Imagine a time long before the bustling streets we see today. Pleasant Valley began as part of a land grant to James Holmead in 1727. It was part of the “Pleasant Plains” estate. This vast estate included present-day Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights.
After D.C.’s creation in 1791, Pleasant Plains became part of Washington County. It was not part of the City of Washington initially. Robert Peter, a Georgetown businessman, surveyed land here in the 1790s. He created maps for land transactions.
Fast forward to 1861. William Selden, a Confederate sympathizer, owned land north of Pierce Mill Road. He was forced to sell it at a low price. Samuel P. Brown, a New England native, bought the land. He built a house and allowed Mount Pleasant General Hospital to be built.
After the Civil War, Brown started selling parcels of his land. He named the area Mount Pleasant Village. It had the highest elevation within the original Pleasant Plains estate. Brown kept the parcel around his house at 3351 Mount Pleasant Street NW.
In the 1870s, a horse-drawn streetcar began operating. It ran from Fourteenth and Park to downtown. This made Mount Pleasant the first streetcar suburb in D.C.. In 1878, Mount Pleasant merged into Washington. The city’s boundaries became the same as the District’s.
16th Street NW was extended north of Florida Avenue in 1901. This established the neighborhood’s boundary. Mount Pleasant grew rapidly after the streetcar expansion in 1903. Developer Fulton R. Gordon marketed lots as “Mount Pleasant Heights” in 1907. Many houses and apartments were built between 1900 and 1925. These were primarily for middle to upper-middle-class residents.
The Mount Pleasant Library was built in 1925. Edward Lippincott Tilton designed it. Andrew Carnegie helped fund it. By 1927, homeowners had restrictive covenants. These forbade sales to African Americans.
The neighborhood changed after 1948. The Supreme Court struck down restrictive covenants. A Black Howard University professor moved in. Some white residents began to leave. This white flight increased after the 1968 riots. By 1970, the neighborhood was 65% black.
Beginning in the 1960s, immigrants from Central America settled here. They developed businesses catering to Hispanic and Latino Americans. Mount Pleasant also attracted former Peace Corps workers.
In 1973, the Community of Christ bought a building. They offered it rent-free to peace activists and musicians. The group house scene flourished in the 1980s.
However, from the 1970s to the 1990s, the neighborhood suffered. The crack epidemic and drug trade were rampant.
The neighborhood became a historic district in 1987. In 1990, it was majority-minority. African Americans made up 36% of the population. Latinos were 26%, and whites 35%.
The 1991 Mount Pleasant riot followed a shooting by a police officer. It injured twelve people and destroyed buildings. This led to Latino activism in D.C..
In 2010, Mount Pleasant’s ZIP Code was one of the “most whitened” areas in the country. The percentage of non-Hispanic white residents increased significantly. Housing prices have risen significantly as of 2021.
Today, Mount Pleasant stands as a testament to change. Its history reflects the diverse experiences that have shaped Washington D.C.. From its rural beginnings to its current urban form, Mount Pleasant continues to evolve. It maintains a unique character that defines it. A place with unique and multicultural landscape.