Upper Northwest Washington, D.C. encompasses the neighborhoods surrounding the highest point in the District of Columbia, including Tenleytown, AU Park, Fort Reno, and the surrounding areas. The region's history spans over 10,000 years, from Native American settlements to its current role as a residential and academic center.
Upper Northwest DC
- First Settlement
- c. 1790
- Highest Point
- 409 feet (Fort Reno)
- Named For
- John Tennally's Tavern
- Key Landmarks
- Fort Reno, American University, Politics and Prose
History
The area now known as Tenleytown takes its name from John Tennally, an illiterate innkeeper who operated a tavern at the intersection of River Road and the Georgetown-Rockville Turnpike (now Wisconsin Avenue) beginning around 1790. His name was spelled at least eleven different ways in official records, and he signed documents with an X.
During the Civil War, the Union Army constructed a ring of fortifications around Washington, D.C. Fort Reno, built in 1861 at the highest point in the District, played a crucial role in defending the capital during the Battle of Fort Stevens in 1864—the only time a sitting president (Abraham Lincoln) came under enemy fire.
Reno City
Following the Civil War, a community of formerly enslaved people established Reno City near Fort Reno. This thriving African American neighborhood included homes, churches, and businesses. In the 1920s, the federal government condemned and demolished the community to create a reservoir, giving residents just 60 days to relocate.
American University
American University was founded in 1893 by Methodist bishop John Fletcher Hurst with a vision to train future public servants. During World War I, the campus was commandeered for chemical weapons research and testing. Today, unexploded ordnance and chemical agents are still occasionally discovered in the Spring Valley neighborhood, requiring ongoing remediation.
Broadcasting Legacy
The Tenleytown area became a center for broadcasting history. WRC-TV's studios on Nebraska Avenue were where Jim Henson developed the Muppets for local television before Sesame Street. The first televised presidential debate between Kennedy and Nixon in 1960 was broadcast from these studios.