Tenley Circle
Encyclopedia
Traffic circle
A traffic circle or rotary is a type of circular intersection in which traffic must travel in one direction around a central island. In some countries, traffic entering the circle has the right-of-way and drivers in the circle must yield. In many other countries, traffic entering the circle must...
in the Northwest Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
neighborhood of Tenleytown
Tenleytown
Tenleytown is a historic neighborhood in Northwest, Washington, DC.-History:In 1790, Washington locals began calling the neighborhood "Tennally's Town" after area tavern owner John Tennally...
. Tenley Circle lies at the intersection of Nebraska Avenue, Wisconsin Avenue, and Yuma Street.
The circle gets its name from John Tennally, a tavern owner and local resident circa 1790. As is common with the passage of time, the name "Tennally" evolved into the name "Tenley" with which we are familiar today. The name change was relatively gradual and historic photos of The District's streetcar system have indicated that streetcars of the period were signed with the original spelling.
The circle is bounded by St. Ann Roman Catholic Church, a large imposing stone church, American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
's Tenley Campus
Tenley Campus
Tenley Campus is a satellite campus of American University located on Tenley Circle, in Northwest Washington, DC. It is home to the Washington Semester Program, University Publications, Alumni Relations, and Media Relations Departments, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.Purchased in 1987...
, and Wisconsin Avenue Baptist Church.
The circle is an important transportation hub for area residents, featuring stops for the MetroBus "30's Line," as well as H3, H4, M4, N2, and N8 routes. The Tenleytown-AU
Tenleytown-AU (Washington Metro)
Tenleytown-AU is a rapid transit station on the Red Line of the Washington Metro in Washington, D.C. Located in the Upper Northwest neighborhood, it is the last station on the Red Line heading outbound wholly within the District of Columbia; the next stop, Friendship Heights, lies within the...
metro station is one block north of the circle where one is able to catch a free shuttle to the main campus of American University a little less than a mile away.
Unlike many of the circles in Washington, Tenley's traffic pattern has evolved such that the dominant roadway, Wisconsin Ave., can pass straight through the center instead of going around the outside circumference.