‘Glover Park hawk’
courtesy of ‘Julie Lyn’
Welcome to another installment of Where We Live. This week we’ll look at Glover Park, a neighborhood that often gets overlooked because of its two loud neighbors: Dupont Circle and Georgetown. But there’s a lot of charm in Glover Park, and it offers residents a perfect balance: living on a quiet, tree-lined street while being just five minutes from restaurants, shops, and attractions. (And, for the record, it seems that no one is quite sure how to pronounce the name of this neighborhood, but it’s actually Glover– rhymes with lover, not clover — Park.)
History: Glover Park gets its name from Charles Carroll Glover (1846-1936), who donated much of the land that became Rock Creek Park and is responsible for the Washington National Cathedral’s construction. Glover Park started developing in the 1920s, with mostly residential rowhouses. The commercial district along Wisconsin Avenue developed in the mid-1930s, attracting corner stores and even a movie theater, while retaining the feeling of a small town. The Glover Park neighborhood was considered upscale compared to the “squalor of Georgetown” during this time, and through the years the neighborhood has preserved its residential nature and small-town character.
‘Multi-stage foliage in Burleith’
courtesy of ‘randomduck’
Neighborhood Character: The Glover Park neighborhood is primarily residential, with a variety of housing types. There are several original 1920s rowhouses mixed with more modern apartment buildings throughout the neighborhood. Most of the commercial development is along Wisconsin Avenue, with a variety of restaurants and shops. Residents love this mix of city life next to quiet residential streets.
We Love DC author Rebecca has lived in Glover Park for three years, and has this to say, “When you’re on the Wisconsin Ave strip of Glover Park, you feel like you’re in a city. There are shops, restaurants, bars, a gym, hardware store, Whole Foods, Starbucks, etc.–there’s seriously everything I need within a 10 minute walk. When you walk a block off the strip, it’s like you’re in the suburbs. It’s quiet, green, birds are everywhere and everyone is friendly.” Sounds like a pretty ideal balance to me.
‘New Social Safeway Coming Soon to Burleith’
courtesy of ‘TreyDanger’
Transportation: There’s no Metrorail station in Glover Park, but Rebecca insists that the area doesn’t “feel disconnected from the rest of Washington”. The bus system is very strong, with the D2 bus connecting the neighborhood directly with Dupont Circle. The 31, 32, and 36 routes go right up Wisconsin Avenue, and the DC Circulator links the neighborhood to Georgetown, downtown, and Union Station (though only until December 7). Glover Park has its share of Zipcars, and its park-like setting allows for great trail access. It’s just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the Capitol Crescent Trail and Rock Creek Park. 
‘Wisconsin Avenue’
courtesy of ‘vpickering’
What to See: Glover Park isn’t just a residential neighborhood anymore– there’s a lot to see and do in the area:
- Rebecca’s number one pick is Breadsoda. “Bartenders are friendly, they have excellent beer on tap, amazingly tasty sandwiches, WiFi, Wi, a fantastic/eclectic jukebox, shuffleboard, and a really funky, laid back scene.”
- Check out the community gardens that Glover Park residents treasure. Originally planted as victory gardens, the community gardens are still available for residents (though now with a wait list). The gardens attract residents young and old and are a central part of the community identity.
- Glover Park residents have been playing softball for the neighborhood for over 25 years in the city’s only independent neighborhood softball league. Head over to 39th and Calvert to catch a game.
- You have a few more weeks to check out the Glover Park-Burleith Farmer’s Market on Saturdays from 9-1 across from the Social Safeway. Great fruits and vegetables, flowers, and baked goods (and good people-watching too).
Neighborhood Links: There are a variety of active civic and community groups in Glover Park:
- Glover Park DC is a website and blog managed by Chris Jones, a long-time Glover Park resident. The blog has updates on new neighborhood businesses as well as community events.
- The Glover Park Citizens’ Association has been meeting since 1932 and publishes a monthly Glover Park Gazette that focuses on neighborhood events, rec center programs, and community announcements. Reading through a copy of the Glover Park Gazette really makes you realize how much small town charm this area has.
- Friends of Guy Mason Recreation Center is a civic association that focuses on the needs of the community center. The center offers studio arts classes and children’s programs.
Why We Love Glover Park: It may not be right on top of a Metro station, but Glover Park residents love the balance of quiet residential living and the amenities of a city here. Walking through the beautiful tree-lined streets of Glover Park, you see such a mix of residents: families with kids, young professionals, older residents, you name it. The neighborhood appeals to residents for many different reasons, and it’s not hard to see why Glover Park is a wonderful place to live.
The photos that originally appeared with this entry were removed due to owner objections (see Matt Hurst’s comments, below).
Glover Park! F’ yeh!
All the excitement of the burbs, and all the taxes of the city.
Glover Park! F’ NO!
I rented in Glover for years during & after my time as an American University student. There were ample apartments and condos available for rent, street parking and a safe neighborhood. But many of my friends just wanted to go there to find the street Fugazi came from. Can’t believe you didn’t even mention that. Duh. Ian MacKaye from Fugazi (and the Evens) grew up in Glover.
I also love Glover Park, but next time you’re going to use my pictures without first asking permission (check the rights) while blogging on the same subject I had recently blogged about (down to using the same pictures), the least I expect would be a link in return perhaps… I’m glad that another blog I enjoy are evidently fans of my own, especially since you improved on my story in myriad ways. I just thought it was customary to return that favor in links.
@MattHurst: I never saw your blog post about this topic, and I used the pictures because they came up in Flickr when I searched for “Glover Park” (unfortunately there’s not a great selection out there). They are all licensed for commercial use under the creative commons license, which is the standard we use here at We Love DC. I’ve been doing this neighborhood feature for the past six months, so it’s certainly not something new. Thanks for reading though.
@DC Grrl: Thanks for mentioning that. I had no idea!
@shannon Thank you for the correcting me about the photo liscensing, which I had recently changed. It’s important to open up this process online, and I want to thank you for following the propper attribution.
That being said, while I believe you weren’t reading my blog, if you take a look at my last two updates I think you’ll see why I might jump to conclusions. In the last week I had written about my neighborhood, Glover Park, and covered most of the same subjects so far. Perhaps I’ll link to this post in the conclusion.
@MattHurst Thanks for the clarification. I chose Glover Park for the Where We Live feature this week because my fellow WLDC author Rebecca lives there and loves it– but it’s funny that you and I were writing similar things at the same time about it.
A truly remarkable coincidence. Sorry if I’m coming off a a jerk, which is usually the case online. I’m sure it’s nothign we couldn’t patch things up at Breadsoda, which is also my favorite bar in the neighborhood.
I am an everyday reader of your blog and a fan. Thanks for using my pictures too (btw, did you change those?). I’ll keep reading the blog long after I move.
I agree with Matt Hurst. This sounds post sounds like blatant plagiarism to me.
I’m sorry you see it that way, Glover Park Gal, I can assure you that we do not plagiarize here.
That’s an offensive assertion without anything to back it up, GPG, and in fact you don’t agree with Matt Hurst: he never claimed he was plagiarized, just that his photos were used inappropriately and while blogging on the same subject. He even acknowledged that Shannon’s article went beyond his in a number of ways.
In fact the photos were perfectly legitimately used, in complete accordance with the license he set for them on Flickr, where Shannon found them without ever being aware of his article. Not that it would have mattered: Where We Live is an ongoing series and this was the most recent pick.
Matt’s reaction is understandable even if it’s an over-reach – creators are protective of their work and tend to see things from their own perspective. Writing about something then seeing the same subject covered using the same photos? Maybe none of us would have considered the other ways someone would have gotten to those same pictures.
Your assertion, though, is completely without basis and obviously uninformed. Sadly it’s pretty understandable too: people often react with less restraint and civility online than they might in person. In person I’d probably have limited myself to “that’s rude,” rather than enumerating the reasons why. You, perhaps, might leave us uncertain whether you were impolite and ignorant rather than saying something like the above and removing all doubt.
You can’t plagiarize something you’ve never seen: Go to Google and type in “Glover Park.” Matt’s entry doesn’t actually show up until the third page of results as of today, and didn’t show up at all at the time this entry was posted.
Side note to the discussion about whether Matt’s pictures were or were not used innapropriately – these are all pictures of Burleith or Georgetown. Come on, welovedc, get some pictures of Glover Park!