Anacostia: Architecture East of the River

Venture east of the Anacostia River into a neighborhood shaped by transformation and adaptation. Once home to the indigenous Nacotchtank and later developed as the Whites-only suburb of Uniontown, by the 1970s, Anacostia had grown into a center of Black culture, activism, and civic life. Abolitionist Frederick Douglass spent his last 17 years at his Anacostia estate, known as Cedar Hill. Those same hills witnessed pivotal episodes in American history—from the burning of Washington in 1814 to John Wilkes Booth’s dramatic escape, to the 1932 Bonus Army protests. Today, historic rowhouses, ambitious preservation projects, a lively arts scene (including a brand-new museum), and ongoing development make Anacostia one of DC’s most dynamic and fast-changing neighborhoods to explore.

We start outside the Anacostia Arts Center, a 1937 Woolworth’s reborn as a cultural hub. From there, we stroll beneath the glow of an iconic neon sign to the new Go-Go Museum, celebrating DC’s homegrown Funk style. Heading into residential streets lined with rowhouses, we’ll uncover design details along Rose's Row and traces of Anacostia’s rural roots. We’ll admire three churches, each with a distinctive style and unique history. Next up is the neighborhood’s quirkiest landmark: the 19-foot-tall “Big Chair,” a 1959 publicity stunt, where a 21-year-old aspiring model, known as “Alice in the Looking Glass House,” lived for 42 days. We’ll also stop outside the former 11th Precinct police station, once a marker of Anacostia's racial dividing line. Our final climb brings us to Cedar Hill, the home of Frederick Douglass, the “Sage of Anacostia.” Learn the inspiring story of Douglass and his second wife, Helen Pitts, whose dedication preserved this historic estate for generations.