Swampoodle

Rich in DC history, Swampoodle borders the United States Capitol and is home to Union Station, The National Postal Museum and Capitol Crossing. The neighborhood sits just west of the Atlas District, south of Noma and Union Market and east of Chinatown and Mount Vernon Triangle. The neighborhood began as a place of refuge for Irish immigrants fleeing the Irish potato famine. The neighborhood was constructed on top of Tiber Creek, which was prone to overflowing and therefore left swamps and large puddles surrounding the area. Early settlers started calling the area “swamp puddle”, which eventually became Swampoodle. When Union Station was built, Tiber creek was filled in and the swamps and puddles went away, but the name stuck. A few of the original homes still exist as well as the oldest educational institution in the old Federal City of Washington: Gonzaga College High School. The architecture of the area is a mix of elaborate Victorian town homes, small Craftsman properties and modest flat front residences, built in the late 1800s and early 1900s.