Photo by Susan Straight - Joiwind, left, and Amit Ronen join their children, from left, Lila, 6, Aloe, 5, and Kai, 2, in the front yard of their Cleveland Park house where they have lived for five years.
“This was a true neighborhood effort. More than 100 families contributed to save the lawns as open space and create the Conservancy,” Abram said.
Besides the land itself, the Conservancy, known as Cleveland Park’s “village green,” also consists of a nonprofit board, which maintains the park in the style of the original terraced gardens of the Rosedale Farmhouse. “We wanted to preserve the grounds as close to the original as possible,” Constantine said.
(Laris Karklis/The Washington Post)
Cleveland Park has a rich history and a large historic district. “The housing stock is very diverse, ranging from Queen Anne Victorians, traditional foursquares, Georgians, Wardman townhouses, charming cottages and the very modern. One of only three houses in the world designed by I.M. Pei is in Cleveland Park,” said real estate agent Anne Hatfield Weir of Washington Fine Properties.
Most recently, the Citizens Association has been active in helping implement a $1.5 million streetscape and pedestrian improvement plan. The work, which is funded by money allocated by the D.C. Council, started in 2010 and is currently in progress. When complete, the neighborhood will have new streetlights, traffic lights, mid-block crosswalk, tree boxes and additional landscaping.
While grocery shopping is now available only at Brookville Market, residents look forward to the day when the new Giant Food store on Wisconsin Avenue at Newark Street is completed. The construction on the site of the outdated and recently shuttered supermarket, expected to start any day, is scheduled to last two years. Until then, the developer is running a shuttle several times a week to the nearest Giant, said Taylor.
There are two e-mail discussion groups in Cleveland Park. The larger one is free and has more than 12,000 subscribers and is owned and managed by neighborhood residents Peggy Robin and her husband Bill Adler. The citizens association has its own Internet mailing list, open to members and associate members who pay an annual membership fee of $15 for individuals and $25 for households.
Social opportunities in the neighborhood include informal encounters with neighbors at the Brookville Market as well as events such as Cleveland Park Day, held on the first Sunday in October. This year will mark the third annual Cleveland Park Day, “a giant celebration of our village in the city,” Taylor said.
Another social gathering place for 150 families of the community is the Cleveland Park Club, located in an old house donated by Agnes Miller, sister of major Washington developers W.C. and A.N. Miller, in 1921. The club runs a summer camp, has a swimming pool open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and hosts year-round classes and other events.
With large green parks, two Metro stations within walking distance and plenty of nightlife, “this area has such a great blend and balance of all of the best D.C. has to offer,” Taylor said.
Susan Straight is a freelance writer.
ZIP CODE: 20008
BOUNDARIES: Wisconsin Avenue and 37th Street to the west, Upton Street and Tilden Street to the north, Beech Drive to the east, and Cathedral Avenue and Woodley Road to the south.
SCHOOLS: Eaton Elementary School, Deal Middle School, Wilson High School.
HOME SALES: In the past 12 months, 55 homes have sold for prices ranging from $650,000 to $4.25 million, according to real estate agent Anne Hatfield Weir of Washington Fine Properties. Seven homes are currently under contract, at prices ranging from $799,000 to $3.795 million, and 12 homes are listed, at prices ranging from $995,000 to $4.95 million.
WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE: National Zoo, Washington National Cathedral, shops and businesses along Connecticut Avenue, numerous embassies, Rock Creek Park hiking and cycling trails.
WITHIN 20 MINUTES BY CAR: Union Station, U.S. Capitol, McLean, Reagan National Airport, Pentagon City, National Naval Medical Center.
TRANSIT: Cleveland Park and Woodley Park Metro stations (Red Line) and many bus routes along Connecticut Avenue as well as Porter Street.
Featured Columns
Loading...
Comments