Early in the city's history, many foreign countries opened their
embassies on 16th Street because of its proximity to the White House. Many religious denominations followed with churches, earning the street the nickname "Church Row." These include
Foundry Methodist (attended by Presidents Hayes and Clinton), First Baptist (attended by Presidents Truman and Carter), the
Nineteenth Street Baptist Church which was originally named the First Colored Baptist Church of Washington, D.C. (visited twice by President Barack Obama),
St. John's ("Church of the Presidents"),
All Souls Unitarian,
Universalist National Memorial Church, St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Cathedral, founded in 1949 and built in 1958, and
Third Church of Christ, Scientist, which was designed by an associate of
I.M. Pei in 1971 and demolished in 2014.
Shrine of the Sacred Heart is located just off of 16th Street. After most of the embassies moved to
Embassy Row and other parts of the city, the churches became more prominent in 16th Street's identity. Other notable buildings include the
Scottish Rite Masons'
House of the Temple,
Carnegie Institution for Science,
Robert Simpson Woodward House, the
Warder Mansion,
Carter Barron Amphitheater, the
Washington, D.C. Jewish Community Center, and the
Toutorsky Mansion. , built 1928 The
AFL–CIO,
American Trucking Association,
National Education Association,
American Chemical Society,
National Geographic Society, and
Benjamin Franklin University have prominent buildings on 16th Street. The
National Rifle Association of America was headquartered on the street until the late 1990s. By the end of the 19th century, 16th Street NW stretched some 2.5 miles from the White House north to Morris Road NW (now Monroe Street NW). On March 30, 1899, the
United States Congress authorized the extension of the street to the D.C.-
Maryland line. Within two years, the city completed
condemnation proceedings to obtain the necessary land. But bridging the natural obstacle of the
Piney Branch valley—with the
nation's first parabolic arch bridge—would take until 1909. (left), built in 1904, and the
Russian Ambassador's residence (right), built in 1910. The northern and central portions of 16th Street—and the
Crestwood neighborhood, in particular—have for a half century been the chosen neighborhood of accomplished
African Americans in Washington. Known colloquially as "The Gold Coast", these sections of 16th Street are lined with early 20th-century Tudor mansions. As 16th Street continues north through the
Shepherd Park neighborhood, the street passes
7700 16th Street NW, a Tudor-style house that was the scene of a notorious crime; several houses of worship, including the
Ohev Sholom synagogue and historic Tiffereth Israel synagogue, across the street from one another; and the Washington Ethical Society. The street's proximity to
Rock Creek Park and importance as a thoroughfare has made it a natural dividing boundary for Washington neighborhoods. Outside of the downtown area, no neighborhood in the city falls on both sides of 16th Street; the neighborhoods that surround it have 16th as either their eastern or their western boundary. For many years, the wide street was the
de facto "boundary" between Caucasian and African-American neighborhoods of the city, especially in the tense years after the 1968 race riots. A pair of similarly named streets, 16th Street Northeast and 16th Street Southeast, are three miles (5 km) away in the northeast and southeast quadrants of Washington. They are contiguous with each other and parallel to 16th Street NW. There is no 16th Street Southwest, as this space is occupied by the National Mall and the Washington Channel. ==References==