Shaw Has Arrived And More
The historic Shaw neighborhood in central DC, located between Florida and New Jersey Avenues and 11th and M Streets, NW, was once an inner city DC neighborhood but times have changed. Shaw is thriving, thanks to young professional urbanites that are attracted to its stylish residential condo buildings, and its destination for restaurants, trendy retail shops, and art spaces on the ground floors. DC’s food, music and nightlife are attracting Millennials to this energized neighborhood. The U Street Corridor, the area’s main thoroughfare, is seeing a bright resurgence due in large part to a walkable urban lifestyle that resonates with 20-and 30-somethings who want to live and play in Shaw, and be able to walk to their jobs or hop on the Metro. Two Metro stations are conveniently found here.
New residential condo buildings, like Atlantic Plumbing, a former plumbing supply company, have been transformed into luxury condo units above ground-floor retail spaces. The Shaw neighborhood spans multiple city blocks from North Capitol Street west to 15th Street and M Street north to Florida Avenue. The neighborhood will soon get a Whole Foods Market, joining the recent arrival of a 6-screen theatre that sells dinner entrees and features a bar where patrons can take food and drinks into the movie; a new Compass Coffee shop with Wi-Fi; trendy eyewear shop Warby Parker; Solidcore fitness studio; sleek dining spot Corduroy; minimalist home décor and furniture boutique by celebrated decorator Darryl Carter; and Canadian clothier Frank & Oak, among area tenants. There are plenty of boutiques to browse and restaurants to rest and refuel.
For Shaw residents, the Bloomingdale farmers market is a popular stop on Sunday mornings. Bloomingdale is directly east of Shaw, with its own influx of hip shops and bistros, charming coffee shops, and yoga studios. In 1968, the neighborhood was rocked by the riots that took place following the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It had been a primarily low income and African American neighborhood then thriving with its vibrant live music scene. As a hub of activity, this area saw the appearances of top black performers, such as Duke Ellington, James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, and Pearl Bailey. The Shaw neighborhood is named after Robert Gould Shaw, a colonel in the Civil War that inspired the movie “Glory.”
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