A little over a week ago, I went down to our nations capital to revisit the famous monuments and landmarks, as well as walk around in the outer quadrants to see the homes, embassies, estates, landmarks and decor of the neighborhoods. As usual, the weather was unpredictable, so I didn’t get to film Georgetown or a few other areas I had wanted, since it was rainy or over cloudy, but I did get some great footage of Kalorama, a residential neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C. which is packed with beautiful architecture and tree lined streets. Home to many ex-presidents, ambassadors, politicians and affluent professionals, this is definitely a standout neighborhood. Within the enclave, there are several diplomatic residences, such as the French ambassador's residence and the Residence of the Ambassador of the Netherlands, as well as 28 embassies. It includes much of Embassy Row on Massachusetts Avenue. Notable residents who live or have lived in the area include: Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, Warren Harding, Herbert Hoover, The Obama’s, Sandra Day O’Connor, Jeff Bezos, Ted Kennedy, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Donald Rumsfeld.
Kalorama was primarily rural until the end of the 19th century. It is northwest of the original limits of Washington City in Pierre Charles L'Enfant's original plan.
In 1795, Gustavus Scott, a commissioner for the District of Columbia, purchased land that had been part of Anthony Holmead's "Widows Mite" holdings. He constructed a large, classically styled house at 23rd and S Streets, which he named Rock Hill. In 1803, Scott's wife, Margaret Scott, sold the property to William Augustine Washington.
In 1807, Joel Barlow, a poet, diplomat, and political philosopher bought the property and renamed it "Kalorama", Greek for "fine view." Barlow lived in the home until shortly before his death in 1812. He commissioned United States Capitol architect Benjamin Latrobe to enlarge the house and elevate its design. The residence was destroyed by a fire during the American Civil War while it was used as a Union hospital. It was rebuilt and returned to a single-family home until 1887, when it was leveled by the District of Columbia government for the extension of S Street NW.
In the early 1880s, the Kalorama area, largely undeveloped because it lay beyond Boundary Street (now Florida Avenue) and thus outside the city limits, began to be subdivided for urban development. In 1893, Congress ordered L'Enfant's design of the city of Washington extended outward to include the rest of the District. Existing developments were exempted, which is why Kalorama is one of the few areas of D.C. that do not adhere to the city's street grid.
FEATURES:
Kalorama Rd NW 0:00
Wyoming Ave NW 8:50
24th Street NW 11:55
Kalorama Circle NW 13:54
24th Street NW 17:11
Wyoming Ave NW 17:39
Tracy Pl NW 24:07
24th Street NW 25:30
California St NW 26:09
National Cathedral 28:22
Massachusetts Ave 29:27
Marine Corps Memorial 35:55
Jefferson Memorial 36:56
Lincoln Memorial 38:34
WW2 Memorial 38:35
Washington Monument 40:45
White House 41:27
US Capital 41:59