Marshall Heights DC: The Neighborhood Eleanor Roosevelt and Queen Elizabeth Both Visited

Deanwood is one of DC’s oldest Black suburbs — developed in the 1880s and home ever since to a community that built something durable without much help from the rest of the city.

Deanwood is one of DC’s oldest Black suburbs — developed in the 1880s when streetcar lines connected this far Northeast corner of the city to downtown, and home ever since to a community that built something durable without much help from the rest of the city. Marvin Gaye grew up here. Nannie Helen Burroughs founded her National Training School for Women and Girls here. The only amusement park ever built in Washington DC — Suburban Gardens, which operated from 1921 to 1940 as one of the only places Black Washingtonians could go for leisure during segregation — was here. Deanwood isn’t trying to be rediscovered. It’s been here the whole time.

Where Deanwood Is

Far Northeast Washington DC, on the border with Maryland. Served by two Metro stations — Deanwood at Polk Street NE and Minnesota Avenue NE, both on the Orange Line — connecting directly to downtown DC. Bordered by Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue to the north and the Anacostia Freeway to the west.

Marvin Gaye: Deanwood’s Most Famous Son

Marvin Gaye — one of the architects of the Motown sound, the voice behind ‘What’s Going On,’ ‘Let’s Get It On,’ and ‘Sexual Healing’ — grew up in Deanwood. After becoming famous he would return and perform informally in the large green space that now bears his name.

Marvin Gaye Park is the longest municipal park in Washington DC — a 1.6-mile greenway and trail system winding through Deanwood, Burville, Hillbrook, and Lincoln Heights. The park hosts year-round festivals, concerts, and community events including the annual Summer Peace Jam. The Marvin Gaye Urban Farm operates within the park corridor.

Nannie Helen Burroughs and the Training School

In 1909 Nannie Helen Burroughs founded the National Training School for Women and Girls on Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue NE — providing Black women with vocational and academic education at a time when almost no other institutions would serve them. Her name is on the avenue, her story woven into the neighborhood’s identity, her institution a physical reminder of what Deanwood has always represented: self-reliance and achievement built without waiting for the broader city’s attention.

Suburban Gardens: The Lost Amusement Park

From 1921 to 1940, Deanwood was home to Suburban Gardens — the only amusement park ever built in Washington DC, and one of the only places in the segregated city where Black Washingtonians could dance, enjoy rides, and gather freely. It’s gone now, but the history matters for understanding what Deanwood was and is: a neighborhood that built its own infrastructure, its own institutions, and its own joy when the rest of the city wouldn’t provide them.

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens sits at the edge of Deanwood — the only national park dedicated to aquatic plants, with lotus and water lily blooms that peak in July and draw photographers from across the region. Almost nobody outside Northeast DC knows it exists. Free, open daily, one of the most genuinely beautiful outdoor spaces in Washington.

The Architecture

Victorian, neoclassical, Colonial Revival, Prairie, and Craftsman style homes on lots with front and backyards — many designed and constructed by African American architects and contractors in the early 20th century. These homes have been well-maintained across generations. Deanwood offers DC homeownership at some of the city’s more accessible price points for buyers who want a detached home with a yard inside the District.

The Honest Picture

Deanwood has faced decades of disinvestment from city services and retail. Grocery access is limited — residents typically travel to neighboring areas for full-service supermarkets. The Deanwood Recreation Center has an indoor pool, basketball court, fitness center, tech lab, and library. The Strand Theater — historically the first motion picture theater in DC open to African Americans east of the Anacostia — is slated for renovation.

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