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Van Ness Elementary
Neighborhood school for "Negro students" opened in 1909 at 4th and M
New integrated building opened at 5th and M in 1956; closed in 2006 as Capper housing project was emptied
Reopening for the 2015-2016 school year with preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten classes
- Full Neighborhood Development MapThere's a lot more than just the projects listed here. See the complete map of completed, underway, and proposed projects all across the neighborhood.
- What's New This YearA quick look at what's arrived or been announced since the end of the 2018 baseball season.
- Food Options, Now and Coming SoonThere's now plenty of food options in the neighborhood. Click to see what's here, and what's coming.
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- Anacostia RiverwalkA bridge between Teague and Yards Parks is part of the planned 20-mile Anacostia Riverwalk multi-use trail along the east and west banks of the Anacostia River.
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- Virginia Ave. Tunnel ExpansionConstruction underway in 2015 to expand the 106-year-old tunnel to allow for a second track and double-height cars. Expected completion 2018.
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- Rail and Bus Times
Get real time data for the Navy Yard subway, Circulator, Bikeshare, and bus lines, plus additional transit information. - Rail and Bus Times
Get real time data for the Navy Yard subway, Circulator, Bikeshare, and bus lines, plus additional transit information. - Canal ParkThree-block park on the site of the old Washington Canal. Construction begun in spring 2011, opened Nov. 16, 2012.
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- Nationals Park21-acre site, 41,000-seat ballpark, construction begun May 2006, Opening Day March 30, 2008.
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- Washington Navy YardHeadquarters of the Naval District Washington, established in 1799.
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- Yards Park5.5-acre park on the banks of the Anacostia. First phase completed September 2010.
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- Van Ness Elementary SchoolDC Public School, closed in 2006, but reopening in stages beginning in 2015.
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- Agora/Whole Foods336-unit apartment building at 800 New Jersey Ave., SE. Construction begun June 2014, move-ins underway early 2018. Whole Foods expected to open in late 2018.
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- New Douglass BridgeConstruction underway in early 2018 on the replacement for the current South Capitol Street Bridge. Completion expected in 2021.
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- 1221 Van290-unit residential building with 26,000 sf retail. Underway late 2015, completed early 2018.
- NAB HQ/AvidianNew headquarters for National Association of Broadcasters, along with a 163-unit condo building. Construction underway early 2017.
- Yards/Parcel O Residential ProjectsThe Bower, a 138-unit condo building by PN Hoffman, and The Guild, a 190-unit rental building by Forest City on the southeast corner of 4th and Tingey. Underway fall 2016, delivery 2018.
- New DC Water HQA wrap-around six-story addition to the existing O Street Pumping Station. Construction underway in 2016, with completion in 2018.
- The Harlow/Square 769N AptsMixed-income rental building with 176 units, including 36 public housing units. Underway early 2017, delivery 2019.
- West Half Residential420-unit project with 65,000 sf retail. Construction underway spring 2017.
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- Novel South Capitol/2 I St.530ish-unit apartment building in two phases, on old McDonald's site. Construction underway early 2017, completed summer 2019.
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- 1250 Half/Envy310 rental units at 1250, 123 condos at Envy, 60,000 square feet of retail. Underway spring 2017.
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- Parc Riverside Phase II314ish-unit residential building at 1010 Half St., SE, by Toll Bros. Construction underway summer 2017.
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- 99 M StreetA 224,000-square-foot office building by Skanska for the corner of 1st and M. Underway fall 2015, substantially complete summer 2018. Circa and an unnamed sibling restaurant announced tenants.
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- The Garrett375-unit rental building at 2nd and I with 13,000 sq ft retail. Construction underway late fall 2017.
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- Yards/The Estate Apts. and Thompson Hotel270-unit rental building and 227-room Thompson Hotel, with 20,000 sq ft retail total. Construction underway fall 2017.
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- Meridian on First275-unit residential building, by Paradigm. Construction underway early 2018.
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- The Maren/71 Potomac264-unit residential building with 12,500 sq ft retail, underway spring 2018. Phase 2 of RiverFront on the Anacostia development.
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- DC Crossing/Square 696Block bought in 2016 by Tishman Speyer, with plans for 800 apartment units and 44,000 square feet of retail in two phases. Digging underway April 2018.
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- One Hill South Phase 2300ish-unit unnamed sibling building at South Capitol and I. Work underway summer 2018.
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- New DDOT HQ/250 MNew headquarters for the District Department of Transportation. Underway early 2019.
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- 37 L Street Condos11-story, 74-unit condo building west of Half St. Underway early 2019.
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- CSX East Residential/Hotel225ish-unit AC Marriott and two residential buildings planned. Digging underway late summer 2019.
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- 1000 South Capitol Residential224-unit apartment building by Lerner. Underway fall 2019.
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- Capper Seniors 2.0Reconstruction of the 160-unit building for low-income seniors that was destroyed by fire in 2018.
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- Chemonics HQNew 285,000-sq-ft office building with 14,000 sq ft of retail. Expected delivery 2021.
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Nov. 24, 2006 - Van Ness Elementary School as it looked for many years, seen in 2006 after it closed as an elementary school but continuing to operate as an "early learning center." The old Capper Seniors building is visible at far right rear.
August 11, 2016 - The same angle as above, not quite a decade later, with the renovations to the gymnasium and the addition of a second floor nearing completion.
Nov. 1, 2007 - Another angle of Van Ness, this time as seen from M Street SE, west of Hull.
June 4, 2017 - The same angle as above, with the renovated gym and new second-floor space completed.
March 15, 2008 - The school's northwest corner, at 5th and L Streets.
November 4, 2019 - The same location, with the school reopened while renovations continue. 
Aug. 11, 2016 - The front entrance, not quite yet ready for returning students.
May 29, 2016 - The new playground equipment. (Well, not quite so new by the time I got around to taking this photo.)
Nov. 1, 2007 - The rear of Van Ness as seen from the roof of the old Capper Seniors building.
July 12, 2015 - And a view of the school's rear side, as seen from M Street, with renovations underway.
June 9, 2004 - A ground-level view of the rear of Van Ness, with students playing on the playground, at the end of its second-to-last school year before its closure.
A draft drawing released in February 2015 of what the school's playground and other areas could look like after all renovations are completed. (enlarged view)
If you look pretty hard at the right-hand side of this 1939 overhead photo of Near Southeast, you can see the original Van Ness Elementary at 4th and M, where the 300 M Street building now stands. After the new building on 5th opened in 1956, this old school building (eventually known as the Lenox Annex) remained on the city's property rolls under varying uses. In the 1970s it was a special education school, then an adult education center in the 1990s, but finally the building was demolished in the late 1990s for what has since become the 300 M Street SE office building. Read more about the history of the original school in these two HillisHome posts.
Feb. 3, 2005 - The school's northwest corner, at 5th and L, back in 2005 when it was still operating.
Oct. 29, 2005 - A better view of the school's main entrance--the rendering at top shows how the door will be "lifted" to align with the windows of the 1st floor.
March 9, 2014 - The Van Ness footprint also includes the Lincoln Playground Building, built in 1934 and in 2015 the subject of a historic landmark nomination filing.
Sept. 28, 2014 - Just to the east of the playground building is the currently closed Joy Evans Recreation Center, which also has an outdoor pool that operated for a few years as the Lincoln Capper Children's Pool.
July 12, 2015 - Ready for some sprucing up.
Latest News
August 11, 2016
Before and During: Van Ness Elementary School
May 1, 2016
May 10 Meeting on Plans for Joy Evans Park
June 15, 2015
Van Ness Elementary School 'Showcase' on June 17
March 23, 2015
Van Ness Elementary Fundraiser at Nando's on March 24
February 17, 2015
Snow Day Tuesday Tidbits: Fresh as the Newfallen Snow
February 9, 2015
Draft Renderings for Van Ness Elementary Renovations
January 27, 2015
Van Ness School 'Design Slam' Jan. 28; Fundraiser Feb. 17
December 23, 2014
Tidbits: Wishing You a Happy Holiday of Your Choice
November 12, 2014
Meetings on Van Ness Elementary School Reopening
August 22, 2014
Catching Up with a Big Batch Of Items on Coming Projects
