History of the Street - Introduction

On August 22, 1879, Diller Baer Groff paid $48.00 to the Treasurer's Office of the District of Columbia government for a permit to build twenty-four semi-detached brick houses on Caroline Street (Square 190) in the northwest quadrant of the City of Washington. According to the application, he estimated the cost of his Caroline Street project to be $43,200, or about $1,800 for each residence.

This is the story of that street, its buildings and people, good times and bad, and survival today as an urban community in the best sense.

This labor of love by two long-time residents is dedicated to

• Our great neighbors and a wonderful place to live;

• Those dear neighbors who have passed away, including Mark Davis (1518), a World War I veteran who had served in France, Katie Mizell (1505), Eloise and Norman Bland (1501), Inez and Marion “Buddy" Jackson (1519), World War II veteran George Evans and his wife Caroline (1504), and Pallena Williams (1508);

• Those neighbors who have moved on to other stages of their lives in other places; and Luca, Anna and Alessandro, the recently born who once again have brought young voices to the street.

While this edition is greatly expanded from the first written in 1993 by Rick Busch, it is certainly not definitive. Corrections and additional information (particularly pictures) will be welcomed.