Tenleytown
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tenleytown is the historic name for a neighborhood in northwest Washington, DC. It shares the highest point in the city with neighboring American University Park at 429 feet. (The city's lowest point, the Potomac River, is 1 foot above sea level.)
In 1790, the area was called Tennally's Town, named after resident John Tennally and his tavern. The area became known as Tenleytown in the 19th century, although the spelling Tennallytown was also in use for some time, as photographs of streetcars will attest.
Tenleytown is the site of Fort Reno and Fort Bayard, two in a ring of forts built to protect Washington DC from invasion during the Civil War. After the war, the forts were decommissioned.
Tenleytown and adjacent American University Park are serviced by the Tenleytown-AU stop on the Washington Metro Red Line. The mostly residential area acts as the "town" for American University, and a shuttle runs from the Metro stop to the main campus. The neighborhood is centered on Tenley Circle.
On Tenley Circle itself is St. Ann Roman Catholic Church, a large imposing stone church which serves area Catholics. On the opposite side of the circle is Wisconsin Avenue Baptist Church.
Tenleytown was transformed in 1941 when Sears Roebuck opened its department store on Wisconsin Avenue at Albemarle Street. At the time the store was notable for its size and for its rooftop parking. In the 1990s, Sears abandoned its retail operation at the location and the building was used by Hechinger's hardware until its demise in the late 1990s. In the 2000s, the building was converted to a mixed-use development complex, with luxury condos on the top level; and a Best Buy, a Container Store, and an Ace Hardware at street level. The west entrance to the Metro stop is at the front of the building.
[edit] Education
The area is served by the District of Columbia Public Schools.
Tenleytown is zoned to:
Tenleytown is the location of some major independent schools, such as Sidwell Friends School and Georgetown Day School.
