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Wesley Heights is a small affluent neighborhood of
The area which became Wesley Heights was part of a tract of land owned by John Threlkeld (a resident of Georgetown). The tract of land was called Alliance. In 1890, a group of investors fronted by John Waggaman (a real estate broker) and bankrolled by Charles. C. Glover bought all the land between Chain Bridge Road to the east, Newark Street to the North, 43rd Street (which then ran parallel to 44th street past Newark Street), and Fulton Street to the south. Tunlaw Street (Now New Mexico Street) ran perpendicular between 44th street and 43rd street. The group named the new development Wesley Heights to appeal to Methodist buyers. John Waggaman and Charles C. Glover played instrumental roles in the selection and purchase of the site of the soon to be Methodist-affiliated American University just north of Newark Street.
The newly named Wesley Height development was divided into plots and some of the plots were sold to prospective home buyers and investors. In 1892, Charles C. Glover acquired all the Wesley Heights plots (block 29, 22 and 21) between New Mexico Street and the then 43rd street, and built his country mansion named Westover. By 1908, John Waggaman estate had filed for bankruptcy and Charles Glover was summoned to court to give testimony; the vast majority of Wesley Heights had been mortgaged to the hilt and there was suspicion that John Waggaman and Charles Glover had benefited from nefarious activities pertaining to the financing and acquisition of Wesley Heights and other large land developments in Washington, D.C. For years after the bankruptcy, Wesley Heights was neglected, and was mostly occupied by Charles Glover grand estate, Westover, and a few homes that were developed by John Waggaman.
In 1897, led by Charles Glover, the owners of Wesley Heights offered to sell a large section of Wesley Height (land adjunct to Nebraska Avenue and Loughboro Road) to American University. The university declined the offer.
During the 1920s, a revitalization effort was initiated by real estate developers W.C. and A.N. Miller with the purchasing of plots (80 acres) in Wesley Heights. W.C. and A.N. Miller began constructing homes in Wesley Heights, and also in the neighboring communities of Spring Valley and
Washington, D.C.
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, 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, ...
situated south of Spring Valley. Wesley Heights was founded in 1890 by a land speculation group led by John Waggaman and funded primarily by Charles C. Glover; Wesley Heights was further developed by the brothers William C. and Allison N. Miller during the 1920s. Modern-day Wesley Heights is bordered by Massachusetts Avenue (on the east), Nebraska Avenue (on the north), Battery-Kemble Park (on the west) and Glover Parkway (on the south). Foxhall Road and New Mexico Avenue are the main roadway passing through Wesley Heights. To protect the character of the original historic housing design of Wesley Heights, the Wesley Heights Zoning Overlay was developed and approved by District of Columbia Zoning Commission on July 13, 1992, at the urging of the Wesley Heights Historical Society. Current homeowners and new housing development within the Wesley Heights overlay must meet specific building codes. The Wesley overlay covers areas west of New Mexico Avenue (on the East), Nebraska Avenue (on the North), Battery-Kemble Park (on the West) and Glover Parkway (on the South). The overlay restriction does not cover development on housing located on the former Charles C. Glover country estate. Modern day Wesley Heights is located in Ward 3 Advisory Neighborhood Commission
Advisory Neighborhood Commissions are bodies of local government in District of Columbia, in the United States. The ANC system was created in 1974 through a District referendum (73 percent voted "yes") in the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. ...
under 3D01.
History
The area which became Wesley Heights was part of a tract of land owned by John Threlkeld (a resident of Georgetown). The tract of land was called Alliance. In 1890, a group of investors fronted by John Waggaman (a real estate broker) and bankrolled by Charles. C. Glover bought all the land between Chain Bridge Road to the east, Newark Street to the North, 43rd Street (which then ran parallel to 44th street past Newark Street), and Fulton Street to the south. Tunlaw Street (Now New Mexico Street) ran perpendicular between 44th street and 43rd street. The group named the new development Wesley Heights to appeal to Methodist buyers. John Waggaman and Charles C. Glover played instrumental roles in the selection and purchase of the site of the soon to be Methodist-affiliated American University just north of Newark Street.
The newly named Wesley Height development was divided into plots and some of the plots were sold to prospective home buyers and investors. In 1892, Charles C. Glover acquired all the Wesley Heights plots (block 29, 22 and 21) between New Mexico Street and the then 43rd street, and built his country mansion named Westover. By 1908, John Waggaman estate had filed for bankruptcy and Charles Glover was summoned to court to give testimony; the vast majority of Wesley Heights had been mortgaged to the hilt and there was suspicion that John Waggaman and Charles Glover had benefited from nefarious activities pertaining to the financing and acquisition of Wesley Heights and other large land developments in Washington, D.C. For years after the bankruptcy, Wesley Heights was neglected, and was mostly occupied by Charles Glover grand estate, Westover, and a few homes that were developed by John Waggaman.
In 1897, led by Charles Glover, the owners of Wesley Heights offered to sell a large section of Wesley Height (land adjunct to Nebraska Avenue and Loughboro Road) to American University. The university declined the offer.
During the 1920s, a revitalization effort was initiated by real estate developers W.C. and A.N. Miller with the purchasing of plots (80 acres) in Wesley Heights. W.C. and A.N. Miller began constructing homes in Wesley Heights, and also in the neighboring communities of Spring Valley and American University Park
American University Park is a neighborhood of Washington, D.C., named for the American University. AU Park, as it is often abbreviated, is situated against the Maryland border in the Northwest quadrant, bounded by Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Nebr ...
. W.C. and A.N. Miller planned development in Wesley Heights was one of the first master- planned communities in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and featured such services as a shuttle to the Wisconsin Avenue
Wisconsin Avenue is a major thoroughfare in Washington, D.C., and its Maryland suburbs. The southern terminus begins in Georgetown just north of the Potomac River, at an intersection with K Street under the elevated Whitehurst Freeway. The s ...
streetcar
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...
and a community club house.
Prior to the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, religious and racial covenants were found in property deeds for houses in Wesley Heights that excluded African-Americans, Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, and members other minority groups. One deed from December 1928 stated that properties in Wesley Heights "shall not be sold to any person of the Semitic race, blood or origin which racial description can be deemed to include Jews, Hebrews, Armenians, Persians and Syrians."
Wesley Heights' Geography before the 1920 revitalization
Not much is known about the geography of Wesley Heights before W.C. and A.N. Miller began building houses on Wesley Heights. Nevertheless, in 1894Kate Field
Mary Katherine Keemle "Kate" Field ( pen name, Straws, Jr.; October 1, 1838 – May 19, 1896) was an American journalist, correspondent, editor, lecturer, and actress, of eccentric talent. She never married. She seemed ready to give an opinio ...
, the renown American journalist, notes in her published periodical journal (Kate Field's Washington), a vivid description of Wesley Heights from a viewpoint on Charles Glover's estate. According to Kate Field:
''"Whoever stands on the broad piazza of Mr. and Mrs. C.C Glover's country home, "Westover", on Wesley Heights, has a view that vividly recalls the neighborhood of Richmond, England. Never was the scene more attractive than one day last week when Mr. Glover received several hundred friends. Four hundred feet above sea level, "Westover" commands the Blue Ridge on one side and the winding Potomac on the other. The tip of the monument is visible from the ground, while the Capitol may be seen from the top of the house. Truly a beautiful situation with a perennial breeze untainted by malaria''.
References
Sources
* {{Authority control 1920s establishments in Washington, D.C. Neighborhoods in Northwest (Washington, D.C.)