Shaw

Shaw is a historic, urban neighborhood located in the NW quadrant of Washington, DC.  Shaw is often referred to as the Harlem of Washington, DC, for its longstanding reputation as the bastion of black culture and history.  The neighborhood draws its name from Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the Civil War commander of the black 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.  The original residents of Shaw were freed slaves who settled in this area on what was then the outskirts of town.

Shaw thrived as the cultural home of black DC.  Howard Theatre was alive with vaudeville and jazz performances from legends including Pearl Bailey, Langston Hughes and native son, Duke Ellington.  The rioting following the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. forever altered the Shaw neighborhood as suburban flight left behind a generation of urban decay.  Read more about Shaw real estate.

Shaw Homes And Condos For Sale

More About Shaw Real Estate

Shaw is rewriting its history as a neighborhood as the gentrification of adjacent Logan Circle and Mount Vernon Triangle extends into Shaw.  Many of Shaw's Victorian row houses have been renovated to their original 19th century grandeur. Infill construction of luxury condo buildings has also greatly changed the face of the Shaw neighborhood

The boundaries of the Shaw neighborhood are defined as Florida Avenue to the north, New Jersey Avenue to the east, M Street to the south and 11th Street to the west.  Additionally, the Shaw neighborhood extends westward to 16th Street between S Street and U Street.

Neighborhoods bordering Shaw include Logan Circle, U Street Corridor, LeDroit Park, Truxton Circle, and Mount Vernon Triangle. Shaw is served by the Shaw-Howard, Mount Vernon Square and U Street Metro Stations.