was almost exclusively commercial, and its primary commercial use was as office buildings.Bednar, p. 243. The area also featured a number of attractions, including museums (such as the International Spy Museum, National Aquarium, National Archives, National Building Museum,

National Museum of Women in the Arts The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), located in Washington, D.C., is "the first museum in the world solely dedicated" to championing women through the arts. NMWA was incorporated in 1981 by Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay. Since openin ...

, National Portrait Gallery,

Newseum The Newseum was an American museum dedicated to news and journalism that promoted free expression and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, while tracing the evolution of communication. The purpose of the museum, funded by the ...

, and Smithsonian American Art Museum) and theaters (such as

Ford's Theatre Ford's Theatre is a theater located in Washington, D.C., which opened in August 1863. The theater is infamous for being the site of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. On the night of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth entered the theater bo ...

, National Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre, Warner Theatre, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre).Jabado, p. 57-60. The Penn Quarter and Chinatown areas in particular are home to many bars and restaurants,Jabado, p. 57. and the observation deck in the tower of the

Old Post Office Pavilion The Old Post Office, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Old Post Office and Clock Tower, is located at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. in Washington, D.C. It is a contributing property to the Pennsylvania Avenue National ...

is known for its views of the city. 7th Street NW between H and F Streets NW—a short commercial strip known as "Gallery Place"—has become a major hub of bars, restaurants, theaters, and upscale retail shops.Davenport, Christian; du Lac, J. Freedom; Rosenwald, Michael S.; Schulte, Brigid; Shapira, Ian; Shin, Annys; and Sieff, Kevin. "Fights, Teens Among Challenges as D.C.'s Gallery Place Entertainment Area Matures." ''The Washington Post.'' August 13, 2010. However, even as late as 2010, most of the core area tended to be empty of pedestrian foot traffic at night, except for streets immediately around theaters and restaurants. Downtown D.C. has been adding residents, however, and pedestrian traffic at night is increasing. In 1990, the area had about 4,000 residents, but this had increased to 8,449 by 2010.O'Connell, Jonathan. "Mixed-Use Project Is Coda for Downtown D.C. Revival." ''The Washington Post.'' April 5, 2011. Such increases appear small, but are more significant than they seem because the city's height restrictions limit population density.Pristin, Terry. "Washington Makes Downtown a Destination Again." ''New York Times.'' September 1, 2004. The completion of the $950 million CityCenterDC project in late 2013 is estimated to add another 1,000 or more residents. One exception to the low nighttime foot traffic is Gallery Place. Large crowds gather day and night at Gallery Place, especially after sporting events at the

Capital One Arena Capital One Arena is an indoor arena in Washington, D.C. Located in the Penn Quarter neighborhood, the arena sits atop the Gallery Place rapid transit station of the Washington Metro. It has been largely considered to be a commercial success ...

. Crime and street brawls in the area skyrocketed in the area and its adjacent Gallery Place Metro station between 2008 and 2010, primarily due to the large groups of teenagers (from throughout the metropolitan region) gathering there. Several notable restaurants exist in the downtown district, including

Fogo de Chão Fogo de Chão () is a Brazilian all-you-can-eat steakhouse ('' churrascaria)'' with locations throughout the world. The restaurant specializes in barbecued meats and sides. The restaurant was founded by two brothers, Arri and Jair Coser, with ...

Kinkead's Kinkead's, An American Brasserie was a fine dining restaurant in Washington, D.C. open from 1993 to 2012, named for its chef and owner Bob Kinkead, primarily featuring seafood and New American cuisine. Kinkead's was located at 2000 Pennsylvani ...

Loeb's NY Deli Loeb's NY Deli is a historic kosher-style deli in downtown Washington, D.C., United States. Opened in 1959 by Walter Loeb, the deli was originally located at the corner of 15th and G Streets, NW, in a space currently occupied by the Old Ebbitt G ...

Old Ebbitt Grill Old Ebbitt Grill is a historic bar and restaurant located at 675 15th Street NW in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It is Washington's oldest bar and restaurant, and is owned by Clyde's Restaurant Group. It first opened as an unnamed ...

, and Wok 'n' Roll (located in the Mary E. Surratt Boarding House). Chinatown and Gallery Place are noted for being geographically small but also having a very large number of restaurants.

(originally named the MCI Center and later changed to the Verizon Center), a major basketball, hockey, and events venue, opened in the Chinatown neighborhood on the eastern edge of the downtown district in 1997.McGregor, p. 285. It proved to be a major attraction, drawing more than 20 million visitors in its first decade of operation.

Cityscape

The majority of downtown Washington is composed of office buildings of varying architectural styles. The oldest tend to be of the

Federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

school, as are the

, the

Treasury Building A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or in ...

Blair House Blair House, also known as The President's Guest House, is an official residence in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The President's Guest House has been called "the world's most exclusive hotel" because it is primarily used ...

, and the rowhouses that line Lafayette Square. Others run the gamut from Neoclassical (such as the buildings at Federal Triangle) to Second Empire-style (the

Eisenhower Executive Office Building The Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB)—formerly known as the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB), and originally as the State, War, and Navy Building—is a U.S. government building situated just west of the White House in the U.S. ca ...

) to postmodern (One

Farragut Square Farragut Square is a city square in Washington, D.C.'s Ward 2 of the District of Columbia, Ward 2. It is bordered by K Street (Washington, D.C.), K Street Northwest, Washington, D.C., NW to the north, I Street NW to the south, on the east and wes ...

South and Franklin Tower at 1401 I Street NW). The historic

Willard Hotel The Willard InterContinental Washington, commonly known as the Willard Hotel, is a historic luxury Beaux-Arts hotel located at 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Downtown Washington, D.C. It is currently a member oHistoric Hotels of America the offi ...

was built in the Beaux-Arts style.Denby, ''Grand Hotels: Reality and Illusion'', 2004, p. 221–222.

Height restriction

Unlike other large cities in the U.S., Washington's downtown has a low skyline. With the advent of the skyscraper and the construction of the Cairo Hotel, residents were concerned that the city's

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

an feel might be dwarfed by high-rise buildings. Congress therefore passed the Heights of Buildings Act in 1899, limiting any new building in Washington to a height of . The act was amended in 1910 to allow buildings higher than the width of the adjacent street. , the tallest building in downtown Washington—excluding the

Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk shaped building within the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (1775–1784) in the American Revolutionary War and th ...

U.S. Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill at ...

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Washington, D.C., the ca ...

, and the

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a large minor Catholic basilica and national shrine in the United States in Washington, D.C., located at 400 Michigan Avenue Northeast, adjacent to Catholic University. ...

, all of which are outside of the downtown district—is the Old Post Office Pavilion, whose tall clock tower looms far above other nearby structures. The tallest commercial building is

One Franklin Square One Franklin Square is a high-rise building at 1301 K Street NW, in Downtown Washington, D.C., United States. Description The , 12-story building was completed in 1990, and is the tallest commercial building and fifth-tallest building in T ...

, at .

Parks and public squares

1001 14th Street NW - Washington DC - Holiday Inn Hamilton Crowne Plaza Hotel

A number of public

urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to r ...

s exist in the downtown area. Among the more prominent are:

, Franklin Square,

Judiciary Square Judiciary Square is a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C., the vast majority of which is occupied by various federal and municipal courthouses and office buildings. Judiciary Square is located roughly between Pennsylvania Avenue to the s ...

, Lafayette Square (the portion of President's Park north of the

McPherson Square McPherson Square is a square in downtown Washington, D.C. It is bound by K Street Northwest to the north, Vermont Avenue NW on the East, I Street NW on the south, and 15th Street NW on the West; it is one block northeast of Lafayette Park. I ...

, the National World War I Memorial (formerly Pershing Park),

Scott Circle Scott Circle is an area in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. that is centred on the junction of Massachusetts Avenue, Rhode Island Avenue, and 16th Street, N.W. Originally a neighborhood recreational area, unlike Dupont Circle where po ...

Thomas Circle Thomas Circle is a traffic circle in Northwest Washington, D.C., in the United States. It is located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue NW, Vermont Avenue NW, 14th Street NW, and M Street NW. It is named for George Henry Thomas, a Un ...

, and

Washington Circle Washington Circle is a traffic circle in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., United States. It is located on the border of the Foggy Bottom and West End neighborhoods, which is a part of the Ward 2 section in Washington. It is the inte ...

. The largest paved square in the city,

Freedom Plaza Freedom Plaza, originally known as Western Plaza, is an open plaza in Northwest Washington, D.C., United States, located near 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, adjacent to Pershing Park. The plaza features an inlay that partially depict ...

, is located on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 13th and 14th Streets NW.

Governance

Two business improvement districts cover the downtown D.C. area. The Downtown DC Business Improvement District (Downtown DC BID) is bounded by 16th Street NW, Massachusetts Avenue NW, and Constitution Avenue NW, and is funded by a voluntary tax provided by 825 businesses in the area.Ford, p. 69. The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (Golden Triangle BID) is bounded by 16th Street NW, Massachusetts Avenue NW, 21st Street NW, and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Both BIDs work to enhance the diversity of business in their respective jurisdictions as well as the quality of life by providing directions for tourists, improving street and sidewalk cleanliness, and advising police about potential or existing problems. Various federal ( Federal Protective Service,

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...

United States Mint Police The United States Mint Police (USMP) is a U.S. federal law enforcement agency responsible for the protection of the facilities of the U.S. Mint. In 2004 they employed 376 police officers. History The United States Mint Police was founded in 1792 ...

United States Park Police The United States Park Police (USPP) is one of the oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agencies in the United States. It functions as a full-service law enforcement agency with responsibilities and jurisdiction in those National Park Servic ...

, etc.), city (

Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC), more commonly known as the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the DC Police, and, colloquially, the DCPD, is the primary law enforcement agency for the District of Columbi ...

, District of Columbia Housing Authority Office of Public Safety), and regional (

Metro Transit Police Department The Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) is the transit police agency of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), created by the WMATA Compact on June 4, 1976. The MTPD is unique in U.S. law enforcement as it is the only U. ...

) law enforcement agencies have concurrent, overlapping jurisdiction in downtown D.C. Both BIDs in the area also provide semi-uniformed unsworn police forces, which help to maintain order and provide street intelligence by communicating via cell phone with the Metropolitan Police Department and Metro Transit Police.Manning, p. 113. D.C. Housing Authority Police do not have jurisdiction outside public housing, but do patrol Gallery Place to pick up and provide intelligence on the activities of youth congregating there who live in city-provided housing units.

Education

Higher Education

The George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presid ...

, Foggy Bottom Campus.

References

Bibliography

*Bednar, Michael J. ''L' Enfant's Legacy: Public Open Spaces in Washington, D.C.'' Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. *Dempsey, John S. and Forst, Linda S. ''An Introduction to Policing.'' Clifton Park, N.Y.: Delmar Cengage Learning, 2012. *Dickey, Jeff. ''The Rough Guide to Washington, D.C.'' New York: Penguin, 2011. *Ford, Elise Hartment. ''Frommer's Washington, D.C., from $80 a Day.'' Hoboken, N.J.: Frommer's, 2004. *Gutheim, Frederick A. and Lee, Antointte J. ''Worthy of the Nation: Washington, D.C., From L'Enfant to the National Capital Planning Commission.'' Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. *Jabado, Salwa. ''Fodor's 2010 Washington, D.C.'' New York: Fodor's, 2010. *Manning, Peter K. "The United States of America." In ''Plural Policing: A Comparative Perspective.'' Trevor Jones and

Tim Newburn William Henry Timothy Newburn (born 4 July 1959) is an academic, specialising in criminology and policing. Career He was president of the British Society of Criminology from 2005–2008, director of the Mannheim Centre for Criminology from 2003- ...

, eds. New York: Psychology Press, 2006. *McGregor, James H. ''Washington From the Ground Up,'' Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2007. *Minetor, Randi and Minetor, Nic. ''Washington, D.C.: A Guided Tour Through History.'' Guilford, Conn.: GPP Travel, 2009. *Smith, Bruce R.; Pistolesi, Andrea; and Kelly, Michael T. ''Art and History of Washington D.C.'' Florence, Italy: Bonechi, 2007.

External links

Downtown DC Business Improvement District

Golden Triangle Business Improvement District
{{Coord, 38, 54, 9, N, 77, 1, 58.3, W, display=title

Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Neighborhoods in Northwest (Washington, D.C.) Victorian architecture in Washington, D.C.