October 22, 1974 (Massachusetts Avenue Historic District) October 30, 1989 (Sheridan-Kalorama Historic District)
DesignatedDCIHS
November 27, 1973 (Massachusetts Avenue Historic District) August 16, 1989 (Sheridan-Kalorama Historic District)
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The area around Sheridan Circle did not develop until the 1880s-1890s. Local officials extended Massachusetts Avenue NW past what was then the city's boundary, now Florida Avenue, in hopes of recreating the residential success of Dupont Circle. The Sheridan-Kalorama area was previously home to large estates and country homes. These lands were eventually sold and the traffic circle's name was changed from Decatur Circle, in honor of Commodore Stephen Decatur, to Sheridan Circle, in honor of Civil War General Philip Sheridan. It took many years for the equestrian statue of Sheridan to be created, and the dedication of the memorial took place in 1908. By that time, houses were being built around the circle, including the first one, the Alice Pike Barney Studio House.
The remaining homes around the circle were elaborate mansions, designed by some of the top local and national architects. During the Great Depression, some of the residences were sold to foreign countries. This occurred again after World War II and into the 1950s. Some of the embassies and ambassadorial residences facing Sheridan Circle include Romania, Ireland, Greece, Vietnam, Kenya, Egypt, South Korea, Latvia, and Turkey.
The area that now encompasses Sheridan Circle, and much of the present-day Sheridan-Kalorama neighborhood, were originally large estates built outside the city's boundary. Local government officials announced in 1886 that development would be expanded beyond Boundary Street (renamed Florida Avenue in 1890). The plan was to extend Massachusetts Avenue NW northward past Rock Creek. Two traffic circles were also planned in the extension and most of the surrounding area was to be plotted and have streets laid out within a year.[2]
The land that was previously the Lovett estate and the Barlow-Bomford mausoleum is where present-day Sheridan Circle is located. The earliest developments in the Sheridan-Kalorama neighborhood took place near Decatur Circle, the original name of Sheridan Circle. It was named in honor of United States Navy Commodore Stephen Decatur, but renamed in 1890, in honor of Civil War General Philip Sheridan.[2][4]
Dupont Circle, a neighborhood to the east, became a fashionable residential area in the 1880s. Development past the Dupont Circle boundaries began that same decade, and by 1887, the lots along Massachusetts Avenue had been plotted. Soon, there were large residences being built along the avenue towards Decatur Circle. In the 1890s, the city's boundary was extended past Rock Creek, but city officials had to build a new bridge over the creek and pave Massachusetts Avenue before further development could occur.[2]
20th-century
The stone bridge that carried people and goods over Rock Creek on Massachusetts Avenue was replaced with an iron bridge in 1901, which was also replaced in the 1940s and named the Charles C. Glover Memorial Bridge.[2][5] The large residences built along Massachusetts Avenue were designed by prominent architects from Washington, D.C., as well as ones from other major cities. Most of the residences built around Sheridan Circle were free-standing mansions, occupied by prominent members of society. The first house to be constructed that faced the circle was the Alice Pike Barney Studio House, an eclectic example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, which Alice Pike Barney used as an art studio and residence. Foreign governments also became interested in building stylish, large embassies around the circle.[2][6]
A statue to honor General Sheridan was originally proposed to stand on the north side of Pennsylvania Avenue NW near 13th Street NW, at what is now Freedom Plaza. Sheridan's widow advocated to erect the statue at Sheridan Circle instead, with which the statue commission agreed. John Quincy Adams Ward was selected to sculpt the statue. Mrs. Sheridan rejected his original model, saying it was not a good likeness of her husband, and the statue commission rejected Ward's model. The commission and Mrs. Sheridan both approved of a model created by Gutzon Borglum, one that was modeled after Philip Sheridan Jr.[7][8] The statue and the surrounding park were dedicated on November 27, 1908, and is one of 18 Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C., listed on the NRHP on September 20, 1978, and the DCIHS on March 3, 1979.[3][9]
In the years following World War I, there was an explosion in growth of new buildings in the area. Many prominent local and national architects designed palatial residences around Sheridan Circle. During the Great Depression, many of the local residences were sold to foreign nations or various groups. After World War II ended, many of the area residences were renovated into embassies, ambassadorial residences, and attachés.[2]
According to news reports, Luis Posada Carriles was at the meeting that decided on Letelier's death and also about the Cubana bombing two weeks later.[10] Letelier and Moffitt are commemorated with a small plaque embedded in the grass along the curb where they died, near the Irish and Romanian embassies.[11] In 2023, Chilean President Gabriel Boric visited the memorial site where he placed flowers.[12]
On May 16, 2017, dozens of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) supporters and Kurdish separatists clashed with Turkish security officials at Sheridan Circle.[13] Turkish security personnel beat journalists and protesters during the skirmish.[13] Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, visiting the ambassadorial residence on the circle, watched the clashes from a distance.[14] During a civil suit by some of the PKK supporters against the Turkish government, a U.S. judge denied Turkey's citing the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act as to why the case should be dismissed.[13]
Jacob, Kathryn Allamong (1998). Testament to Union: Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp.134–138. ISBN9780801858611.
DeYoung, Karen; Montgomery, David; Ryan, Missy; Tharoor, Ishaan; Yang, Jia Lynn (September 20, 2016). "This was not an accident. This was a bomb". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Sheridan_Circle, and is written by contributors.
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