Woodley Park is a

neighborhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, located in Northwest D.C. Primarily residential, Woodley Park hosts a commercial corridor of restaurants and shops located along Connecticut Avenue. The neighborhood is noted as the home of the National Zoological Park, part of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

History

The area was named after Woodley House, built by Philip Barton Key (the uncle of

Francis Scott Key Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer, author, and poet from Frederick, Maryland, best known as the author of the poem "Defence of Fort M'Henry" which was set to a popular British tune and eventually became t ...

) in 1801. Woodley has housed many political elites from President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

(namesake of the neighboring

Cleveland Park Cleveland Park is a residential neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. It is located at and bounded approximately by Rock Creek Park to the east, Wisconsin and Idaho Avenues to the west, Klingle and Woodley Roads to the sou ...

) to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Secretary of War

Henry Stimson Henry Lewis Stimson (September 21, 1867 – October 20, 1950) was an American statesman, lawyer, and Republican Party politician. Over his long career, he emerged as a leading figure in U.S. foreign policy by serving in both Republican and Demo ...

. Nowadays Woodley House serves as the library and administrative building of the Maret School. The Woodley Park Community Association was established to support the in-town neighborhood quality of life in Woodley Park. In May 2015, the CEO and president of American Iron Works and his wife, son, and housekeeper were tortured and murdered in their Woodley Park mansion.

Geography

It is bounded on the north by Woodley Road and Klingle Valley Trail, on the east by the National Zoo and

Rock Creek Park Rock Creek Park is a large urban park that bisects the Northwest, Washington, D.C., Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. Created by Act of Congress in 1890, the park comprises 1,754 acres (2.74 mi2, 7.10 km2), generally along Rock Cr ...

, on the south by Calvert Street, on the southwest by Cleveland Avenue, and on the west by 34th Street. Adjoining neighborhoods are

to the north, Mount Pleasant and

Adams Morgan Adams Morgan (abbreviated as AdMo) is a Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in the city’s Northwest (Washington, D.C.), Northwest quadrant. Adams Morgan is noted as a historic hub for Counterculture of ...

to the east, Kalorama to the south, Woodland-Normanstone Terrace to the southwest, and

Massachusetts Heights Massachusetts Heights is a small neighborhood in Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed ...

to the west.

Landmarks

Straddling Connecticut Avenue south of the National Zoo is a neighborhood of fine early 20th-century row houses, a throwback to the days more than a century ago when developers hoped that this wide avenue that runs northward to the Maryland border would be a boulevard lined with elegant homes. Modern-day Connecticut Avenue north of the small Woodley Park historic district, however, is now mostly filled with high rent, high rise apartment houses — although the city's height limitation restricts them to no more than eight stories, they are considered high-rise by Washington standards. To the east, the neighborhood's curved streets overhang Rock Creek Park. On the west, they bend on the slope leading to the heights of Mt. Saint Albans, the site of Washington National Cathedral. The stately rows of meticulously designed houses are preserved intact, presenting streetscapes that have changed little for nearly a century. Though busy Connecticut Avenue is always just around the corner, the residential streets are leafy, green, and serene. The neighborhood provides access to several nature trails, including

, Tregaron Conservancy, and Klingle Valley Trail. Washington Zoo entrance

On Connecticut Avenue, former row houses along the street have been converted into commercial properties, including restaurants, offices and retail shops. The

Omni Shoreham Hotel The Omni Shoreham Hotel is a historic resort and convention hotel in Northwest Washington, D.C., built in 1930 and owned by Omni Hotels. It is located one block west of the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and Calvert Street. The hotel is k ...

is located on Calvert street. The Washington Marriott Wardman Park was demolished and is being developed into 900 residential units in two buildings as of 2025. At night, the place is a hive of activity. Shops and restaurants lining Connecticut Ave include many chains, but also many local restaurants and shops.

Education

The District of Columbia Public Schools is the public school system. Oyster-Adams Bilingual School is the neighborhood

K-8 school K8 or K-8 may refer to: * K-8 (Kansas highway), two highways in Kansas, one in northern Kansas, one in southern Kansas * K-8 school, a type of school that includes kindergarten and grades one through eight * K8 telephone box, designed by Bruce M ...

, formed in 2007 by the merger of James F. Oyster Bilingual Elementary School in Woodley Park and John Quincy Adams Elementary School in

. Residents are zoned to Oyster Adams, and Jackson-Reed High School.High School Boundary Map
(2016-2017 School Year). District of Columbia Public Schools. Retrieved on May 27, 2018. Private schools in the neighborhood include the Maret School and Aidan Montessori School.

Transportation

Woodley Park is served by the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan Metro station, between

Dupont Circle Dupont Circle is a historic roundabout park and Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood of Washington, D.C., located in Northwest (Washington, D.C.), Northwest D.C. The Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded approximately by 16th St ...

and

on the Red Line.

References

External links

Woodley Park Community Association

Why Is It Named Woodley Park?
{{Coord, 38, 55, 42.4, N, 77, 3, 21.5, W, display=title Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Neighborhoods in Northwest (Washington, D.C.)