Columbia Heights

Columbia Heights (bounded by Florida Avenue on the south, Georgia Avenue on the east, Spring Road on the north and 16th Street to the west) was built as one of the first suburbs to downtown Washington, D.C. One of the city's most fashionable addresses in the first half of the century, Columbia Heights was home to Columbia College (now George Washington University), the Belmont mansion and the elite Jockey Club racetrack.

Most of the current stock of homes are Victorian or Federal style, and were constructed between the 1900’s and the 1930’s. The typical construction of buildings is solid brick with plaster walls and wood flooring. These types of building are rarely constructed now.

With the opening of the Columbia Heights metro station and strong revitalization efforts from local community groups, the area began to thrive again during the late 90’s. In the past decade, a plethora of new housing has been developed in Columbia Heights, particularly, hundreds of new condo units. NDC was a pioneer in the revitalization of Columbia Heights with the restoration of several condo projects including the Fairmont, the Lamont, the Hampton, Chapin Heights and the Lawrence in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Now Columbia Heights boasts plans for a Whole Foods Market, Target, Starbucks, the Greater Washington Urban League Headquarters, the Dance Institute of Washington’s dance studio, the restoration of the historically significant Tivoli Theater, and more.

Given the neighborhood’s spectacular views of downtown, some of the city’s finest Victorian era housing stock, and its cultural and historical significance, Columbia Heights has become one of Washington’s most exciting neighborhoods.
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Mt. Vernon

The Mount Vernon Square Historic District is a late -19th-century commercial and residential neighborhood that was constructed between 1845 and 1945. This historic neighborhood covers an area that includes roughly 12 city blocks in northwest Washington. The district consists of New York Avenue on the south; 1st street on the east; N street between 1st and 5th St. and M Street between 5th and 7th Streets on the north; and 7th Street between M street and New York Avenue on the west. The area includes approximately 420 properties.

In addition to the Historic District, there is also the Mount Vernon Triangle. This 21 acre area is truly a mixed use district with condominiums, apartments, retail, hotels, and office buildings. This area will soon house more than 6000 residents and contain over 200,000 square feet of retail. Mount Vernon Triangle is also within walking distance of four Metrorail stations.

Mt. Vernon Square neighborhood has a unique collection of architectural styles, some including the Italianate and Queen Anne styles. The neighborhood has a variety of building types and sizes that includes two-story, flat-fronted row houses, three-and-four story, bay fronted row houses, small apartment buildings, corner stores, and a variety of 19th-century commercial buildings fronting on the 1000 block of 7th St. N.W. and the 600 block of New York Ave, N.W. Its diversity of styles exhibits a common sense of scale, size, and use of material and details. The variety of architectural expression and overall cohesiveness of the building stock is a unique characteristic of the Mt. Vernon Sq. neighborhood.

The construction of the Verizon Center and the new Convention Center along with the opening of the Mount Vernon Sq. Metro Station was the catalyst for the lively upcoming of the neighborhood. With the opening of the Verizon Center, the area directly south of Mt. Vernon (also known as Chinatown), has become increasingly popular and diverse; with the addition of a variety of restaurants, bars, clubs, stores and other entertainment venues.
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Brightwood

The Brightwood Neighborhood historically encompassed much of what is now Petworth and Shepherd Park. Today, Brightwood covers a much smaller area bounded by Aspen St. to the North, Kennedy Street to the South, Rock Creek Park to the West, Eastern Ave. to the North East and Kansas ave. to the South East.

Rich with Civil War history, Brightwood was the site of a major training and supply center for Union troops. Also, Fort Slocum is part of the semi-circle of civil war sites where fortifications guarded against threats to the water supply and invasion from the West or North. Given its military connection, perhaps it's not surprising that Brightwood is adjacent to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well as the landmark fortification, Military Road.

In the beginning of the 20th century, the Brightwood area became known for its dairy farms and trolley lines which brought tremendous growth to the area. Harry Wardman, one of DC’s most renowned archictects and real estate moguls, built over 500 homes in the Brightwood area before he died in 1938. His constructs were known for their fine detailing. The neighborhood also lays claim to being the home of several well-known Washingtonians, among them: W.C. Bergmann, founder of the local dry cleaning chain that bears his name and, John Saul the famous 18th century horticulturalist.

Today the Brightwood neighborhood is a vibrant area that boasts an active commercial retail and residential presence as well as numerous parks, schools, and recreation centers. Brightwood is rich in ethnic and cultural diversity with a large number of single family households. Moreover, the city has recently undertaken a major revitalization plan for the upper Georgia Ave. corridor. Since 2000 over $27m has been allocated to this area for streetscape enhancements, façade improvements and housing rehabilitation.
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Petworth

The Petworth neighborhood, home of NDC’s corporate headquarters at Georgia and Kansas Avenues, lies between North Capitol Street on the east, Rock Creek Church Road on the south, 16th Street Heights to the west, and Kennedy Street on the north. Petworth is in the center of the District’s longest commercial corridor – Georgia Avenue, which begins at Florida Avenue and stretches beyond the city to Silver Spring, Maryland. Petworth is also home to another major commercial/residential corridor - New Hampshire Avenue, which stretches from the District’s West End to Montgomery County.

This 387-acre neighborhood was created in the late 1800’s and includes two large traffic circles, Grant and Sherman. Petworth is also home to the U.S. Soldiers and Airmen’s Home. Built in 1909, The U.S. Soldiers and Airmen’s Home stimulated homeownership and commercial development as developers began building detached houses in the southern area of Petworth. Housing demand increased and the city experienced a housing shortage. Between 1909 and 1930, a variety of duplexes, rowhouses, and apartment buildings were constructed. During this time period, retail development also began along Georgia Avenue to serve the needs of the rapidly growing community.

The Georgia Avenue retail corridor struggled in the ‘70s and 80’s but began to revitalize in the late 1990’s with the increased demand for housing in the city. In 2000, the Georgia Avenue Revitalization Initiative was created by Mayor Williams and the DC Government. A total of $111 million was committed to the initiative, with $30 million going to the Georgia Petworth Metro District. The initiative is providing vibrant, in-town, mixed-use neighborhoods by producing new homeownership opportunities, new retail and office space, and new jobs.

The Georgia Avenue-Petworth metro station, which opened in 2001 at the intersection of Georgia and New Hampshire Avenues, is playing a large role in this revitalization effort. Plans are currently underway for a $40 million mixed-use development of retail space, condos, and more at the metro station site. NDC is playing an active role in the revitalization of Petworth and the Georgia Avenue corridor. Plans are currently underway for a large mixed-use development at Georgia Avenue and Taylor Street as well as the construction of a public charter school at 209 Upshur St, NW, in addition to our current projects on Georgia Avenue in the Brightwood and Columbia Heights neighborhoods.