Dupont Circle is a traffic circle, park, and a neighborhood and historic district located in Northwest Washington, D.C, Columbia. It is located in Washington D.C. Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded around 16th Street NW to the east, 22nd Street NW to the west, M Street NW to the south, and Florida Avenue NW to the north. A large portion of this neighborhood has been included as part of the National Register of Historic Places. However, there is a difference between the municipal government Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC 2B) and the Dupont Circle Historic District have somewhat different boundaries.
It is situated in the middle of Massachusetts Avenue NW, Connecticut Avenue NW, New Hampshire Avenue NW, P Street NW, and 19th Street NW. The circle was named after Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont. The traffic circle is home to an iconic Dupont Circle Fountain in the middle. The area is known for its large concentration of diplomatic embassies (many located along Embassy Row) and think tanks (many along Think Tank Row).
History
Dupont Circle is located in the “Old City” of Washington, D.C, Columbia–the area planned by the architect Pierre Charles Levant. Still, the area was left undeveloped after the American Civil War when there was a vast population of new residents. The area now known as Dupont Circle was once home to a brickyard and a slaughterhouse. There was also an area of creeks, Slash Run, formed close to 15th Street NW and Columbia Road NW and extended from 16th Street near Adams Morgan and through Kalorama and into the block from Dupont Circle, but an underground sewer line has since encased the creek. The improvements made in the 1870s by a public board of works headed by Alexander “Boss” Shepherd transformed the area into a trendy residential area.
Landmarks
The neighborhood is situated around a traffic circle, separated by two counterclockwise roads. All intersecting streets use the outer road, and access to the inside lane is restricted to the traffic of Massachusetts Avenue. Connecticut Avenue passes under the circle by tunnels; cars traveling on Connecticut Avenue can access the circle via service roads that run from Connecticut close to N Street and R Street. EZ Bed Bug Exterminator Washington DC
The National Park Service maintains the park within the circle. Its central fountain, which Daniel Chester French designed, provides seating and long, curving benches in the central portion, which were built in 1964. The park inside is also a popular gathering spot for those who wish to play chess with the permanent stone chessboards. Tom Murphy, a homeless champion chess player, is a resident of the. The park also has been the site of rallies for political causes, including those for gay rights and in protest against an invasion in 2003 by Iraq, as well as an addition to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
1999 was the first time Thelma Billy, a former police officer, was arrested serving Thanksgiving meals to homeless people. In 2009 The Washington Project for the Arts organized a tug-of-war.
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