Key Month Ahead for Capitol Hill Historic District Expansion

The Capitol Hill Restoration Society is gearing up for a big November as the group explores the expansion of the Capitol Hill Historic District.

If the boundaries of the district were changed, residents and developers would need approval from the D.C. Historic Preservation Office for new construction and many alterations to buildings. Property values have risen every time a neighborhood has earned the historic designation, according to the preservation office.

The current district is roughly bound by F Street NE to the north, 13th Street NE and SE to the east, the Southeast Freeway to the south and 2nd Street NE and SE to the west. The expansion would add additional blocks to the north as far as H Street NE and to the east as far as 19th Street SE.

CHRS will hold public meetings next month for residents in the proposed expansion areas.

ANC 6A area: Nov. 5 at 6:45 p.m. at Maury Elementary School, 13th Street and Constitution Avenue NE

ANC 6B area: Nov. 17 at 6:45 p.m. at the Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE

ANC 6C area: Nov. 18 at 7 p.m., Northeast Library, 330 7th St. NE

Rosedale community: Possible meeting to be scheduled

CHRS has also released a question-and-answer sheet from the Historic Preservation Office that aims to address neighborhood concerns about landmarked districts.

Advocates for expanding the district say the new area includes historically significant buildings from before and after the Civil War. The architectural history firm EHC Traceries will complete a study of the area, Hill Rag reported. That study is set to be released next month.

The mayor appoints members to the Historic Preservation Review Board, which oversees the historic districts. The election next week may affect the potential expansion of the historic zone. The DC Preservation League released a candidates’ questionnaire on preservation.