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Once ‘ Hell’s Bottom,’ Logan high on living
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06/17/09 11:00 AM ET
“Live life where it’s happening,” the windows of the new condo development exhort you. “It’s all right here.”
It has long been happening in the historic Logan Circle district, but what?
“In 1988, when I was studying at Howard, there were pimps and prostitutes right where you’re standing,” said Damon Penn, a local banker. Through the window behind him, a procession of well-dressed individuals mills past Whole Foods Market. They carry shopping bags, gym bags and small dogs at the end of leashes.
During the 1860s, the circle named after Civil War Gen. John Logan was in fact a square, infamous as an executioner’s post where spies and deserters were hanged. Contrabandists and freedmen called it “Hell’s Bottom.”
There was a brief flash of grandeur during the 1870s and 1880s, with well-heeled Victorians leaving a ring of Second Empire-style townhouses around the circle — a stop on their westward migration to Dupont and beyond.
After the turn of the century, the genteel properties hosted the jazzy heyday of “Black Washington,” when Logan Circle — along with nearby U Street, Shaw, and LeDroit Park — comprised the District’s answer to Harlem. Duke Ellington was a common sight serenading the tree-lined roundabout.
From the 1950s on, the music had faded away, and a bronze Maj. Gen. Logan oversaw his circle slide back again to the drifters. The 1968 race riots rendered to ashes what was left of the once-vibrant community.
Ironically, Logan Circle’s long winter has preserved a historic charm for its latest moment. The redevelopment thaw over the past decade revealed a century-old jumble of lovely High Victorian townhouses ringing one of the few remaining residential circles in the District.
A vanguard of bargain-seeking young professionals started to seep back in, starting in the mid-1970s, but they still shared space with prostitutes and drug needles. The watershed came in 1999, when Whole Foods established itself at 14th and P streets.
Whole Foods’s pull proved irresistible for Canadian “yoga-inspired apparel” retailer Lululemon Athletica, which opened the sustainable bamboo floor of their second D.C. location a year ago across the street. Next door, Flow Yoga Center classes fill up so fast it has to employ an online reservation system for its three studios.
“This is a total yoga community,” said Kelly Ferraro, Lululemon Athletica employee and seven-year Logan Circle resident.
As elsewhere, health-consciousness goes hand-in-hand with eco-consciousness. “We’re the greenest neighborhood in D.C.!” Ferraro said.
Last November, Commissary joined the bustle of outdoor cafes along the P Street main drag with its locally sourced menu. Logan Hardware gets all of its energy from a wind farm in Delaware, according to its general manager Drew Sutter.
“Everyone who comes in here is looking for green — CFLs [compact fluorescent bulbs], natural cleaning products, and Energy Star appliances,” Sutter said.
Nestled between the gyms, luxury condos, and organic wares is Stoney’s Bar and Grill. This neighborhood establishment is renowned for its cheap pitchers and legendary grilled cheese. Meanwhile, the 1409 Playbill Café offers Thursday-night karaoke, great happy hour specials, and surprisingly good bar food.
Logan Tavern’s Sunday brunch is a best bet, especially when paired with its extensive make-your-own Bloody Mary menu. Also, Vegas Lounge honors the neighborhood’s legacy with an excellent live band belting out Motown classics.
By circumstance and legal fiat, the architectural bones of this historic district have remained largely constant. The residents, then, have always defined the community’s character — an assertively local one.
Rob Kingsbury, co-owner of Artfully Chocolate/Kingsbury Confections, agreed. “I don’t see chain businesses around here at all,” he said.
Klingsbury’s partner Eric Nelson’s kitschy mosaics line the walls around a cornucopia of house-made treats. The manager of trendy Poste Moderne Brasserie peeps in from across the street to crack a few jokes at Kingsbury’s expense. They are both members of the Mid-City Business Association, whose slogan is “Think Local First.”
It has long been happening in the historic Logan Circle district, but what?
“In 1988, when I was studying at Howard, there were pimps and prostitutes right where you’re standing,” said Damon Penn, a local banker. Through the window behind him, a procession of well-dressed individuals mills past Whole Foods Market. They carry shopping bags, gym bags and small dogs at the end of leashes.
During the 1860s, the circle named after Civil War Gen. John Logan was in fact a square, infamous as an executioner’s post where spies and deserters were hanged. Contrabandists and freedmen called it “Hell’s Bottom.”
There was a brief flash of grandeur during the 1870s and 1880s, with well-heeled Victorians leaving a ring of Second Empire-style townhouses around the circle — a stop on their westward migration to Dupont and beyond.
After the turn of the century, the genteel properties hosted the jazzy heyday of “Black Washington,” when Logan Circle — along with nearby U Street, Shaw, and LeDroit Park — comprised the District’s answer to Harlem. Duke Ellington was a common sight serenading the tree-lined roundabout.
From the 1950s on, the music had faded away, and a bronze Maj. Gen. Logan oversaw his circle slide back again to the drifters. The 1968 race riots rendered to ashes what was left of the once-vibrant community.
Ironically, Logan Circle’s long winter has preserved a historic charm for its latest moment. The redevelopment thaw over the past decade revealed a century-old jumble of lovely High Victorian townhouses ringing one of the few remaining residential circles in the District.
A vanguard of bargain-seeking young professionals started to seep back in, starting in the mid-1970s, but they still shared space with prostitutes and drug needles. The watershed came in 1999, when Whole Foods established itself at 14th and P streets.
Whole Foods’s pull proved irresistible for Canadian “yoga-inspired apparel” retailer Lululemon Athletica, which opened the sustainable bamboo floor of their second D.C. location a year ago across the street. Next door, Flow Yoga Center classes fill up so fast it has to employ an online reservation system for its three studios.
“This is a total yoga community,” said Kelly Ferraro, Lululemon Athletica employee and seven-year Logan Circle resident.
As elsewhere, health-consciousness goes hand-in-hand with eco-consciousness. “We’re the greenest neighborhood in D.C.!” Ferraro said.
Last November, Commissary joined the bustle of outdoor cafes along the P Street main drag with its locally sourced menu. Logan Hardware gets all of its energy from a wind farm in Delaware, according to its general manager Drew Sutter.
“Everyone who comes in here is looking for green — CFLs [compact fluorescent bulbs], natural cleaning products, and Energy Star appliances,” Sutter said.
Nestled between the gyms, luxury condos, and organic wares is Stoney’s Bar and Grill. This neighborhood establishment is renowned for its cheap pitchers and legendary grilled cheese. Meanwhile, the 1409 Playbill Café offers Thursday-night karaoke, great happy hour specials, and surprisingly good bar food.
Logan Tavern’s Sunday brunch is a best bet, especially when paired with its extensive make-your-own Bloody Mary menu. Also, Vegas Lounge honors the neighborhood’s legacy with an excellent live band belting out Motown classics.
By circumstance and legal fiat, the architectural bones of this historic district have remained largely constant. The residents, then, have always defined the community’s character — an assertively local one.
Rob Kingsbury, co-owner of Artfully Chocolate/Kingsbury Confections, agreed. “I don’t see chain businesses around here at all,” he said.
Klingsbury’s partner Eric Nelson’s kitschy mosaics line the walls around a cornucopia of house-made treats. The manager of trendy Poste Moderne Brasserie peeps in from across the street to crack a few jokes at Kingsbury’s expense. They are both members of the Mid-City Business Association, whose slogan is “Think Local First.”
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