A Neighborhood Reborn

A Neighborhood Reborn. Logan Circle, National Mall and Memorial Parks. , The Logan Circle Historic District has a rich history of change. A fashionable, exclusive neighborhood had evolved by the 1870s – home to members of Congress, such as Senator John Logan of Illinois. By the turn of the 20th century, Iowa – later Logan – Circle flourished as a social intellectual, and artistic hub of Black Washington. Over time, economic hardships and civil unrest contributed to a decline in the neighborhood’s appearance. Today, this vibrant historic district thrives as the city’s best-preserved example of late 19th-century Victorian architecture clustered around one of L’Enfant’s great open spaces. , [Captions:] , Originally purchased in 1791 by Samuel Blodgett, this land served as an “executioner’s square” (right) during the Civil War. The 1864 addition of a horse-drawn trolley line along 14th Street increased the accessibility and desirability of what became known as Iowa Circle. , The National Council of Negro Women, founded by Mary McLeod Bethune, established its headquarters just south of Logan Circle in the 1940s. Other famous residents included boxer Jack Johnson, architect John Lankford, and the family of Duke Ellington. , Civil War-era population expansion forced development of this area by the 1870s. A massive city improvement plan induced prominent citizens to construct stately Victorian homes, such as those seen above. In 1901, Civil War veterans erected the Maj. Gen. John A. Logan statue. In 1930 Congress changed the name of Iowa Circle to Logan Circle. , City planners altered Logan Circle in the 1950s by channeling 13th Street through it. Renewed interest throughout the 1970s and 1980s spurred refurbishment of many historic houses and restoration of the circle’s original dimensions. A rich sense of history continues to dominate the entire Logan Circle neighborhood.