Atlas District
Encyclopedia
The Atlas District is an arts and entertainment district located in the Near Northeast
neighborhood of Washington, DC. It runs along the resurgent H Street Corridor from the outskirts of Union Station to the crossroads with Maryland Ave, Bladensburg Road, and Florida Avenue. The name is not historical. It is part of a neighborhood branding campaign built around the revitalized Atlas Theater.
The area suffered economic setbacks after the riots following Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1968 assassination. The neighborhood began a resurgence after Joe Englert
announced plans in the late nineties to transform this three block area with various bars and music venues. Examples of bars that he opened were: the Pug; the Red and Black; the Rock N Roll Hotel; the Bee Hive; the Olympic, a sports bar with pool tables; Dr. Granville Moore's Brickyard; and the Showbar. Additionally, the area has benefited from the economic resurgence that has affected most of the district since the turn of the 21st century.
The area is served by the X2 Metrobus
. The city is building a streetcar system
running up H Street from Union Station to Benning Road
that would pass through the Atlas district; the streetcar is expected to open in late 2013.
The Atlas Theater
, the district’s namesake, was originally built in 1938. It was converted into the Atlas Performing Arts Center in 2001. The marquee and external appearance of the original movie theater were preserved, but the insides were completed replaced. The building now houses rehearsal and performance space for local performing arts groups, including the Capital City Symphony
.
Old City/Near Northeast
Near Northeast is a neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C.. It is bounded by North Capitol Street to the west, Florida Avenue to the north, H Street to the south, and 15th Street to the east.-History:...
neighborhood of Washington, DC. It runs along the resurgent H Street Corridor from the outskirts of Union Station to the crossroads with Maryland Ave, Bladensburg Road, and Florida Avenue. The name is not historical. It is part of a neighborhood branding campaign built around the revitalized Atlas Theater.
The area suffered economic setbacks after the riots following Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1968 assassination. The neighborhood began a resurgence after Joe Englert
Joe Englert
Joe Englert is a Washington DC area restaurateur. He became known in the early 1990s for creating quirky themed bars, restaurants and entertainment venues on U Street...
announced plans in the late nineties to transform this three block area with various bars and music venues. Examples of bars that he opened were: the Pug; the Red and Black; the Rock N Roll Hotel; the Bee Hive; the Olympic, a sports bar with pool tables; Dr. Granville Moore's Brickyard; and the Showbar. Additionally, the area has benefited from the economic resurgence that has affected most of the district since the turn of the 21st century.
The area is served by the X2 Metrobus
Metrobus (Washington, D.C.)
Metrobus is a bus service operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority . Its fleet consists of 1,480 buses covering an area of in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. There are over 300 bus routes serving 12,216 stops, including 2,398 bus shelters. In fiscal year 2009,...
. The city is building a streetcar system
DC Streetcar
The DC Streetcar is a surface light rail and streetcar network under construction in Washington, D.C. The streetcars will be the first to run in the District of Columbia since the dismantling of the previous streetcar system in 1962...
running up H Street from Union Station to Benning Road
Benning Road
Benning Road is heavily traveled street in Washington, D.C. and Prince George's County, Maryland. The street runs from an intersection in the northeast quadrant of the city at Bladensburg Road, Florida Avenue, Maryland Avenue, H Street and 15th Street, southeast over the Anacostia River on the...
that would pass through the Atlas district; the streetcar is expected to open in late 2013.
The Atlas Theater
Atlas Theater and Shops
The Atlas Theater and Shops are located at 1313-33 H Street, Northeast, Washington, D.C., in the Swampoodle neighborhood.-History:It was originally built in 1938, by the Kogod-Burka movie chain.It closed in August 1976....
, the district’s namesake, was originally built in 1938. It was converted into the Atlas Performing Arts Center in 2001. The marquee and external appearance of the original movie theater were preserved, but the insides were completed replaced. The building now houses rehearsal and performance space for local performing arts groups, including the Capital City Symphony
Capital City Symphony
The Capital City Symphony is a community orchestra based in Washington, D.C. It is one of the founding arts partners in the Atlas Performing Arts Center, located in Northeast DC’s Atlas District....
.