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History of Brookland

Washington DC’s Brookland neighborhood is the closest thing you will find to the Vatican on the Potomac River. Nicknamed “Little Rome,” and for good reason, it is the home to more than 60 Catholic institutions, from the grandeur of the Franciscan Monastery to the reflective beauty of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Catholic University of America and the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center also make their home in this upper Northeast neighborhood.

North America’s first and most comprehensive bonsai museum can be found at the U.S. National Arboretum. It is a 446-acre natural paradise that features enchanting landscaped gardens, fascinating seasonal displays, intriguing aquatic plants and a unique, two-acre herb garden.

Brookland is a neighborhood in the upper Northeast quadrant ( NE) of Washington, D.C., historically centered along 12th Street NE. Brookland is bounded by 1st Street NE to the west, Rhode Island Avenue NE to the south, and South Dakota Avenue to the east. Michigan Avenue is the northern boundary between 3rd and 18th Streets.
 Brookland is served by the Brookland-CUA station on the Red Line.
"Wikopedia 2007"

Noteworthy Landmarks include:

• Brooks Mansion
• Franciscan Monastery
• Ralph Bunche House
• Sterling Brown House
• Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
• The Catholic University of America
• Pope John Paul II Cultural Center
• Trinity University
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops National Head Quarters
• Local Farmers Market

History

For most of the 19th century the area was farmland owned by the prominent Middletown, and Queen families. Bellair, the 1840 brick Greek revival mansion built by Colonel Jehiel Brooks who married Ann Margaret Queen, still stands. It is referred to as Brooks Mansion. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad later connected this portion of Washington County to downtown. Change came rapidly during and after the American Civil War. First, Fort Slemmer and Fort Bunker Hill were constructed as defenses against the Confederate Army, and later the Old soldiers' home was constructed to the northwest.   The population of the city itself increased with the expansion of the federal government, and the former Brooks family estate became a neighborhood named "Brookland. "With the construction of nearby Sherwood, University Heights, and other neighborhoods, and the expansion of Washington's streetcars, a middle-class streetcar suburb developed, and eventually its expansion southward met Washington's northward. Many Queen Anne style and other Victorian homes still stand and are highlighted during the annual  Brookland Home and Garden Tour.

In 1887, the Roman Catholic Church purchased the Middletown estate, adjacent to Brookland, as the site for The Catholic University of America (CUA). Catholic University is the only university in the United States under the direct patronage of the Pope. Established near the Brooks Mansion, developers subdivided the old farm to build a new suburb. The presence of CUA attracted many other Catholic organizations and institutions to the area, including Trinity College (now Trinity University), established 1897, and the Franciscan monastery in 1905. Construction of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, to be the patronal church of the United States, began in 1920. The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center opened in 2001. Nearly 60 Catholic institutions called the neighborhood home by 1940. The area near Brookland has been nicknamed "Little Rome" by some for the many Catholic institutions clustered around CUA.

During the mid-twentieth century, Brookland could boast of such prominent residents as Ralph Bunche, Sterling Brown, Edward Brooke, Ellis O. Knox, Rayford W. Logan, and Pearl Bailey. It remains a relatively diverse and stable area of Washington. Brookland was also home to the playwright Jean Kerr and her playwright/critic husband Walter Kerr who taught at nearby CUA. The writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings spent her childhood in Brookland. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, author of The Yearling, was one of the neighborhood's many distinguished residents. Justine Ward, the music educator and author, lived in Brookland and built the large residence now occupied by Ronald McDonald House in the 1300 block of Quincy Street. Catholic University's School of Music is named in her honor.
 "answers.com 2007"

The Greater Brookland Garden Club was founded on the belief that we, as neighbors, can learn and be inspired through informal gatherings at each others' gardens. The organization came to life out of a love for plants and flowers and has encouraged residents in our neighborhood to take action with their own green spaces as well as our public green spaces. We have regular plant exchanges at our monthly gatherings. Members get the joy and educational experience of taking home a new plant to keep and care for. The annual “Brookland House and Garden” tour is a real treat and is usually presented every year in the month of June. It showcases the finest historically preserved  homes in Brookland and neighbors show off their unique renovations.
"Brookland Garden Club 2007"