History[edit]
Fourteenth Street Historic District
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The corner of 14th Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue in 1942
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Location | Roughly bounded by S, 12th, N and 15th Sts., NW., Washington, District of Columbia |
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Area | 105 acres (42 ha) |
Architectural style | Mid 19th Century Revival, Late Victorian, Modern Movement |
Governing body | Local |
NRHP Reference # | 94000992[1] |
Added to NRHP | November 9, 1994 |
In the 1980s, a portion of 14th Street became known primarily for its red-light district. Many strip clubs and massage parlors were concentrated roughly between New York Avenueand K Street, while prostitutes plied their trade around Logan Circle. However, rising land values eventually pushed out the adult businesses. The Source Theatre, founded by Bart Whiteman, was given some credit for the area's revival. Whiteman stood outside the theater to escort people inside in order to make them feel safer.[4] The opening of a Whole Foods Market at 14th and P Streets in 2000 is also considered a major turning point for the neighborhood.[5]
With the gentrification of the neighborhoods through which it passes – particularly downtown, Logan Circle, the U Street Corridor, and Columbia Heights – 14th Street is now known for live theater, art galleries, and trendy restaurants. Moreover, while the nominal center of the city's gay life is still Dupont Circle, the Washington Blade called 14th Street between U Street and Massachusetts Avenue (Thomas Circle) the best place to see and be seen.[6] As of 2012, the center of gravity had shifted and Logan Circle was voted "DC's gay neighborhood."[7]
14th Street, especially south of Florida Avenue, is rapidly gentrifying and now known as the preeminent dining destination in the Greater Washington area.[8] In a nine-month period alone between 2012 and 2013, 24 new restaurants opened on 14th Street.[9] In a two-year span, almost every block of 14th between Rhode Island and Florida Avenues had a major residential redevelopment project scheduled, adding more than 1,200 housing units and 85,000 square feet of retail.[10]
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