Comments on: Was it a Good Deal or Not? And No Photos GDoN

By: anon2.0

anon2.0 — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:53:18 +0000

The nickname for the estate that sat on the land previous was “Bloomingdale” because of its rose gardens. thats why all bloomingdale houses were planted with rose bushes when first built. some still have them. at a neighborhood party i was told that the Rosedale house stood around Randolph Place and First. that could just be a legend

By: djdc

djdc — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:09:58 +0000

Bloomingdale was named Bloomingdale (and possibly before) when it was subdivided and platted in 1889. Same for Brightwood Park in 1890.

http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2009/02/dc-neighborhood-names-from-back-in-the-day-from-a-reader/

By: IMGoph

IMGoph — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:35:06 +0000

talk to the bloomingdale civic association, and members like robert brannum and cassandra costley if you want to know more about the history of bloomingdale, and if you think the neighborhood’s name is a recent appellation. i swear, sometimes people want to just push their own version of history against all rational proof otherwise for no good reason…

By: Synonymous

Synonymous — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:53:35 +0000

Anon @ 2:36 — I think that’s generally how Brightwood Park is defined. But three blocks of a cheese wedge? That’s not big enough to be a whole neighborhood!

Now that I think about it, maybe it started around Gallatin, on the map that is.

By: Anon

Anon — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:36:28 +0000

I always thought Brightwood park was between Kennedy and Missouri and Georgia to Kansas.

By: Synonymous

Synonymous — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:14:27 +0000

CHP, I saw a map the other day (I wish I could remember where) that labeled a large chunk of north Petworth as Brightwood Park. I’m talking from approximately Decatur (I think) up to Missouri.

There’s also a big discussion happening right now on the Brightwood listserv regarding the lines of Brightwood and Manor Park.

It seems to be very difficult to nail down neighborhood parameters.

By: CHP

CHP — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:06:49 +0000

I often wonder when Petworth will be split up into realtor-inspired, differently-named, smaller neighborhoods. I live near the metro and would consider the areas of Petworth up near Brightwood a totally different neighborhood.

By: Eric in Ledroit

Eric in Ledroit — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:56:21 +0000

as another data point, the “Bloomingdale” sign on the shops at 1st and Rhode Island has clearly been there for a while. It pre-dates me (7 years) by a long time.

By: anon2.0

anon2.0 — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:06:16 +0000

actually archduke, thats not what i said at all. i said that the boundaries are really only purposeful in their origins.
bloomingdale has been called bloomingdale for 115 years, since the first plot was advertised.
i said that calling it such ebbed out of fashion for a while as it got swallowed up in a trend to call surrounding areas LeDroit, because of the value placed on “leDroit”. perhaps because of realtors. LeDroit has always been famous. first for its racist segregationist origin, then for its cultural community. bloomingdale and truxton weren;t part of the original gated community. truxton was built before. bloomingdale after.

there was a trend for a long time in nomenclature that made neighborhoods seem larger, this trend has reversed and people are referring to their neighborhoods in smaller and older divisions. its simply a matter of preference by residents as to what you refer to your hood as. unless its designated historic, no one really cares. but historically, there lines were drawn firmly, just as divisions between buildings are clear. not understanding that would kind of be like saying that the Ellington was part of Harrison Square, but on a bigger level.

I can’t really address “truxton” except that i like the term and newspapers seemed to initiate that as a term for a neighborhood, back in the 20′s or so.
when people dont know the clear lines or accept the historical ones, the say what they want.

By: Archduke of Scuttlebutt Circle

Archduke of Scuttlebutt Circle — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:35:46 +0000

anon2.0 is right. The “Bloomingdale” moniker is similar in authenticity and use as “Truxton Circle.” Its use has very little historical significance in reality, but has been mostly popularized by real estate agents and speculative homeowners in the area.