Southwest Washington DC History Paper

The History of Southwest DC

The southwest quadrant of the District of Columbia has a very unique and animated past, compared with many of the suburbs of DC. Southwest became in 1815 separated from the rest of DC by the Washington City Canal, which was later filled. This separation made Southwest a convenient place for crime and the area slowly developed into a slum (Southwest Neighborhood Assembly, Inc. (SWNA), http://www.swdc.org/about_swdc/swdc_history.htm). To be highlighted in this paper are the effects that immigration had on Southwest’s deterioration, diversity, and housing markets. The history of the quadrant can be complex in some respects, but I will focus on breaking down the history in a way that correlations (i.e. cause and effect) can be made clearly and be easily understood. Pictures following this paper recap many of the subjects mentioned.

According to the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly, “some historians and residents consider the years between 1895 and 1930 to have been Southwest's "golden years"” (SWNA). Essentially, a wave of European immigration in the latter 19th century ensued. Immigrants came in large numbers from Germany, Poland, and Russia. According to Larry Rosen, many of these immigrants opened up stores (primarily grocery) along Southwest’s busiest streets and as such, lived nearby, either above, in, or behind their stores (http://www.swdc.org/about_swdc/walking_ tour_old_swdc.htm). But, as more people crowded into Southwest, the quality of life began to deteriorate over time. SWNA says that between 1920 and 1940 conditions declined dramatically, and Southwest was quickly considered a slum. Overpopulation became a deterring factor to development and modernization. During this time, Mr. Rosen tells us that it took $3.00 to fill a car’s entire gas tank, and once World War II began, ration tickets were needed to purchase many things. He also mentions that stamps were 3 cents each, hair cuts were 25 cents, and that rent was $40 per month. Over the 70 years since this time, rent in Southwest has exceeded the average inflation rate of the US’s GDP. Housing today, as I talk about below, is proportionally much more expensive.

The living conditions and lifestyle of Southwest DC suffered immensely during the time of World War II and beyond. It was noted by many that the Washington monument was visible from Southwest. The concern was that Southwest was also visible from the Capital area, and that a place in such close proximity to the nation’s capital should not be a slum and a haven for crime. It was during this time that the government endorsed developers’ desires to flatten Southwest. SWNA says that wide-scale urban development began to take place in 1954, and was complete by 1961 with no structures in Southwest left standing. It was at this time that the Metro, as well as other transportation resources such as highways, came to Southwest. The idea behind demolishing most of the quadrant was that poverty would be driven out, and newer, more modern living facilities would replace what was there before. Developers planned for Southwest to be a desired place, where many of the city’s elite would want to domicile themselves while working in and around the nation’s capital.

Spared from the 1950s demolition of most of Southwest was Wheat Row. Wheat Row, according to the website Cultural Tourism DC is believed to be the first set of row houses built in the District (http://www.culturaltourismdc.org/dch_tourism2555/dch_tourism_show.htm?doc_ id=43314). Around the time when Congress decided the fate of Southwest (demolition, that is), it was trying to determine how to deal with other aging cities in America. The attached brochure provided by the non-profit Cultural Tourism DC (also found at http://www.culturaltourism dc.org/usr_doc/SW_Heritage_Trail_brochure.pdf) says that Congress had two choices when dealing with aging cities: repairs or demolition. Southwest, in effect, served as a “test lab” for Congress, who removed 23,500 people and allowed developers to build a new town (Brochure, River Farms to Urban Towers). What Congress also removed, indirectly, was the crime, disease, and poverty native to Southwest at the time.

Jeanne Fogle and Joanna Sloame talk about the changing face of Washington shortly after this period of “urban renewal,” as it was called. Beginning in the mid 1950s, the white population of the District began to migrate out into the suburbs. Fogle talks of new houses, better schools, and inter-city school integration as all being reasons why DC’s white population was quick to flee the city (http://www.exploredc.org/index.php?id=10). This clearly contradicts what the developers of a “new Southwest” were hoping for. The idea was that middle-to-upper class citizens would move into Southwest, which was only a short commute from the capital, and make it a thriving, desirable location. Fogle says that in the few decades following 1954’s school integration legislation, the African-American population of the District grew from 20-35 percent of the population to almost 70 percent. Sloame adds to this by saying that DC’s Jewish population experienced a large influx as well, multiplying five-fold between 1945 and 1970(http://www. jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/dc.html). No matter the causes, the diverse ethnic population of DC flourished and became a New York-style melting pot by the time Southwest had received its designer make-over around 1970.

The Southwest Neighborhood Assembly, referenced above, was founded as a non-profit organization in 1964, where shortly thereafter “huge impersonal federal office buildings were built,” along with a highway and large apartment complexes, where slums used to stand (Fogle). Because so many financially challenged families, most of races other than Caucasian, were forced to dislocate during the urban revitalization, organizations like SWNA were founded to bridge the gaps between differing demographics of people. When the expensive condominiums were put in, a different class of people moved in, prompting many class conflicts between new and old residents. What was worse, even the churches and synagogues that once housed communities of people in Southwest were demolished, too. Out of these conflicts spawned many organizations in Southwest that try to help residents get along better.

Southwest today is still poised for much more renovation to come. Surrounding the metro station is two large apartment buildings. They were built by developers who had planned to make the mini-mall connecting them the focal point of the Southwest community. As it turns out, the character that Southwest had maintained with its mom-and-pop shops disappeared, but very few people moved into these two apartment buildings. The government moved into them, using them for a government agency. The agency later moved out, and now the buildings have been condemned, along with the vacant mini-mall that joins the two buildings. Plans are to demolish these buildings and build a roadway in place of where the mini-mall stands now.

Many expensive condominiums have gone up along the waterfront in Southwest. A couple can now easily pay $300,000 or more for a living space in one of these towers. Recently, RFK stadium which long stood in Southwest was closed. The quadrant is much safer nowadays than it used to be. Like many other neighborhoods in the District, the entire quadrant of Southwest has undergone quite a revamping. Unlike other parts of the city, Southwest was dramatically leveled in the hope of starting completely anew. What has resulted over the past five decades has culminated in mass gentrification and modernization. While an economic boom has yet to occur, in terms of retail stores migrating into Southwest, a housing boom seems to be nearing completion. Several cranes still litter Southwest’s skyline, indicating that the tradition of urban revitalization begun 50 years ago, while officially over, is still faintly active.

Two new trends developed several years ago in Southwest, relating to the building of new housing structures. First was the trend which helped lower-income families. Recycled and lower-quality materials were used in creative ways to build cheap, yet functional housing. This included using newly developed building materials like aluminum for things like roofs. A second trend impacted the more wealthy residents of Southwest. It was believed that a building was more aesthetic and safe if it had a glass, see-through bottom. Apartment buildings developed that did not place residents on the first floor; the first floor was a staffed entrance to the apartment building, and was visually very open to the public from all sides- this was accomplished with the use of glass. The pictures that follow illustrate these trends.

Located in Southwest to help visitors explore the history of the area is the Southwest Heritage Trail. Large signs at specific locations provide visitors with a guided walking tour of Southwest. The signs catacomb the events that took place by providing pictures from previous eras and by summarizing the most influential historical events that took place there. The Cultural Tourism DC brochure previously mentioned is a fantastic guide to the trail.

Works Cited
Cultural Tourism Dc. "River Farms to Urban Towers: Southwest Heritage Trail." Cultural Tourism DC. 2 Dec. 2007. 2 Dec. 2007 http://www.culturaltourismdc.org/information2546/information_show.htm?doc_id=253635.
---. "Wheat Row." Cultural Tourism DC. 2 Dec. 2007. 2 Dec. 2007 http://www.culturaltourismdc.org/dch_tourism2555/dch_tourism_show.htm?doc_id=43314.
Fogle, Jeanne. "The World's Capital." Exploredc.Org. 2001. 2 Dec. 2007 http://www.exploredc.org/index.php?id=10.
Rosen, Larry. “"Back to Southwest" Walking Tour.” Southwest Neighborhood Assembly, Inc. (SWNA) 26 June 2006. 2 Dec. 2007 http://www.swdc.org/about_swdc/walking_tour_old_swdc.htm.
Sloame, Joanna. "The Virtual Jewish History Tour: Washington, DC." Jewish Virtual Library. 2007. The American-Israeli Cooperation Enterprise. 2 Dec. 2007 http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/dc.html.
SWNA. "History of Southwest DC." Southwest Neighborhood Assembly, Inc. (SWNA). 26 June 2006. 2 Dec. 2007 http://www.swdc.org/about_swdc/swdc_history.htm.