| When Washington Park was
laid out in 1840, only Washington Place,
at the end further from downtown, had
been built. Most lots were filled by
1865, although some buildings were
replaced between 1880 and 1920. Although
many Washington Park houses were
converted into apartments between 1916
and 1946, the neighborhood continued to
be the home of the prosperous until the
beginning of the post-war suburban
housing boom. In the last third of the
twentieth century, as owners aged in
place and young families chose suburbia,
Washington Park became a neighborhood of
students and retirees. Grand houses were
converted into funeral homes (in 1966,
there were four!) or institutional uses.
Today, increased interest in urban living
and historic restoration has brought new
owner-occupants to the neighborhood, but
many homes are still available at
reasonable prices.
More detailed information, along with
research sources and questions for future
research, can be viewed or downloaded:
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The raw
data used in writing the history of
Washington Park after 1916 is available
as a Microsoft Word document.
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