| Chevy Chase Circle | |
|---|---|
 The Francis Griffith Newlands Memorial Fountain at the center of Chevy Chase Circle | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Washington, DC and Chevy Chase, MD | |
| Roads at junction |  MD 185Connecticut Avenue NW Western Avenue Chevy Chase Parkway NW Magnolia Parkway Various other local roads |
| Construction | |
| Type | Traffic circle |
| Maintained by | DDOT, MDSHA |
Chevy Chase Circle is a traffic circle (or roundabout) straddling the border of Chevy Chase, Washington, D.C., and Chevy Chase, Maryland. It sits upon the convergence of Western Avenue, Grafton Street, Magnolia Parkway, Chevy Chase Parkway NW, and Connecticut Avenue (signed as Maryland Route 185 in Maryland).
The circle was built around 1890 by the Chevy Chase Land Company as part of its construction of the northern extension of Connecticut Avenue from the Rock Creek gorge. The circle marks the lone bend in the road’s five-mile stretch between Rock Creek and its original terminus at Coquelin Run. The company had initially planned to grade the road in a straight line to Rockville, Maryland, but could not acquire the necessary land at the desired price, and so turned due north at the D.C.-Maryland border.
A streetcar line—first named the Rock Creek Railway, later the Capital Traction Company—ran through the circle until Sept. 15, 1935, when its service was replaced by buses.[1]
In 1938, Francis Griffith Newlands Memorial Fountain was erected in the center of the Circle, commemorating Representative and Senator Francis Newlands of Nevada.[2][3] The east and west sides of a grassy ring within the Circle's interior each contain a Garden Club of America entrance marker that denotes Connecticut Avenue's entry into the District of Columbia.[4][5]
All Saints' Episcopal Church opened on Chevy Chase Circle on December 1, 1901.[6] It was built in the Gothic style of architecture[6] on land donated by The Chevy Chase Land Company.[7] Rev. Dr. Thomas S. Childs was its first pastor.[6]
Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church, also on Chevy Chase Circle, was built in 1911.[8] Rev. Dr. Hubert Rex Johnson was its first pastor.[8]
The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament Church was canonically established in 1911. A simple, temporary church was built at that time, with construction of the present church beginning in 1925.[9] The cornerstone was blessed by Bishop Thomas J. Shahan, rector of the Catholic University of America.[9] The new Church opened on November 6, 1927.[10] Archbishop Michael Joseph Curley officiated at the dedicatory service.[10]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ Eisen, Jack (September 15, 1985). "50 Years of Buses". Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
- ^ "Chevy Chase Circle" (PDF). Town of Chevy Chase. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 April 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- ^ Sisson, Edward Hawkins (26 February 2009). "Chevy Chase Circle Fountain: A Call To Rededicate a Memorial to Racism". newgeography.com. Archived from the original on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- ^ Williams, Kim, District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office, Washington, D.C. (October 2006). "Garden Club of America Entrance Markers at Chevy Chase Circle" (PDF). United States Department of the Interior: National Park Service: National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. Historic Washington. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 20, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link). - ^ Coordinates of Garden Club of America entrance markers:
(1) West side of grassy ring: 38°58′03″N 77°04′38″W / 38.967624°N 77.077353°W
(2) East side of grassy ring: 38°58′03″N 77°04′37″W / 38.967589°N 77.076948°W - ^ a b c "Opened a New Church: Pretty House of Worship at Chevy Chase Circle". The Washington Post. December 2, 1901. p. 12.
- ^ French, Roderick S. (1973). "Chevy Chase Village in the Context of the National Suburban Movement, 1870-1900". Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. 49: 300–329. ISSN 0897-9049. JSTOR 40067746. Archived from the original on 2022-05-23. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
- ^ a b "Dedicate New Church: Hundreds Attend Services at Chevy Chase Edifice". The Washington Post. January 9, 1911. p. 5.
- ^ a b "Three Brothers Officiate At Cornerstone Laying". The Baltimore Sun. November 2, 1925. p. 3.
- ^ a b "Prelate Dedicates Sacrament Shrine with Solemn Pomp: Archbishop Curley Presides at Services in New Chevy Chase Church". The Washington Post. November 7, 1927. p. 18.