The next stop on my Street Level tour of D.C. is Volta Place in Georgetown. Volta Place is a narrow, quaint street just above the hustle and bustle of the Georgetown business district. It runs three blocks in Northwest D.C., from Wisconsin Avenue to 35th Street, dead-ending at the Georgetown Visitation School. The street is positively charming, lined with narrow red-brick town houses and overflowing flower pots. It's a short stroll, but a very pleasant one.
Volta Place used to be known as Fourth Street, back when Georgetown was separate from the City of Washington. In 1871, a single government was created for the entire District of Columbia, but it wasn't until 1895 that the streets of Georgetown were renamed to match the naming convention (letters, numbers, and states) used elsewhere.
An interesting fact about Volta Park, which is located about midway down Volta Place, is that the park once served as a cemetery for Revolutionary War soldiers. (The bodies were moved when the park was built.) Today it's a place to toss a frisbee and swim in one of the city's few public pools.
No comments:
Post a Comment