Adams Morgan | |
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 .jpg) .jpg)   Top: California Street (left) and18th Street (right); middle: Unity Park (left) and Adams Morgan Plaza (right); bottom:Adams Morgan Day. | |
 Location of Adams Morgan inWashington, D.C. | |
| Coordinates:38°55′21″N77°02′34″W / 38.92261°N 77.042661°W /38.92261; -77.042661 | |
| Country |  United States |
| District |  Washington, D.C. |
| Quadrant | Northwest |
| Ward | 1 |
| Government | |
| • Councilmember | Brianne Nadeau |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.47 sq mi (1.2 km2) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 17,113 |
| • Density | 36,411/sq mi (14,058/km2) |
| Postal code | |
Adams Morgan (sometimes abbreviated asAdMo) is aneighborhood inWashington, D.C., located in the city’sNorthwest quadrant. Adams Morgan is noted as a historic hub forcounterculture and as anarts district.[1][2] It is also known for its popularentertainment district and culinary scene, centered on both18th Street andColumbia Road.[3]
In the 21st century, Adams Morgan has been a focus ofurban redevelopment and become one of Washington's mostgentrifying neighborhoods.[4][5][6] Notable local businesses include the famed live music clubMadam's Organ Blues Bar and theMichelin-starred restaurantTail Up Goat, among others. Adams Morgan has also become one of the hubs ofLGBTQ culture in Washington, D.C.[7]
When the District of Columbia was created in 1791, Robert Peter and Anthony Holmead, two prominentcolonial-era landowners, held the land comprising modern-day Adams Morgan. At that time, these local tracts were north of the original plannedCity of Washington, and were either undeveloped or only lightly farmed. As the population of D.C. expanded, this land was divided into several estates purchased by wealthy residents, includingMeridian Hill, Cliffbourne,Holt House,Oak Lawn,Henderson Castle, a part ofKalorama, and the horse farm ofWilliam Thornton.[8]
After theAmerican Civil War, these estates were subdivided and the area slowly grew. Once the city's overall-layout plans were finalized in the 1890s, these various subdivisions, using modern construction techniques, developed more rapidly, and the area of Adams Morgan then grew into several attractive and largely upper- and middle-class neighborhoods.
In the early 20th century, the area was home to a range of people, from the very wealthy living along 16th Street, towhite-collar professionals in Lanier Heights, toblue-collar residents east of 18th Street NW.
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AfterWorld War II andBrown v. Board of Education,racial desegregation began. When D.C. was formally desegregated, some white peopleabruptly left the area, others stayed and worked to integrate the neighborhood, and some African American and Hispanic people moved into the area. With cheaper housing, the area also became home to some artists and social activists.
In 1948,Charles Lazarus foundedToys "R" Us in Adams Morgan.[9]
In the early 1950s, before desegregation, the neighborhood was considered "ritzy."[10] Pursuant to the 1954Bolling v. SharpeSupreme Court ruling, district schools were desegregated in 1955. The Adams-Morgan Community Council, comprising both Adams and Morgan schools and the neighborhoods they served, formed in 1958 to implement progressively this desegregation. The boundaries of the neighborhood were drawn through four existing neighborhoods—Washington Heights,Lanier Heights,Kalorama Triangle, andMeridian Hill—naming the resulting area after both schools.
In 1955,Herbert Haft foundedDart Drug in Adams Morgan.[11]
In the late 1960s, a group of residents worked with city officials to plan and construct the Marie H. Reed Recreation Center, an elementary school and recreational complex, named after the minister and civic leader.[12][13] In 1967, theAmbassador Theater opened; it closed in 1969.
After the1968 Washington, D.C., riots,white flight continued.[14]
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In the 1980s, Hazel Williams operated Hazel's, which featured live blues and jazz, and itssoul food offerings made it a favorite ofDizzy Gillespie andMuhammad Ali when they were in Washington, D.C.[15]
TheJanuary 20, 2005 counter-inaugural protest included a march through Adams Morgan.
From 2010 to 2012, the city reconstructed 18th Street NW, one of the neighborhood's main commercial corridors, with wider sidewalks, more crosswalks and bicycle arrows, resulting in a more pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare.[16] In September 2014, theAmerican Planning Association named Adams Morgan one of the nation's "great neighborhoods," citing its intact Victorian rowhouses, murals, international diversity, and pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly streetscape.[17] In 2021, many local businesses attempted to disband the localbusiness improvement district.[18] However, they were unsuccessful.[19]
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The name Adams Morgan, once hyphenated, is derived from the names of two formerly segregated area elementary schools—the older, all-blackThomas P. MorganElementary School (now defunct) and the all-whiteJohn Quincy Adams Elementary School, which merged in 1955 followingracial desegregation.[20][21][22]
Adams Morgan is bounded:
Reed-Cooke is often considered to be a sub-neighborhood of Adams Morgan, consisting of the easternmost area between Columbia Road and Florida avenue, but it can also be considered to be part of theMeridian Hill neighborhood.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 21,000 | — | |
| 1960 | 18,097 | −13.8% | |
| 1970 | 18,573 | 2.6% | |
| 1980 | 15,352 | −17.3% | |
| 1990 | 15,061 | −1.9% | |
| 2000 | 14,803 | −1.7% | |
| 2010 | 15,830 | 6.9% | |
| 2020 | 17,113 | 8.1% |
Along with neighboringMount Pleasant andColumbia Heights, Adams Morgan long has been a gateway community for immigrants. Since the 1960s, the predominant international presence in both communities has been Latino, with the majority of immigrants coming fromEl Salvador,Guatemala and otherCentral American countries. It also has attracted immigrants fromAfrica,Asia and theCaribbean.
Since 1980, the population of the neighborhood increased marginally from 15,352 to 15,630, while average real annual household income more than doubled from $72,753 to $172,249 and the white non-Hispanic population increased from 51% to 68%.[23]
Adams Morgan is one of the most popular entertainment districts in Washington, known for its restaurants and bars. Approximately 100 establishments possessliquor licenses. Amoratorium on new liquor licenses has been in effect since 2000.[24][25]
The Adams Morgan PartnershipBusiness Improvement District (AMPBID) has been active in the community since 2005; its stated mission is to promote a clean, friendly and safe Adams Morgan. It sponsors local events such as summer concerts and holiday decorations, and provides information to residents.[26]
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The Adams Morganfarmers' market operates, weather permitting, every Saturday from June to December.[27]
The area is home to a number ofdiplomatic missions, including theEmbassy of the Central African Republic and theEmbassy of Gabon.
Local historic landmarks include theFuller House andEuclid Apartments.
Examples of public artwork in Adams Morgan includeCarry the Rainbow on Your Shoulders,The Servant Christ, andThe Mama Ayesha's Restaurant Presidential Mural.
Adams Morgan Day is a multicultural street celebration with live music, food, and crafts booths.[28]
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Adams Morgan is not directly served by theWashington Metro system. The station nearest to Adams Morgan,Woodley Park station, is in theWoodley Park neighborhood, but was renamed "Woodley Park–Zoo/Adams Morgan" in 1999 to reflect the station's proximity to Adams Morgan. The station was renamed "Woodley Park" with "Zoo/Adams Morgan" as a subtitle in 2011.[29]
The southernmost parts of the neighborhood near Rock Creek Park are closer to theDupont Circle station, while the northeastern parts of the neighborhood are closer to theColumbia Heights station.
TheWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) operated aDC Circulator bus route connecting the center of Adams Morgan with both Metro stations. The area is also served by several WMATA Metrobus lines, including the 42, 43, 90, 92, 96, H1, L2, S2, and S9.
TheDistrict of Columbia Public Schools is the public school system. Part of the neighborhood is assigned toOyster-Adams Bilingual School (K-8), part is assigned to Marie Reed Elementary and Columbia Heights Education Campus, and part is assigned to H.D. Cooke Elementary and Columbia Heights Education Campus. The entire neighborhood is assigned toJackson-Reed High School.[30]
Oyster-Adams Bilingual, the neighborhoodK-8 school, was formed in 2007 by the merger of John Quincy Adams Elementary School in Adams Morgan and James F. Oyster Bilingual Elementary School inWoodley Park. The Adams campus serves grades 4-8 and the Oyster campus serves grades Pre-Kindergarten through 3.[31]
The Marie Reed Elementary School, with its Learning Center, built in 1977, was extensively remodeled and reopened in 2017.[32]
H.D. Cooke Elementary School is at 2525 17th Street; it was renovated in 2009 as anenvironmentally friendlygreen building.[33]
Adams Morgan is a part of Ward 1, and is in the service area ofAdvisory Neighborhood Commission 1C, the Adams Morgan Advisory Neighborhood Commission. The ANC covers the area between Harvard Street and Rock Creek to the north, Florida Avenue and U Street to the south, 16th Street NW to the east, and Connecticut Avenue to the west.[34]
Adams Morgan is wherejumbo slice pizza was popularized. Jumbo slice is an oversizedNew York-style pizza. It is particularly popular as a late-night meal.[citation needed]
The neighborhood is also where the D.C.hardcore punk rock scene became popular, eventually spreading to other parts of the country and the world.[citation needed]
TheMadam's Organ Bar was described as a popular hangout byPlayboy[35] andStuff,[36] and was featured on theWild On! travel series onE!.[37]
The neighborhood's competing "jumbo slice" pizza establishments were covered in an episode of theTravel Channel'sFood Wars.[38][39]
In theShowtime Network seriesHomeland Season 3,Episode 4 ("Game On"), the main characterCarrie Mathison states that she lives in Adams Morgan.[citation needed]
Scenes from the 2010 movieHow Do You Know featuringPaul Rudd andReese Witherspoon were filmed in Adams Morgan.[40][41]
In the Netflix seriesTaken, the neighborhood is mentioned in Season 1, Episode 8, as the location where a car bomb explodes.[citation needed]
In the 1993 feature filmIn the Line of Fire, Secret Service Agent Frank Horrigan (Clint Eastwood) lives in Adams Morgan, likely at the corner of 18th St NW and Belmont Rd NW. The film features several locations in Washington, and Adams Morgan in particular.[citation needed]
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Places adjacent to Adams Morgan | |
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