Rosemarie Onwukwe

Bloomingdale (Images of America) Rosemarie Onwukwe

Bloomingdale was named for the beautiful spring flowers and elm, maple, crepe myrtle, and ginkgo trees in the area. A unique neighborhood, Bloomingdale was settled in 1877 to provide housing for blue-collar workers in Washington. Landowners had estates, commercial properties, and expansive orchards. The area was also a hub of transportation and home to one of two large flour mills in Washington. With the influx of workers and freed people, the need for housing became urgent, and developers reexamined the land they had set aside for industry and orchards. The city worked to improve roads and set up trolley lines, and additional residential housing was constructed by the end of the 1890s. The Army Corps of Engineers built the McMillan Park Reservoir and Washington City Tunnel between 1882 and 1902. The site of the reservoir was designated a historic landmark by the D. C. Historic Preservation Review in 1991. Images of America: Bloomingdale presents images collected from Washington-area libraries, historical societies, neighbors, and historians.