DC’s Hidden Places: Parker Street

• April 23, 2014

by Lark Turner

Parker Street NE

This week, Hidden Places returns to northeast DC for a look at a street sandwiched between the H Street Corridor, Union Station, Capitol Hill and NoMa, and that's just how its residents like it. The neighbors on Parker Street NE, between K and I Streets along 3rd Street NE (map), get along so well that they meet up once a month for a happy hour at a neighbor's place and shut down the block annually to roast a pig. They call it Porker Street Fest.

The street sits in the shadow of elevated train tracks leading into Union Station. The small, generally 12-foot-wide, Federal style rowhouses come right up to the sidewalk, which makes for a cozy living situation, said resident Matt Campolongo.

"You have no other option but to get to know your neighbors," he told UrbanTurf. Campolongo and his wife moved to Parker Street in 2010 after falling in love with the neighborhood.

Property values on Parker Street NE have risen over the past few years, along with H Street's fortunes, and most of the homes are now worth over $400,000, real estate data suggests. The street is zoned for both commercial and residential use, Campolongo said, which meant a contractor on the block was beloved by the neighbors for accepting daytime packages until about a month ago, when it closed.

On a recent morning, a resident walking her dog happily submitted that she'd been living on Parker for 13 years. The street's only con, Campolongo said, is its lack of trees due to limited sidewalk space, but neighbors hope to work with the city to plant some in the future. Despite the lack of green space, the street's vibe is very quiet and residential — except, of course, during Porker Street Fest. A photo by Campolongo shows how crowded the one-block section gets during the annual party.

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* DC's Hidden Places: Georgetown's Orchard Lane * DC’s Hidden Places: Wylie Street * DC's Hidden Places: Duncan Place * The Hidden Block of Georgetown * Walter Street: The Friendliest Block on the Hill

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/dcs_hidden_places_parker_street/8397