Map of Washington, D.C., with Sursum Corda highlighted in red

Sursum Corda Cooperative is a small neighborhood located in Washington, D.C., bounded by North Capitol Street on the east, First Street NW to the west, K Street NW to the south, and New York Avenue NW to the north. It consists of 199 housing units constructed as an experiment in cooperatively managed low-income housing in 1968. Managed by the District of Columbia Housing Authority, it became a notorious open air drug market plagued by violence and poverty in the 1980s. In 2005 the District of Columbia offered to purchase the complex as part of its "New Communities" plan for neighborhood rehabilitation. A neighbourhood or neighborhood (see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community located within a larger city or suburb. ... Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia. ... Color-enhanced USGS satellite image of Washington, DC, taken April 26, 2002. ... K Street, epicenter of American lobbying. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... The 1980s refers to the years of 1980 to 1989. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

History

Residential neighborhoods north of Massachusetts Avenue underwent a prolonged decay in the first half of the 20th century. Controversial urban renewal plans of the 1950s and 1960s called for massive demolition of the area, part of it comprising the old Irish American neighborhood of Swampoodle, though they were only partially executed. Massachusetts Avenue is the name shared by several prominent streets in the United States. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Blight often stands side-by-side with new structures during urban renewal efforts. ... The 1950s was the decade spanning from the 1st of January, 1950 to the 31st December, 1959. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Irish population density in the United States, 1872. ... Swampoodle is also a neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

Various Masonic and religious organizations took advantage of loan programs of the recently created U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to build housing for some of the displaced households. A group of Catholic activists from the nearby Gonzaga College High School and the parish of St. Aloysius conceived of a new urban village to house some of the households displaced by the demolitions. They also received support from the D.C. Public Housing Authority and the then-Senator from New York, Robert F. Kennedy. The Masonic Square and Compasses. ... The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, often abbreviated HUD, is a Cabinet department of the United States government. ... Gonzaga College High School is a prestigious Jesuit high school for boys located in Washington, DC. The school is named in honor of St. ... An urban village is an urban planning concept. ... Seal of the U.S. Senate The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral United States Congress, the other being the House of Representatives. ... Official language(s) None Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... Robert Francis Bobby Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also called RFK, was one of two younger brothers of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and served as United States Attorney General from 1961 to 1964. ...

Construction on the new development began in 1967. It was named Sursum Corda, a Latin expression meaning Lift up your hearts which is intoned at the start of the Eucharistic Prayer during the Mass. The original plan called for 155 resident-owned and 44 rental townhouses on four acres (16,000 m²), arranged on courtyards and alleys around a horseshoe-shaped street (1st Terrace, L Place, and 1st Place NW) to promote a sense of community. The style was quite unusual for public housing of the era, in that the neighborhood was largely closed off, presaging some of the HOPE VI rehabilitation plans. The units offered amenities such as air conditioning, washer and dryer units, and kitchen garbage disposals. Rents were originally fixed at 25 percent of the residents' income. 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... A Medieval Low Mass by a bishop. ... A Medieval Low Mass by a bishop. ... Modern horseshoes are most commonly made of iron and nailed onto the hoof. ... HOPE VI is a major HUD plan meant to revitalize the absolute worst public housing projects. ... Note: in the broadest sense, air conditioning can refer to any form of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning. ... Front-loading washing machine. ... An electric clothes dryer A clothes dryer or tumble dryer is a major household appliance that is used to remove the residual moisture from a load of clothing and other textiles, generally shortly after they are cleaned in a washing machine. ... Under-sink garbage disposal shown with optional dishwasher drain hose and air gap, top left. ...

A group of nuns from the Order of the Religious of the Sacred Heart (R.S.C.J.) were among the first residents, aiming to support and minister to the new residents. Father Horace McKenna, a Jesuit priest at St. Aloysius Church at Gonzaga College High School and well-known advocate for the poor, established a program to bring Georgetown University undergraduate students to tutor children in the neighborhood, a program which continues to the present day. McKenna Walk, NW is named for him. Nun in cloister, 1930; photograph by Doris Ulmann A nun is a woman who has taken special vows committing her to a religious life. ... Catholic religious orders are organizations of laity and/orclergy in the Roman Catholic Church who live under a common rule. ... The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ... Gonzaga College High School is a prestigious Jesuit high school for boys located in Washington, DC. The school is named in honor of St. ... Georgetown University, formally the The President and Directors of the College of Georgetown, is a private university in the United States, located in Georgetown, a historic neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded on January 23, 1789 by Archbishop John Carroll, it is both the oldest Roman Catholic and oldest Jesuit...

Disadvantageous tax laws led to neglect of the properties, and the arrival of crack cocaine in the 1980s sent the neighborhood into a steep decline. Its layout made it difficult to police, and consequently an ideal drug market and frequent battleground for street gangs. Despite the efforts of the Tenants Association, it became associated with poverty and crime. Even the nuns were driven away, the last departing in the early 1990s. Cocaine is a crystalline alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... Germans dancing on the Berlin Wall in late 1989, the symbol of the cold war divide falls down as the world unites in the 1990s. ...

The neighborhood re-entered the city's consciousness on January 21, 2004 when a gunman shot 14 year-old Jahkema Princess Hansen execution style, believing she may have witnessed one of two shootings in the neighborhood the previous Sunday. The D.C. Metropolitan Police designated the area as an increased enforcement zone for drug trafficking and prostitution afterwards. January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Whore redirects here. ...

The construction of the nearby New York Avenue and Union Station stations of the Washington Metro and a surge in property values have sparked interest in redeveloping this area; the once-abandoned region is now a frontier of gentrification dubbed NoMa (for North of Massachusetts). The city is now advancing a plan called "New Communities" to encourage mixed-income development. The plan is supported by the Bush Administration; HUD, which owns the mortgages on most of the buildings in the area, has foreclosed on Sursum Corda and may not renew its Section 8 contracts with the other complexes in the area. An inbound train leaves New York Ave-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U station. ... A union station or union terminal is a train station where tracks and facilities are shared by two or more railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently between them. ... The Washington Metro, or simply Metro, is the public transportation system of Washington, D.C., and neighboring suburban communities in Maryland and Virginia, both inside and outside the Capital Beltway. ... Gentrification, or more specifically urban gentrification, is a process in which low-cost, physically deteriorated neighborhoods experience physical renovation and an increase in property values, along with an influx of wealthier residents who typically replace the prior residents. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... A mortgage is a method of using property (real or personal) as security for the payment of a debt. ... Section 8 is a type of Federal assistance provided by the United States Federal government dedicated to sponsoring subsidized housing for low-income families and individuals. ...

External links

• The Washington Post: Aerial photograph of the Sursum Corda area
• Sursum Apartments, official D.C. Housing Authority site
• National Building Museum: Affordable Housing Exhibit: Sursum Corda including construction specifications

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References

• Fahrenthold, David A. "D.C. Girl, 14, Was Killed As Witness, Police Say," Washington Post, January 25, 2004. p.A1.
• Hirsch, John C. "Sursum Corda," American Studies Newsletter, Georgetown University, Spring 2005, p.11.
• Montgomery, Lori. "Some of D.C.'s Poor Question Their Place in Housing Plan," Washington Post, May 16, 2005, p.A1.