| Chevy Chase Circle | |
|---|---|
 TheFrancis Griffith Newlands Memorial Fountain at the center of Chevy Chase Circle | |
 Interactive map of Chevy Chase Circle | |
| Location | |
| Washington, DC andChevy Chase, MD | |
| Roads at junction |  MD 185Connecticut Avenue NW Western Avenue Chevy Chase Parkway NW Magnolia Parkway Various other local roads |
| Construction | |
| Type | Traffic circle |
| Maintained by | DDOT,MDSHA |
Chevy Chase Circle is atraffic circle (or roundabout) straddling the border ofChevy Chase, Washington, D.C., andChevy Chase, Maryland. It sits upon the convergence ofWestern Avenue, Grafton Street, Magnolia Parkway, Chevy Chase Parkway NW, andConnecticut Avenue (signed asMaryland Route 185 in Maryland). The center of the circle is occupied by theFrancis Griffith Newlands Memorial Fountain.
The circle was built around 1890 by theChevy Chase Land Company as part of its construction of the northern extension ofConnecticut Avenue from theRock Creek gorge. The circle marks the lone bend in the road’s five-mile stretch between Rock Creek and its original terminus atCoquelin Run. The company had initially planned to grade the road in a straight line toRockville, Maryland, but could not acquire the necessary land at the desired price, and so turned due north at the D.C.-Maryland border.
A streetcar line—first named theRock Creek Railway, later theCapital Traction Company—ran through the circle. It would operate until Sept. 15, 1935, when its service was replaced by buses.[1]
All Saints' Episcopal Church opened on Chevy Chase Circle on December 1, 1901.[2] It was built in theGothic style of architecture[2] on land donated byThe Chevy Chase Land Company.[3] Rev. Dr. Thomas S. Childs was its first pastor.[2]
Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church, also on Chevy Chase Circle, was built in 1911.[4] Rev. Dr. Hubert Rex Johnson was its first pastor.[4]
The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament Church was canonically established in 1911. A simple, temporary church was built at that time, with construction of the present church beginning in 1925.[5] The cornerstone was blessed byBishopThomas J. Shahan,rector of theCatholic University of America.[5] The new Church opened on November 6, 1927.[6]ArchbishopMichael Joseph Curley officiated at the dedicatory service.[6]
In 1933, the Garden Club of American installed stoneentrance markers on the east and west sides of a grassy ring within the Circle's interior, marking Connecticut Avenue's entry into the District of Columbia.[7][8]
In 1938,Francis Griffith Newlands Memorial Fountain, a 60-footwater feature of sandstone and concrete, was erected in the center of the Circle, commemorating Representative and SenatorFrancis Newlands ofNevada.[9][10]
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