Color-enhanced USGS satellite image of Washington, DC, taken April 26, 2002. The "crosshairs" in the image mark the quadrant divisions of Washington, with the U.S. Capitol at the center of the dividing lines. To the west of the Capitol extends the National Mall, visible as a slight green band in the image. The Northwest quadrant is the largest, located north of the Mall and west of North Capital Street.

Southwest (SW or S.W.) is the southwestern quadrant of D.C., located south of the National Mall and west of South Capitol Street. It is the smallest quadrant of the city. Southwest is small enough that it is frequently referred to as a neighborhood in and of itself. Original image source: USGS satellite image of Washington, DC. Color modifications from original image and boundary labels made by User:Postdlf; to the extent these are independently copyrightable, these have been released under the GFDL. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev... Original image source: USGS satellite image of Washington, DC. Color modifications from original image and boundary labels made by User:Postdlf; to the extent these are independently copyrightable, these have been released under the GFDL. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev... The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. ... United States Capitol The United States Capitol is the building which serves as home for the legislative branch of the United States government. ... Facing east across the Mall with ones back towards the Lincoln Memorial. ... An address is a code and abstract concept expressing the fixed location of a home, business or other building on the earths surface. ... Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia Coordinates: Federal District District of Columbia Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) City Council Chairperson: Vincent C. Gray (D) Ward 1: Jim Graham (D) Ward 2: Jack Evans... Facing east across the Mall with ones back towards the Lincoln Memorial. ... South Capitol Street is a major street dividing the southeast and southwest quadrants of Washington, D.C. It runs south from the United States Capitol to the DC-Maryland line. ...

Geography

Southwest is actually composed of four separate sections: the Southwest Employment District, the area between the National Mall and the Southeast/Southwest Freeway (Interstate 395) that contains the Smithsonian museums along the south side of the Mall — including the Hirshhorn Museum, the National Air and Space Museum, the U.S. Holocaust Museum, and the Museum of the American Indian — as well as L'Enfant Plaza and a large concentration of federal office buildings for Executive Branch departments and the U.S. House of Representatives; the Southwest Waterfront, between I-395 and the Potomac River, a residential neighborhood that is home to the Maine Ave Fish Market, Arena Stage, the Washington Marina, and Hains Point; East and West Potomac Park, a conjunction of two national park between I-395 and the National Mall that contain the Tidal Basin, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (West Potomac Park continues into Northwest and includes the Lincoln Memorial and World War II Memorial, both of which straddle the Southwest/Northwest boundary); and the area south and east of the Anacostia River containing Bolling Air Force Base, the military installation which together with Naval District Washington, Naval Research Laboratory, and Blue Plains Sewage treatment plant occupies all of the Southwest land between South Capitol Street (to the east) and the Anacostia River (to the west). Interstate 395 (abbreviated I-395) in Virginia is a 13 mile (21 km) long spur route that begins at a junction with Interstate 95 in Springfield, Virginia and ends in downtown Washington, District of Columbia. ... The Smithsonian castle, as seen through the garden gate. ... Categories: Museum stubs | Museums in Washington, DC | Art museums and galleries in the U.S. | Smithsonian Institution | National Mall ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Exterior of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum viewed from 14th St. ... National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C., viewed from the northeast Interior view looking down toward the entrance. ... LEnfant Plaza is a complex of eight commercial and governmental buildings, as well as a shopping mall and Metro station, built along a traffic-and-pedestrian promenade in Southwest Washington, D.C.. The plaza is located off of Independence Avenue SW, between 12th and 9th Streets--although 9th Street... The executive is the branch of a government charged with implementing, or executing, the law and running the day-to-day affairs of the government or state. ... The House of Representatives is the larger of two houses that make up the U.S. Congress, the other being the United States Senate. ... The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States (USA). ... Fresh seafood laid out on one of several floating barge vendors. ... The following is taken from the Arena Stage website: Arena Stage today stands as a flagship American theater. ... At the southern tip of the East Potomac Park peninsula, extending into the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., United States, Hains Point is at the geographical location where the Anacostia River and the Potomac River converge. ... East Potomac Park is a park in Washington, D.C., located south of the Jefferson Memorial and the 14th Street Bridge. ... Looking north from West Potomac Park across the Tidal Basin, showing cherry trees in flower West Potomac Park adjoins the National Mall in Washington, DC. It includes the parkland that extends south of the Reflecting Pool, from the Lincoln Memorial to the grounds of the Washington Monument. ... Facing east across the Mall with ones back towards the Lincoln Memorial. ... The Tidal Basin is a partially man-made inlet adjacent to the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. It is part of West Potomac Park and is surrounded by the Jefferson Memorial and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. ... The Jefferson Memorial from outside The Thomas Jefferson Memorial is a presidential memorial in Washington, D.C. that is dedicated to Thomas Jefferson, an American Founding Father and the third president of the United States. ... The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is a United States Presidential Memorial built not only to the memory of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, but also to the era he represents. ... Color-enhanced USGS satellite image of Washington, DC, taken April 26, 2002. ... The Lincoln Memorial at night. ... Panorama of the Memorial, seen from the east. ... Bolling Air Force Base, in Southwest Washington, DC, is named for Col. ... The Anacostia River is a river that flows about 8. ...

History

Southwest is part of Pierre L'Enfant's original city plans and includes some of the oldest buildings in the city, including the Wheat Row block of townhouses, built in 1793, and Fort McNair, which was established in 1791 as "the U.S. Arsenal at Greenleaf Point." Pierre Charles LEnfant ( 2 August 1754 – 14 June 1825) designed the street plan of the Federal City in the United States, now known as Washington, DC. Born in France, he came to the American colonies as a military engineer with General Lafayette and became closely identified with the... 1793 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Military District of Washington Shoulder Sleeve Insignia Military District of Washington Distinctive Unit insignia Fort Lesley J. McNair, DC is located on the point of land where the Potomac and Anacostia rivers join in Washington, D.C. It has been an Army post for more than 200 years, third only... 1791 (MDCCXCI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 11-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Prior to 1847, much of the Virginia portion of the District of Columbia, including the town of Alexandria, was included in Southwest. 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ... Location in Virginia Coordinates: Country United States State Virginia Founded 1718 Mayor William D. Euille Area    - City 39. ...

After the Civil War, the Southwest Waterfront became a neighborhood for the poorer classes of Washingtonians. The neighborhood was divided in half by Fourth Street SW, then known as 4 1/2 Street; Scotch, Irish, German, and eastern European immigrants lived west of 4 1/2 Street, while freed blacks lived to the east. Each half was centered around religious establishments: St. Dominic's Catholic Church and Temple Beth Israel on the west, and Friendship Baptist Church on the east. (Also, each half of the neighborhood was the birthplace of a future American musical star — Al Jolson was born on 4 1/2 Street, and Marvin Gaye was born in a tenement on First Street.) The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the northern states, popularly referred to as the U.S., the Union, the North, or the Yankees; and the seceding southern states, commonly referred to as the Confederate States of America, the CSA, the Confederacy... Asa Al Jolson Yoelson (born in Seredžius, Lithuania on May 26, 1886, and died in San Francisco, California on October 23, 1950) was an acclaimed American singer and actor whose career lasted from 1911 until his death in 1950. ... Marvin Gaye (born Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. ...

Waterfront developed into a quite contradictory area: it had a thriving commercial district with grocery stores, shops, a movie theater, as well as a few large and elaborate houses (mostly owned by wealthy blacks). However, most of the neighborhood was a very poor shantytown of tenements, shacks, and even tents. These places, some of them in the shadow of the Capitol Building, were frequent subjects of photographs that were published with captions like, "The Washington that tourists never see." Shanty towns are units of irregular low-cost and self-constructed housing built on terrain seized and occupied illegally -- usually on lands belonging to third parties, most often located in the urban periphery of the cities. ... United States Capitol The United States Capitol is the building which serves as home for the legislative branch of the United States government. ...

In the 1950s, city planners working with the U.S. Congress decided that Southwest should undergo a significant urban renewal — in this case, meaning that the city would declare eminent domain over all land south of the mall (except Bolling Air Force Base and Fort McNair); evict virtually all of its residents and businesses; destroy all streets, buildings, and landscapes; and start again from scratch. Only a few buildings were left intact, notably the Maine Avenue fish market, the Wheat Row townhouses, and the St. Dominic's and Friendship churches. The Southeast/Southwest Freeway was constructed where F Street, SW, had once been. The 1950s was the decade spanning from the 1st of January, 1950 to the 31st of December, 1959. ... The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ... Blight often stands side-by-side with new structures during urban renewal efforts. ... Maine Avenue is a diagonal avenue in the Southwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., U.S.A.. Maine Avenue connects Independence Avenue with M Street, S.W., and has an interchange with Interstate 395. ...

The rebuilt Southwest featured a large concentration of office and residential buildings in the brutalist style that was then popular. It was during this time that most of the Southwest Federal Center was built. The heart of the urban renewal of the Southwest Waterfront was Waterside Mall, a small shopping center/office complex mostly occupied by a Safeway grocery store and satellite offices for the Environmental Protection Agency. The Arena Stage was built a block west of the Mall, and a number of hotels and restaurants were built on the riverfront to attract tourists. Southeastern University, a very small college that had been chartered in 1937, also established itself as an important institution in the area. Unité dHabitation, Marseille (Le Corbusier 1952) Brutalism is an architectural style that spawned from the modernist architectural movement and which flourished from the 1950s to the 1970s. ... Safeway is a brand name used by several fraudulent supermarket chains around the world: Safeway Inc. ... EPA redirects here. ... Southeastern University is a private, non-profit undergraduate and graduate institution of higher education. ...

However, urban renewal was largely a failure in Southwest. Although some upscale apartment buildings and a fairly affluent townhouse complex, Capitol Park, was built in the 1970s, most of the neighborhood remained run-down, low-income, and somewhat dangerous. This situation intensified in the 1980s and the 1990s, when Washington had among the lowest per capita incomes and highest crime rates in the nation. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... The 1980s refers to the years of 1980 to 1989. ... 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. ...

Starting around 2003, however, the Southwest Waterfront began gentrifying. H20, an enormously popular nightclub, opened on the riverfront, while a number of the decrepit and unattractive apartment buildings began extensive renovations and condominium conversions. Residential and commercial developers began to take a more serious interest in Southwest with the announcement in 2004 that the city would build the new Washington Nationals baseball stadium just across South Capitol Street from Southwest. The Southwest Waterfront has now been earmarked as the site of the next wave of cityside gentrification. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A condominium, or condo for short, is a form of housing tenure. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Major league affiliations National League (1969–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Name Washington Nationals (2005–present) Montreal Expos (1969-2004) Ballpark RFK Stadium (2005–present) Hiram Bithorn Stadium[3] (San Juan) (2003-2004) Olympic Stadium (Montreal) (1977-2004) Jarry Park (Montreal) (1969-1976) [3] The Expos played twenty...

Miscellaneous

Politically, Southwest includes most of Ward 2, as well as parts of Wards 6 and 8. Most of the residential section of Southwest lies in Ward 6.

Residents include Police Chief Charles Ramsey and Supreme Court Associate Justice David Souter. Charles H. Ramsey is the current chief of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department (MPDC) in Washington, D.C. A native of Chicago, Illinois, he joined the Chicago Police Department as an 18 year old cadet in 1968. ... The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the judicial branch of the United States federal government. ... Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are the members of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the Chief Justice of the United States. ... David Hackett Souter (born September 17, 1939) has been an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since 1990. ...

Southwest is accessible via the Blue, Orange, Yellow, and Green Lines of the Washington Metro. Stations servicing the quadrant include the Smithsonian, L'Enfant Plaza, and Federal Center SW stations on the Orange and Blue Lines, as well as Waterfront-SEU on the Green Line and L'Enfant Plaza on the Green and Yellow Lines. (L'Enfant Plaza is the transfer point between the Orange, Blue, Green, and Yellow Line trains.) The Blue Line of the Washington Metro consists of 27 subway stations from Franconia_Springfield to Largo Town Center. ... The Orange Line of the Washington Metro consists of 26 subway stations from Vienna/Fairfax-GMU to New Carrollton. ... The Yellow Line of the Washington Metro consists of twelve subway stations from Mt Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center to Huntington. ... Greenbelt station, end of the Green line on the Washington Metro The Green Line of the Washington Metro consists of 21 subway stations from Greenbelt to Branch Ave. ... The Washington Metro, or simply Metro, is the rapid transit system of Washington, D.C., and neighboring suburban communities in Maryland and Virginia, both inside and outside the Capital Beltway. ... Smithsonian is a Washington Metro station in Washington, DC on the Blue and Orange Lines. ... LEnfant Plaza is a complex of eight commercial and governmental buildings, as well as a shopping mall and Metro station, built along a traffic-and-pedestrian promenade in Southwest Washington, D.C.. The plaza is located off of Independence Avenue SW, between 12th and 9th Streets--although 9th Street... Federal Center SW station. ... Waterfront-SEU station entrance pylon. ... LEnfant Plaza is a complex of eight commercial and governmental buildings, as well as a shopping mall and Metro station, built along a traffic-and-pedestrian promenade in Southwest Washington, D.C.. The plaza is located off of Independence Avenue SW, between 12th and 9th Streets--although 9th Street...

External links

• Southwest D.C. Community Website
• Cultural Tourism DC: Southwest
• Developments in SW DC (blog)