Dupont Circle

Dupont Circle is a traffic circle in the city of Washington, D.C., at the intersections of Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Connecticut Avenue, NW, New Hampshire Avenue, NW, and P Street, NW.

Originally called Pacific Circle, construction of the traffic circle began in 1871. In 1882, Congress authorized a memorial statue of Rear Admiral Samuel Francis du Pont in recognition of his Civil War service, and a bronze statue was erected in 1884 in a park at the center of the Circle. In 1921, the statue was replaced by the current double-tiered white marble fountain, designed by sculptor Daniel Chester French and architect Henry Bacon (the co-creators of the Lincoln Memorial). Three classical figures, symbolizing the Sea, the Stars and the Wind are carved on the fountain's central shaft.

The park within the Circle is a common gathering place in warmer months, for those wishing to play chess on the permanently installed stone chess boards, or to relax on the green. The park has also been a frequent site of protests, particularly against the U.S.-led 2003 invasion of Iraq, and protests against the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and of Gay rights marches and rallies.

Dupont Circle is a stop on the Washington Metro Red Line, with entrances at the north and south ends of the Circle.

The Dupont Circle neighborhood

Dupont Circle has also given its name to the surrounding, primarily residential neighborhood extending generally in all directions from the Circle, one of the more popular (and expensive) areas to DC residents.

The Dupont Circle area was a rural backwater until after the Civil War, when it became a fashionable residential neighborhood where some of Washington's wealthiest residents constructed houses in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century. Two types of housing predominate in the historic district: palatial mansions and freestanding residences built in the styles popular between 1895 and 1910; and three-and-four-story rowhouses, many of which are variations on the Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque Revival styles, built primarily before the turn of the century. The mansions line the broad, tree-lined diagonal avenues that intersect the Circle and the rowhouses line the grid streets of the historic district.

In the latter part of the 20th century, Dupont Circle became known as a gay area (nicknamed the "Fruit Loop") and somewhat bohemian neighborhood, but the area has gentrified since the mid-1970s along its main commercial strip on Connecticut Avenue, and has become a trendy location with a mix of coffee houses, bars (gay and straight), and upscale retail stores. Notable stores include a 24 hour bookstore and restaurant, KramerBooks & Afterwords cafe & grill; and D.C.'s first gay book store, Lambda Rising.

The Dupont Circle neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.