DC's Hidden Places: University Place

• June 1st 2016

by Nena Perry-Brown

This week, UrbanTurf visits another of DC’s Hidden Places, a two-block street on the edge of Columbia Heights.

Located a block from Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park, University Place NW (map) is a narrow one-way that spans from Clifton to Fairmont Street, running parallel between 14th and 15th Streets.

Residents from the area often bring their children to the Girard Street Park and playground, located where University Place meets Fairmont. At the opposite end of the street spanning five houses (one of which is on Clifton Street) is the Ella Jo Baker Cooperative, an intentional living community named after a famed Civil Rights leader.

Daniel is a five-year resident of the co-op, which was established over a decade ago to bring stability and long-term low-cost housing to a neighborhood on the verge of transformation.

“Our housing costs are low compared to the rest of this block. We almost consider ourselves kind of the tip of the iceberg of gentrification in a sense because we were able to stabilize the block….Aside from being right next to [Meridian Hill] Park and being able to reclaim a space in a highly-gentrified area of the city is a victory for us, and being able to hold onto it.”

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• DC’s Hidden Places: Olive Street
• DC’s Hidden Places: Brandywine Place
• DC’s Hidden Places: Flagler Place
• DC’s Hidden Places: Groff Court
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This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/dcs_hidden_places_university_place/11296.