Mount Vernon Square facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Mount Vernon Square Historic District
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Mount Vernon Square, with Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, Washington Convention Center, Historical Society of Washington DC, and former NPR Headquarters visible.
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 Location in Washington, D.C.
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| Location | Roughly bounded by New York Ave., 7th St., N St., and 1st St. NW, Washington, DC |
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| Area | 100 acres (40 ha) |
| Built | 1845 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian, Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals |
| NRHP reference No. | 99001071 |
| Added to NRHP | September 3, 1999 |
Mount Vernon Square is a well-known city square and neighborhood located in the Northwest part of Washington, D.C.. It's a busy spot where several important streets, like Massachusetts Avenue, New York Avenue, K Street, and 8th Street, all meet up.
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Exploring Mount Vernon Square
Mount Vernon Square has clear boundaries. To the east, you'll find 7th Street NW. To the west is 9th Street NW. Mount Vernon Place is to the north, and a part of K Street NW forms the southern edge.
Right in the middle of the square stands the Carnegie Library of Washington D.C.. This grand building was finished in 1903. It was a special gift from a rich businessman named Andrew Carnegie. The library is made of white marble and has a fancy Beaux-Arts style.
For many years, this building was the main library for all of Washington, D.C. Today, it's home to the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.. You can also find an Apple Store inside this historic building.
A Look at Mount Vernon Square's History
The idea for Mount Vernon Square was part of the original city plan by Pierre L'Enfant. This plan was made in the late 1700s. However, in the early 1800s, the square was split into four triangles by intersecting roads.
An old market called the Northern Liberty Market used to be along 7th Street. In 1872, Governor Alexander Robey Shepherd had it torn down. Later, in 1882, the roads that cut through the square were removed. This happened because people living nearby complained that too many vehicles made the area noisy and unsafe.
The Carnegie Library of Washington D.C. was built in 1903. It served as the city's main library until 1972. After that, it was empty for about ten years. Then, it was fixed up to be a library for the University of the District of Columbia.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the area around 7th Street NW was a busy shopping district. Many furniture stores and department stores were located here. This area was part of what is now Mount Vernon Square.
In 1999, the library building became the main office for the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.. A museum about the city opened there in 2003, but it closed less than two years later.
A sculpture called "The Hand" was placed on the south side of the square in 2008. It was created by Jim Fauntleroy in the 1960s. This sculpture was made for the Poor People’s Campaign, a movement led by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
In 2011, the Washington Convention and Sports Authority took over the library building. They rented it out for different events. The building was greatly updated in 2018. These changes were made to create space for a new Apple Store and exhibits for the Historical Society.
The Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood
Mount Vernon Square also refers to the neighborhood around the square. This area stretches north to O Street and east to New Jersey Avenue. In the early 1900s, the neighborhood had many Victorian-style townhomes. The 7th Street shopping area was very lively.
However, during the Great Depression, the area faced tough times. In 1968, during the Martin Luther King, Jr. riots, the neighborhood suffered a lot of damage. There was rioting, fires, and widespread destruction.
In the 1980s, 7th Street was closed for several years. This was for the building of the Green Line (Washington Metro) subway. The Mount Vernon Square subway station opened in 1991.
Neighborhood Borders
The Mount Vernon Square neighborhood has several important borders:
- To the south, it meets Chinatown and the Penn Quarter. These areas are considered the heart of Downtown Washington, D.C..
- To the north, it borders the Shaw neighborhood.
- To the east, from the square's edge to New Jersey Avenue, is the Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood. This area is often mentioned with Mount Vernon Square.
- To the west, it reaches either Thomas Circle or 10th Street NW and the Logan Circle neighborhood.
Convention Centers Near the Square
In 1977, the city bought several blocks southwest of Mount Vernon Square. They used a process called eminent domain to do this. Over the next few years, the homes and businesses in these blocks were torn down.
The old Washington Convention Center was built in this area. It opened on December 10, 1982. At the time, it was one of the largest facilities in the United States. But by 1997, many bigger and newer centers had been built across the country.
In 1998, construction began on a new, much larger convention center. This new center was built directly north of Mount Vernon Square. It was finished in 2003 and later renamed the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in 2007.
Businesses and Buildings
Before the convention centers were built, many small businesses were around Mount Vernon Square. One of the last to remain on the west side was a Chinese restaurant called Nan King. It was one of the first places in the city to serve dim sum.
Today, many new buildings stand around the square. On the west side is the 901 New York Avenue office building. On the east, you'll find two large office buildings. These include the main offices for the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Dental Education Association.
To the south is the Renaissance Washington DC Hotel. There's also the Techworld plaza, which is being updated and renamed "Anthem Row."
Across from the northwest corner of the square is the Washington Marriott Marquis. This is the largest hotel in the city. The area at the southwest corner of the square used to be the old convention center. Now, it's the CityCenterDC development, which opened in 2015.
Historic Buildings Nearby
There are two important historic buildings northwest of the square:
- The Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church was built in 1917.
- The American Federation of Labor Building was built in 1916. It served as the main office for the American Federation of Labor.
See also
In Spanish: Plaza de Mount Vernon para niños
