Hill East | |
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  .jpg)   Top: Residentialrowhouses (left) andRFK Stadium (right); middle:East Capitol Car Barn; bottom:Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Catholic Church (left) and theCongressional Cemetery (right) | |
  Hill East Location in Washington, D.C. | |
| Coordinates:38°53′6.72″N76°58′44.40″W / 38.8852000°N 76.9790000°W /38.8852000; -76.9790000 | |
| Country |  United States |
| District |  Washington, D.C. |
| Quadrants | Southeast |
| Ward | 7 |
| Government | |
| • Councilmember | Wendell Felder |
| ZIP code | 20003 |
| Area code | 202 |
| Website | https://dc.gov/hilleast |
Hill East is a residential neighborhood inWashington, D.C. located in theSoutheast quadrant of the city. It is bounded by theKingman Park neighborhood at C Street to the north, by theAnacostia River to the east and south, and byCapitol Hill at 15th Street to the west. Hill East includes landmarks such as theCongressional Cemetery, the formerRFK Stadium, and theD.C. Armory. It will be home to the future $3.7 billionNew Commanders Stadium mixed-use development project.
Hill East is the contemporary name for the eastern end of theCapitol Hill neighborhood, coined to give the area its own modern identity distinct from the historic district.[1] While the area had long been part of Capitol Hill, particularlyBarney Circle, Hill East as a distinct neighborhood began circulating in the mid-2010s and formally by the D.C. government by the end of the decade. The existing neighborhood is primarily early 20th‑century brick rowhouses—flat‑frontWardman-style homes with full-width porches, and some Victorian models—with small front lawns, alleys, and occasional carriage houses.[2] The community gardens, tree-lined streets, and area green spaces contribute to the neighborhood's reputation as a nature-rich enclave within Washington, D.C..[3] Hill East and adjacentKingman Park are the onlyWard 7 neighborhoods west of theAnacostia River.[4]
Hill East is home to several landmarks. TheCongressional Cemetery, established in 1807, serves as the final resting place for numerous notable figures, including members of Congress and early local residents.[5] South of Congressional Cemetery is theSeafarers Yacht Club. Established in 1945, it is often referred to as the oldestAfrican American boat club on the East Coast.[6] The nearbyD.C. Jail has operated as the city's main correctional facility since the 1970s.[7] Adjacent to it is the site of the formerDistrict of Columbia General Hospital, previously known asGallinger Municipal Hospital, which functioned as the city's primary public hospital until its closure in 2001 and demolition in 2018.[8]
Along East Capitol Street,Holy Comforter–St. Cyprian Catholic Church, a historic African American parish, has been a center of community life and worship in the area for over a century.[9] TheEast Capitol Car Barn, an architecturally distinctive former streetcar facility, has been repurposed for residential and community use.[10] On the eastern edge of the neighborhood theD.C. Armory, built in 1941 as aNational Guard training facility, has since served as a major Washington, D.C. venue for military events, sports, concerts, and civic gatherings, andRobert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (RFK Stadium) was the home venue for theWashington Redskins football team among other sports teams and large-scale events.[11][12]
Since 2018, theGovernment of the District of Columbia has been actively transforming the Hill East neighborhood with initial focus on Reservation 13, formerly the D.C. General Hospital campus, into a mixed-use waterfront district under the 2002 Anacostia Waterfront Initiative.[13]
Phase I—completed by Donatelli/Blue Skye Development—delivered over 360 housing units (including permanent supportive and deeply affordable units) along with ground-floor retail.[14] Phase II—completed by Donatelli/Blue Skye for Bundle 1 and R13 Community Partners for Bundle 2—are building a combined ~2,300 units, including deeply affordable, middle-income, and market-rate housing, plus around 60,000 sq ft of retail, a 150‑room Marriott hotel, and new parks honoring RFK's legacy as well as a park dedicated toRelisha Rudd, who was kidnapped from a homeless shelter on the site and murdered back in 2014.[15][16] As of June 2025, infrastructure work—including relocation of a major 72‑inch sewer line and roadway design—is well underway, with vertical construction for some Bundle II parcels anticipated from 2026.[17]
A $3.7 billion, 180‑acremixed-use development project centered around a stadium with the working name ofNew Commanders Stadium will be built on the former site of RFK Stadium. In addition to the stadium, the area would feature 6,000 housing units, retail, restaurants, hotels, offices, and public space. Construction is set to begin in 2026 ahead of the stadium's planned opening in 2030, with its adjacent districts being built out through the 2030s.[18]
TheDistrict of Columbia Public Schools operates public schools in the area. Hill East is served byEastern High School, Eliott-Hine Middle School, Payne Elementary School and Capitol Hill Cluster School, which consist of Stuart-Hobson Middle School, Watkins Elementary School and Peabody Elementary School.[4]
St. Coletta of Greater Washington, which operates a special education school and City Center Public Charter School have campuses in Hill East.[19]
Hill East is served byStadium–Armory andPotomac Avenue stations on theWashington Metro Blue, Orange and Silver lines.[3]
Places adjacent to Hill East | |
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