Where is Brookland?
Originally the farm of Colonial Jehiel Brooks, the area developed as an early suburb northeast of downtown Washington following his death in 1886. When the Catholic University of America was established in the area in 1885, the numerous study houses, monasteries and convents that chose to locate nearby inspired the place name “Little Rome.” The neighborhood is located in the middle of D.C.’s Ward 5.
What Kind of Neighborhood is Brookland?
Brookland has always been a middle-class community offering families a secure, neighborly home. Although early Brookland was mostly White—and mostly segregated in work, play and society—it always had Black residents, many leaders in their field. There’s a small town feel to Brookland, with its main commercial street, schools, churches, and block after block of single family homes, from Queen Anne style to bungalow to Mid Century Modern.
This stroll along Brookland’s tree-lined streets includes:
- The original Jehiel Brooks mansion;
- The former home of Sterling Brown, considered the “Dean of African American Poets”;
- 12th Street–Brookland’s “Main Street”–which retains its 1920s look and feel;
- The Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America, home to beautiful gardens, an impressive Byzantine-style church, and replicas of Christian pilgrimage sites in Israel.
At the monastery, participants can opt to either stay on to explore the grounds on their own or discover a few more neighborhood sites with the guide, concluding back at the walk start point.
