Capitol Hill Tower

Navy Yard is the riverfront district of Southeast DC between the Southeast Freeway and the Anacostia River, stretching from South Capitol Street east to the historic Washington Navy Yard. Over the past two decades it has changed from warehouses and parking lots into one of the city’s newest neighborhoods, organized around Nationals Park and the river.

Almost everything here was built after 2000. Most residents live in mid- and high-rise buildings, and while the majority of those are rental apartments, a set of condominium buildings — including Capitol Hill Tower (2006) at 1000 New Jersey Avenue SE and The Velocity (2009) at 1025 1st Street SE — give buyers a choice of full-service living. East of New Jersey Avenue, the Capitol Quarter townhouses on I and L Streets SE offer brick rowhouse living on new blocks.

Daily life happens on foot. The Yards Park and its boardwalk, fountain, and lawn anchor the waterfront, restaurants line the blocks around 1st and 4th Streets and Tingey Street, and a Harris Teeter at 1st and M Streets covers groceries. The Anacostia Riverwalk Trail runs along the water toward the Wharf and Hill East, and ballpark and concert days bring a lively crowd to the streets.

Navy Yard–Ballpark station on the Green Line sits at New Jersey Avenue and M Street, one stop from Waterfront and a few minutes from L’Enfant Plaza and Gallery Place. Capital Bikeshare docks and the river trail make car-light living practical, and the Southeast Freeway gives drivers quick access to I-295 and I-395.

I enjoy showing Navy Yard because it offers something rare in DC: new-construction condos and townhouses, a riverfront park at the door, and a Metro stop, all in one walkable district.