Shaw - U Street Corridor

The communities of Shaw and Howard University grew out of the freed slave encampments outside Washington City, then known as “Uptown.” The name didn’t shift to Shaw until the Urban Renewal era when the local Junior High School was named after Civil War Colonel Robert Gould Shaw.

Shaw thrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as the heart for African American intellectualism and culture. Notable residents include Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes and Malcolm X.

The Shaw and Howard University neighborhoods remain cultural centers today with the Lincoln Theater, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, and the 9:30 Club. Shaw real estate is defined by classic 19th century Victorian style row houses painted in a wide variety of colors. The neighborhood beyond the residential community is features plenty of local businesses and restaurants, including the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl on the U Street Corridor.

Shaw and Howard University are centrally located in D.C. The neighborhood is served by the Shaw-Howard University Metro station, but is also walking distance from the Mount Vernon Square station. There is reliable bus service on the 70 & 71 to Waterfront and Silver Spring, as well as the G2 bus connecting Georgetown University and Howard University. If you are a city driver, I-395 is close by.