Bloomingdale is bordered by Channing Street NW, Bryant Street NW, 2nd Street NW, North Capitol Street NW, and Florida Avenue NW.

Most of the housing stock in this wedge-shaped neighborhood consists of Victorian rowhomes and converted condominium buildings. Some of the older rowhomes have been turned into two units, while others retain their original (and expansive) single-family construction. Frequently, you’ll find modern features married with historical details.

Many of the homes along Bloomingdale’s quiet side streets embody the spirit of front-porch culture. Covered front porches and cherished front gardens add a quaint, small-town feel to this small but popular northwest DC neighborhood.

The result is a location that offers residents a distinctly urban vibe nestled among classic DC rowhomes, and one that seamlessly blends in with several other trendy neighborhoods, including LeDroit Park, Shaw, and the U Street Corridor.

19TH-CENTURY FARMLAND

Bloomingdale’s story begins at the start of the 19th century, when it was originally composed of estate homes and farms, prominent among them the 50-acre Bloomingdale Estate belonging to George and Emily Truxton Beale.

By the end of the century, developers including Harry Wardman had filled the streets with gorgeous homes that still stand today.

One of the neighborhood’s earlier residents wasn’t an individual but a creek brought about by the neighborhood’s geographic location in a low-lying area of the city. In the early 1900s, Tyber Creek, which fed into the Potomac River, was buried in the wake of continued development. (It’s now the name of an eclectic neighborhood wine bar, Tyber Creek Wine Bar & Kitchen.)

Move

Walk to the Shaw-Howard University Metro station (serving the Green and Yellow Lines). Hop onto Rhode Island Avenue and North Capitol Streets (both of which also include Metrobus stops). Stroll over to U Street and Logan Circle.