Trinidad | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: the island ofTrinidad | |
 Interactive map of Trinidad | |
| Coordinates:38°54′21″N76°59′04″W / 38.9057°N 76.9844°W /38.9057; -76.9844 | |
| Country | United States |
| District | Washington, D.C. |
| Ward | Ward 5 |
| Government | |
| • Councilmember | Zachary Parker |
| Postal code | |
Trinidad is a neighborhood located in Ward 5, in thenortheast quadrant ofWashington, D.C., and is a largely residential area. It is bounded by West Virginia Avenue NE,Florida Avenue NE, Mount Olivet Road NE, and Bladensburg Road NE.
Trinidad is to the east ofWest Virginia Avenue, north ofFlorida Avenue, and west ofBladensburg Road.[1] To the north of Trinidad is the more industrial neighborhood ofIvy City. To the west isGallaudet University and theFlorida Market (D.C.'s wholesale food district, also called the Capital City Market or more recently Union Market). To the east liesCarver Langston. To the south of Trinidad isOld City, so named because it was part ofPierre L'Enfant's original plan for the city, and generally referred to as eitherNear Northeast or Capitol Hill North. Located immediately south of Trinidad is the H Street Corridor. The eastern portion of the H Street Corridor is sometimes referred to as theAtlas District, part of a neighborhood branding campaign centered on the revitalized Atlas Theater.
The area got its name from 19th-centuryspeculator James Barry, who had once lived on theCaribbean island ofTrinidad.[2] A street in the neighborhood bears the name of Trinidad Avenue NE.
The land passed to and from the Corcoran family, who used it as a country estate, to Columbian College, which later becameGeorge Washington University, and then to the Washington Brick Machine Company. The brickworks intended to excavate clay from the land, but not needing all of the land, began selling off parcels, and, in the late 19th century, the first houses in southern Trinidad were built.
TheAmerican League Park was located at the corner of Florida Ave NE and Trinidad Avenue NE from 1901 to 1904. It was home to theWashington Senators.[3]
In 2008, Trinidad was at the center of a significantconstitutional battle. In response to crime, theMetropolitan Police Department instituted a series of checkpoints to screen those traveling into the neighborhood and turn away anyone without a "legitimate purpose" to be there.[4] TheCourt of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled in 2009 that the checkpoints were unconstitutional and violated theFourth Amendment's prohibition on unreasonablesearch and seizure.[5]
The first two blocks north of Florida Avenue feature classic Victorian rowhouses similar to those in nearbyCapitol Hill. Further north, many of the row houses are built in a flat porch-fronted style (similar tocraftsman style) that gained popularity during the 1920s. Northern portions of Trinidad were developed later, some parts as late as the 1940s.[citation needed]
Crummel Elementary School is located inIvy City.
Wheatley Education Campus is a public school that serves gradesPK-8. It is located at 1299 Neal Street NE.
Center City PCS Trinidad is a publiccharter school that serves gradesPK-8. It is located at 1217 West Virginia Ave, NE. It was the Holy Name School.
Joel Elias Spingarn Senior High School is located at 2500 Benning Road NE.
Gallaudet University is a university for the deaf and hard of hearing. It is located at 800 Florida Avenue NE.
KIPP DC College Preparatory goes from 9th to 12th grade and is located at 1405 Brentwood Parkway NE.
Trinidad is served by theNoMa – Gallaudet University Metro station on theRed Line of theWashington Metro.
Trinidad is served byMetrobus routesB2,D4 andD8 andX3.
Crime was a significant problem in Trinidad in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 2007 and 2008, an abnormal rash of gun violence in the neighborhood resulted in police checkpoints, which were declared unconstitutional by the federalCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in 2009.[6]
