Kalorama, Washington, D.C.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kalorama, sometimes referred to as Kalorama Heights or Sheridan-Kalorama, is a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C., and is well known as a component of the city's Embassy Row area. The neighborhood is bounded to the north and west by Rock Creek Park; to the southwest by Massachusetts Avenue N.W.; to the south by P Street N.W.; and to the east by 22nd Street, Florida Avenue, and Connecticut Avenue N.W. It is accessible by Metrorail by the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle stops on the Red Line.
It is noted for its park-like setting, large single-family homes and its prestige as a desirable address within Washington, D.C. Kalorama is assigned to Washington's Sheridan-Kalorama Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC 2D) and is designated as Single Member District 2D01.
The origins for the application of the word "Kalorama" date to the early 1800s, when Maj. Gustavus Scott constructed his home in what is now the Kalorama neighborhood. Located at what is now the intersection of S and 23rd Streets N.W., Scott named the house "Belair."
The residence was rechristened "Kalorama", Greek for "beautiful view", by its new owner, American author Joel Barlow, who lived in the home until shortly before his death in 1812. Barlow commissioned White House architect Benjamin Latrobe to enlarge the house and elevate its design. Kalorama (the residence) was destroyed by a fire during the American Civil War while it was used as a Union hospital. The residence was rebuilt and returned to a single-family home until 1887, when it was leveled by the District of Columbia government for the extension of S Street N.W.
Presidents William Taft, Warren G. Harding, Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt all called the neighborhood home at some point in their public service lives. Woodrow Wilson, the only former President to relocate to Washington (as his official residence) following his immediate departure from office, chose the neighborhood for his home. Following the death of Wilson's widow, Edith Galt Wilson, The Wilson House, located at 2340 S Street N.W., became a museum dedicated to the memory of Woodrow W. Wilson.
Current Kalorama residents include U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
Other highlights of the neighborhood include a number of embassies, particularly the Embassy of the People's Republic of China at 2300 Connecticut Ave. NW, and the Taft Bridge, with its imposing concrete lions. Much of the architecture is either Victorian or Art Deco.
Kalorama Park, a recreational park, is also located in Washington D.C., but is located in the city's Adams Morgan neighborhood, north and east of Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
