U Street Corridor

U Street has been a profoundly significant neighborhood in Washington, DC over the years.  It has been especially significant for the African-American Community in The District of Columbia.

As early as the late 1800’s and first two decades of the 1900’s, the U Street Corridor was a community where many lived as Washington, DC developed and gained significance.  It was predominately a white neighborhood until after the civil war where its African-American population began to surge.  Housing and commercial buildings were quickly built up due to housing needs as the population began to increase.  For a period during the late 1800’s and first two decades of the 1900’s, the U Street Corridor had the largest population of urban dwelling African-Americans.

Towards the end of the 1960’s the U Street Corridor became a problematic area and saw a dramatic decline.  Crime and riots became more and more prevalent, and the area was known as a center for drug dealing.

In the early 1990’s the community saw a turnaround as investors and businessman took an interest in the neighborhood because of its close proximity to other rising neighborhoods such as Adam’s Morgan and Dupont Circle.  The area began to see new life as  DC Real Estate Developers began building expensive condominiums in the area.