Tenley Circle is a traffic circle in the Northwest Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Tenleytown. Tenley Circle lies at the intersection of Nebraska Avenue, Wisconsin Avenue, and Yuma Street.
The circle gets its name from John Tennally, a tavern owner and local resident circa 1790. As is common with the passage of time, the name "Tennally" evolved into the name "Tenley" with which we are familiar today. The name change was relatively gradual and historic photos of The District's streetcar system have indicated that streetcars of the period were signed with the original spelling.
The circle is bounded by St. Ann Roman Catholic Church, a large imposing stone church, American University's Tenley Campus, and Wisconsin Avenue Baptist Church.
The circle is an important transportation hub for area residents, featuring stops for the MetroBus "30's Line," as well as H3, H4, M4, N2, and N8 routes. The Tenleytown-AU metro station is one block north of the circle where one is able to catch a free shuttle to the main campus of American University a little less than a mile away.
Unlike many of the circles in Washington, Tenley's traffic pattern has evolved such that the dominant roadway, Wisconsin Ave., can pass straight through the center instead of going around the outside circumference.