The West End is a neighborhood of the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., bounded by K Street to the south, Rock Creek Park to the west and north, and New Hampshire Avenue and 21st Street to the east. The West End is so named because it was the westernmost part of the original Pierre L'Enfant plan for the city of Washington, before the annexation of Georgetown. It is home to the embassies of Qatar and Spain, as well as to the Egyptian Defense Office. The George Washington University and The George Washington University Medical Center are on the edge of the West End, at Washington Circle.
The West End of Washington, DC - home to the Westin Georgetown, Washington D.C., the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Residences, the Park Hyatt and Fairmont hotels, numerous luxury condominiums, and several of the city's finest restaurants - exists due in large part to a 1972 urban renewal plan prepared by the District's Office of Planning and Management, designed "to bring life to a declining part of the city." Titled "New Town for the West End," the aerial photograph on the cover of the study showed the area that was planned to become a "new intown community."
The neighborhood is minutes from Georgetown, Foggy Bottom, Dupont Circle, the downtown business district, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Kennedy Center, and the Watergate.
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Historically, West End was a predominantly African-American community with brick Victorian rowhouses and warehouses.[1]
The West End is currently a hotbed of development, with hundreds of new luxury condominiums either under construction or in the planning phase.[2]
In 2007, controversy began over the last remaining "underdeveloped" parcel of land, known as Square 37. Bordered by 23rd Street, 24th Street, L Street, and an alleyway, this anomaly, composed of low-rise buildings from the 1800s to the 1960s, stands out amid a sea of new luxury highrises. Square 37 was home to the Tiverton, the last remaining rent-controlled apartment building in the West End. The Tiverton tenants gained local media attention for successfully battling two upzoning attempts by developers in an effort to maintain the square as-is. Trader Joe's grocery store opened in the neighborhood September 1, 2006.[1]
The DC Council passed controversial emergency legislation on July 10, 2007 to sell the West End public library branch, the DC Special Operations Police Station (both on Square 37), and a firehouse (on neighboring Square 50) to the developer Eastbanc.[3]
District of Columbia Public Schools operates Francis-Stevens Educational Center at 2425 N Street.
District of Columbia Public Library operates the West End Neighborhood Library.[4]
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