'Gentrification Overdrive' on 14 Street Symbolizes D.C.'s Gilded Age

"The recession has proved to be more of a catalyst than a cataclysm for much of the District, and nowhere is that playing out more dramatically than the one-mile stretch of 14th Street from Thomas Circle to Florida Avenue," writes Annys Shin. "The formerly riot-scarred corridor has gone into gentrification overdrive, a boom fueled by investors looking for a safe place to park hundreds of millions of dollars, the relative ease of obtaining a liquor license, and the arrival of thousands of new residents longing to live downtown."

However, not everyone is pleased with the area's new popularity. "Emanuel Silberstein, who grew up in Georgetown and moved to Logan Circle 11 years ago, is not sure he likes what he sees," notes Shin. 

“'I knew I wasn’t moving to Hagerstown. I didn’t expect it to be the suburbs,' he said after a community meeting where he raised concerns about a boutique hotel expansion near his home. 'But I fear the balance has really shifted to the commercial interests.'”