The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Edgewood remains affordable but is becoming newly desirable

By
July 24, 2015 at 7:00 a.m. EDT

Michael Clark knows what longtime Washington residents think about the Northeast neighborhood of Edgewood.

Clark, who has been president of the Edgewood Citizens Association for more than 20 years, says he recalls the days when the neighborhood was a hotbed for drug dealers and prostitutes, when crime was rampant. But these days, he says, the community is welcoming widespread renovation and redevelopment, from new restaurants to public gardens.

“Edgewood was known as a bad place to live, but it’s come a long way since then,” said Clark, 61, who is retired. “What defines the neighborhood now is its diversity, its neighborly spirit and its redevelopment.”


Affordability a draw:
Increasingly, home buyers have begun to see Edgewood as an affordable alternative to Brookland, Eckington and other better-known neighborhoods nearby, said Ryan Snedaker of M Squared Real Estate.

“My primary draw to Edgewood was that I could afford it,” said Snedaker, who has lived in the neighborhood for 11 years. “At the time, I could have bought an efficiency or a very, very small one-bedroom in Logan Circle, or a totally renovated rowhouse in Edgewood.”

The neighborhood is made up mostly of rowhouses built in the early 1900s. Sally Hobaugh, one of Edgewood’s Advisory Neighborhood Commission representatives, said the historic architecture in her 1922 home drew her to Edgewood several years ago.

“When I saw my house, I fell in love,” said Hobaugh, 36, who manages clinical trials for pharmaceutical companies. “It has all its original features, like the original claw-foot tub and hardwood floors.”


An explosion of dog walkers:
Residents gather for neighborhood cleanups the first Saturday of every month through the Friends of Edgewood Recreation Center, a nonprofit organization that aims to improve the recreation center and the surrounding community.

The group has also planted a neighborhood garden and hosts regular outdoor movie nights, says Michael J. Henderson, 58, a teacher at Sidwell Friends School and founder of the nonprofit.

“Edgewood is greener, cleaner and more diverse than it was when I first moved here,” said Henderson, who moved to Edgewood 13 years ago. “When I first moved here, I might not see a dog all day if I sat out on my porch. Now, I see people walking up and down the street walking their dogs all the time. It says a lot about the community that people want to be out and about.”

Henderson said the cleanups and renovations have been contagious and have spurred a rebirth throughout the neighborhood.

“Once a few people came in and fixed up their properties and put in lawns and flowers, it really did have a snowball effect of encouraging others to buy and renovate and live here,” Henderson said.

Clark said some longtime residents worry that the neighborhood’s gentrification will make it unaffordable for working-class families.

“Some of the people who have lived here for 30 or 40 years are looking forward to the changes, while others fear that working-class people will get priced out of the community,” Clark said. “They wonder whether their children and grandchildren will be able to afford to live in the neighborhood.”

Still, Clark said, the benefits of Edgewood’s rebirth outweigh any potential downsides.

“Edgewood is just a phoenix rising out of the ashes of the past,” he said. “A lot of great things are happening here, and it’s only going to get better.”


Living there:
Edgewood is bordered roughly by Michigan Avenue to the north, the Red Line Metro tracks to the east, Rhode Island Avenue NE to the south, and North Capitol Street and Glenwood Cemetery to the west.

Forty-eight houses have sold in Edgewood over the past 12 months, at prices ranging from $330,000 for a three-bedroom, one-bathroom rowhouse to $808,000 for a four-bedroom, three-bathroom rowhouse, Snedaker said. Seven houses are under contract, from a two-bedroom rowhouse from $420,000 to a four-bedroom rowhouse for to $799,900. Three houses are on the market, from a three-bedroom rowhouse priced at $399,000 to a three-bedroom rowhouse, not yet constructed, being offered at $812,890.

Sixteen condos or co-ops have sold, from $140,000 for a one-bedroom unit to $649,900 for a newly constructed four-bedroom. Five condos or co-ops are under contract, from $125,000 for a two-bedroom condo to $359,900 for a newly renovated two-bedroom unit. Four condos or co-ops are on the market, from $220,000 for a one-bedroom unit to $359,900 for a renovated one-bedroom unit.


Many new shops; more upgrades coming:
Changes to Edgewood include the opening of the Dew Drop Inn restaurant on Eighth Street NE and an upcoming $2 million renovation to the community's recreation center.

The boundary of Brookland and Edgewood has also seen an influx of new eating establishments, including a new Busboys and Poets restaurant.

Hobaugh said she does most of her errands by foot or bike, as there’s a grocery store, dry cleaner and dog groomer within walking distance of her home. Still, she said, she and other residents are eager for more options on the southwestern end of Edgewood.

“I am waiting for the day we get somewhere we can sit down and eat at Fourth Street and Rhode Island Avenue,” Hobaugh said. “We are not 100 percent there yet.”


Schools:
Noyes Elementary, Brookland Middle and Dunbar High.


Transit:
The neighborhood sits between the Rhode Island Avenue and Brookland-Catholic University Metro stations.


Crime:
In the past 12 months, D.C. police said, the area had one homicide, 21 robberies, 13 assaults and 17 burglaries.

Amy Reinink is a freelance writer.