Southwest: Evolution of ‘The Island’

Washington DC’s Southwest Waterfront is a neighborhood of striking contrasts, where centuries of history meet ambitious modern development. Originally purchased by the Carroll family in the 1770s in a failed real estate venture, Southwest hosts some of the city’s earliest architecture and most contemporary design. By the 1830s, the waterfront teemed with shipyards, wharves, and warehouses, and later served as a military hub during the Civil War. Postwar decline was swift. The Washington Canal, railroad tracks, and eventually a six-lane highway cut the neighborhood off from the rest of the city, earning it the nickname “The Island.” In the 1950s and 60s, vast swaths of the neighborhood were razed in the name of Urban Renewal, displacing over 23,000 residents. Today, sleek new development rises alongside mid-century modern apartments, historic landmarks, and hulking Brutalist offices.

We start outside Arena Stage, a building-within-a-building and cornerstone of Southwest’s rebirth. We’ll check out the ill-fated “honeymoon house” of Martha Washington’s granddaughter. Around the corner, Mid-century modernist condos reveal the lofty ambitions and controversial outcomes of Urban Renewal. At one of DC’s rare 18th-century rowhouses, we glimpse Southwest's colonial roots. Across the street are cylindrical townhouses built by the Reynolds Company as a showcase for using aluminum in architecture. We’ll pause at Capitol Park, designed by “Leading Lady of Urban Renewal,” before exploring the Gallery of Southwest, an outdoor art space tucked beneath the highway. Passing St. Dominic Church, a rare survivor of SW's demolition, we’ll stop outside the Dept of Housing & Urban Development to discuss the oft reviled Brutalist style. Our tour end at The Wharf, where sleek new high rises and lively restaurants meet the old Municipal Fish Market, a fading relic of the waterfront’s early days.