Located in the Northwest quadrant of
DC, this neighborhood is roughly bounded by New York Avenue
to the south, Florida Avenue to the north, North Capitol
Avenue to the east, and 11th Street to the west. Overlap
exists with several neighborhoods that have grown to identify
themselves outside of Shaw such as the U Street Corridor,
Logan Circle, Bloomingdale, Ledroit Park, and downtown/NOMA
(north of Massachusetts Avenue).
Few DC neighborhoods rival Shaw in its
integral tie to Washington history. Shaw grew out of freed
slave encampments in what was then the rural outskirts
of Washington. It derives its name from Civil War Colonel
Robert Gould Shaw, the commander of the 54th Massachusetts
Volunteer Infantry.
During the 19th and 20th centuries the
area thrived as a center of African-American intellectual
and cultural life. Professionals and artists are connected
to the homes that line this neighborhood populated by
19th-century Victorian row houses. Nearby Howard University,
located on 8th Street, dominated the intellectual core
of this and nearby neighborhoods while influencing society
beyond the immediate geographic reach.
Shaw is mostly a residential neighborhood.
In the early 21st Century it encountered substantial renewal
due to its central location, preserved architectural legacy,
proximity to U Street and Logan Circle as well as its
rich historical significance.
