The Palisades, or simply Palisades, is a neighborhood in

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, ...

, along the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...

, running roughly from the edge of the

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

campus (at Foxhall Road) to the D.C.-Maryland boundary (near Dalecarlia Treatment Plant). MacArthur Boulevard (once called Conduit Road) is the main thoroughfare that passes through the Palisades. In 1893, this subdivision was laid out by the Palisades Improvement Company. The Palisades had the Great Falls Electric Railway that ran from 36th and Prospect streets out to Glen Echo. The International Athletic Park and Amusement Company secured a large block of the Palisades and constructed a Bicycle Track and General Amusement Park, which opened on Decoration Day in 1896. Also encompassed within the Palisades is the neighborhood of Potomac Heights, which is bounded by Loughboro Road at the north end, Arizona Avenue at the south end and MacArthur Boulevard and the Potomac River.

History

In June 1909, the Potomac Heights Land Co. (based in North Carolina) acquired previously known as the Athletic Park tract at the reported cost of $1000 an acre. The tract extends parallel with and between Conduit Road and the Potomac. It is divided by the Washington Railway and Electric Company, which ran from Georgetown to Glen Echo for a 5 cent fare. There were 800 lots at $450–$500 per lot and no home was to be erected at less than $2500. The Palisades is part of

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. ...

3D in Ward 3, the far northwest corner of the Northwest Quadrant just north of Georgetown. The current Palisades Citizens Association (PCA) was started as the Conduit Road Citizens Association in 1916. MacArthur Theater - Washington, DC

The Palisades is one of the lesser-known neighborhoods in Washington, with a mixture of detached houses, townhouses and apartments. The homes along the bluff on Potomac Avenue offer a broad view of the Potomac River and the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

riverfront, with often impressive sunset views. Since 1928, the Palisades has been served by the Francis Scott Key Elementary School, which is part of the

DC Public Schools The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) is the local public school system for the District of Columbia, in the United States. It is distinct from the District of Columbia Public Charter Schools (DCPCS), which governs public charter ...

. Extensive capital improvement of Key Elementary was completed in fall 2003. The renovated and expanded school currently enrolls 285 students and will gradually increase to approximately 300. Arizona Avenue Railway Bridge - Washington, DC

Arizona Avenue Railway Bridge - Washington, DC

The current Palisades Neighborhood Library opened in 1964 and was renovated in 2018. Battery Kemble was at an elevation on Ridge Road (now Nebraska Avenue). The battery held two 100-pounder Parrott rifles, placed to sweep Chain Bridge and Virginia beyond. The site is located within

Battery Kemble Park Battery Kemble Park is a park in Northwest Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Lo ...

, bounded by Chain Bridge Road, MacArthur Boulevard, 49th Street, and Nebraska Avenue, NW.

Fletcher's Cove Fletcher's Cove is a park and recreation area owned and managed by National Park Service, located at 4940 Canal Road, Washington, D.C. 20007, between Chain and Key Bridges, part of Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Fletcher' ...

is on the Potomac River and the C & O Canal National Historical Park, between Chain and Key Bridges. Fletcher's has been in this location since the 1850s and is renowned as a superb fishing and recreational area. The nearby Abner Cloud House is the oldest building on the canal, dating back to 1802. After 145 years of business, the fourth generation of Fletchers retired in 2004 and Guest Services Incorporated, a National Park Service concessionaire, assumed responsibility for the operation of the concessions. The area surrounding the boat house was then officially named Fletcher's Cove, though most people still call it Fletcher's Boat House. Other notable landmarks making the Palisades unique are the old Conduit Road Schoolhouse on MacArthur Boulevard, Palisades Community Church (1923), The Lab School of Washington (1967) (formerly the Florence Crittenton Home for Unwed Mothers), the German Embassy, St. David's Episcopal Church (1940), Sibley Hospital (1961) and Gen. Montgomery C. Meig's Washington Aqueduct/ Delcarlia Filtration/ Water Treatment Plant (1853). Remnants are everywhere of the old Capitol Transit #20 trolley (Union Station to Cabin John) that was a very popular ride thRough the Palisades out to the Glen Echo Amusement Park (1898–1968). In addition, the Georgetown Branch of the B & O railroad once worked its way through The Palisades, the most notable landmark being the steel trestle bridge over Arizona Ave. Since the Georgetown Branch's abandonment in 1985, it has been part of the

Capital Crescent Trail The Capital Crescent Trail (CCT) is a , shared-use rail trail that runs from Georgetown in Washington, D.C., to Bethesda, Maryland. An extension of the trail from Bethesda to Silver Spring along a route formerly known as the Georgetown Branch ...

. The Palisades Firehouse (Engine Company 29), at 4811 MacArthur Blvd. NW, built in 1925 is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. It was designed by architect

Albert L. Harris Albert L. Harris (1869 – February 24, 1933) was an American architect who worked primarily in Washington, D.C. He was born in Wales and emigrated to the United States as a young child. He worked for architectural firms in Chicago and Baltimore ...

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archit ...

style. Also National Register-listed are: *

Conduit Road Schoolhouse The Conduit Road Schoolhouse is an historic school, located at 4954 MacArthur Boulevard, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Palisades neighborhood. History It was built as a one-room schoolhouse on Conduit Road. It replaced a school of 1864, ...

Dr. Franklin E. Kameny House The Dr. Franklin E. Kameny House in the Northwest (Washington, D.C.), Northwest Quadrant of Washington, D.C., is a two-story, brick Colonial Revival architecture, Colonial Revival-style house built in 1955, with a screened porch and a one-car gar ...

, ordinary-looking home of gay rights leader * Northwest No. 4 Boundary Marker of the Original District of Columbia *

Washington Aqueduct The Washington Aqueduct is an aqueduct that provides the public water supply system serving Washington, D.C., and parts of its suburbs, using water from the Potomac River. One of the first major aqueduct projects in the United States, the Aquedu ...

. Designed by John J. Zink, the MacArthur Theater, originally a single 1,000 seater that was tri-plexed in 1982, was in use from December 1946 through March 1997. On September 11, 1936, at a cost of $40,000, the Palisades Playground and field house was dedicated at its current Sherier and Edmunds Place location. The Palisades neighborhood is the home for a variety of popular restaurants such as Figs, Bambu, Bistro Aracosia, BlackSalt, Chen's Gourmet, Seventh Hill Pizza, Kotobuki, DC Boathouse, Et Voila' and the new Salt and Pepper Restaurant. A high point of the year for many in the neighborhood is the annual July 4 parade, featuring local bands, fire engines and children on highly decorated tricycles and bicycles.

Education

District of Columbia Public Schools The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) is the local public school system for the District of Columbia, in the United States. It is distinct from the District of Columbia Public Charter Schools (DCPCS), which governs public charter ...

operates public schools. Mann Elementary School, Key Elementary School, Hardy Middle School, and Jackson-Reed High School serve Palisades. Private schools in Palisades include Our Lady of Victory Catholic School, the Lab School, the lower and middle divisions of

Georgetown Day School Georgetown Day School (GDS) is an independent coeducational PK-12 school located in Washington, D.C. The school educates 1,075 elementary, middle, and high school students in northwestern Washington, D.C. Russell Shaw is the current Head of Sc ...

, the River School, and St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School.

District of Columbia Public Library The District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) is the public library system for the District of Columbia, in the United States. The system includes 26 individual libraries including Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (the DCPL's central libr ...

operates the Palisades Neighborhood Library.Hours & Locations
"

. Retrieved on October 21, 2009.

References

External links

Palisades' Citizens AssociationPalisades of the Potomac (1890)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palisades, The, Washington, D.C. 1893 establishments in Washington, D.C. American upper class Neighborhoods in Northwest (Washington, D.C.)