Just a few blocks from the Capitol, there are tiny brick streets where the city feels quiet and old. They are called alleys, and Capitol Hill has some of the best-kept ones in Washington. They make a free, easy outing with kids, and a nice break from the crowds on the Mall.
A short history
Washington’s alleys began as service lanes behind the big streets. After the Civil War, families who needed affordable homes started to live in small houses along them. The city later worked to clear many of these dwellings. A DC Office of Planning survey counted 3,337 alley dwellings in 1912 and found that 108 remain. Capitol Hill is one of the places where a good number of them survive. (DC Office of Planning alley survey)
Stop 1: Gessford Court SE
Gessford Court sits between 11th and 12th Streets SE, and between Independence Avenue and C Street SE. It is a small cross-shaped alley of narrow brick rowhouses, close to Lincoln Park and Eastern Market. (UrbanTurf)
It is named for Charles Gessford, a well-known Capitol Hill architect and builder who lived from 1831 to 1894. (Capitol Hill Restoration Society) The Washington Post has described the homes as affordable rental housing built for working-class African Americans and immigrants. The DC survey also notes that Gessford Court still has all of its original alley dwellings. Civil rights leader Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. once lived here.
Try this with your kids: Count the brick rowhouses. Ask them who they think lived in such small homes, and what a day on this street might have sounded like.
Plan your visit
- Time: About 20 to 30 minutes for the alley. Add Lincoln Park and a snack stop at Eastern Market for a full morning.
- Getting there: It is near Lincoln Park and Eastern Market, so plan to combine them.
- Please be a good guest: People live here. Keep voices low and stay on the public way.
- Strollers: Brick surfaces can be bumpy, so a sturdy stroller helps.
- Restrooms and food: Check hours before you go. Eastern Market is nearby for a bite.
Keep exploring
Next, walk over to Lincoln Park, a few blocks away, for open space and room to run. Planning a longer day? Our guide to Civil War forts around DC pairs well with this walk, and so does our guide to historic Capitol Hill parks.
Have you found a favorite hidden spot on Capitol Hill? Share it in the comments. We’d love to hear about your family’s walks.
Elizabeth Redd, the Publisher of this website, grew up in a small town called Newhall, West Virginia, before moving to Washington, DC, in 1964. She worked in Prince George's County Public School System in Maryland for 40 years, opened a wig shop, made clothes, and participated in fashion shows during the '70s and '80s. She worked part-time as a caterer for a couple of years. Hand dancing has been one of her passions. She has also worked in Internet marketing for the last ten years. She also has a passion for learning new things.
She has learned that success is measured not so much by the position one has reached in life but by the obstacles one has overcome while trying to succeed. One thing is for sure: she is living her best life.
