Hill East

Hill East is a neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is located directly to the east of Capitol Hill and is bounded by East Capitol Street SE and Kingman Park to the north, the Anacostia River to the east and south, and 14th Street SE to the west. It includes landmarks such as Congressional Cemetery and D.C. Armory. Hill East is the only neighborhood in Ward 7 west of the Anacostia.^[1]

Hill East
Neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Top: RFK Stadium and the D.C. Armory overlooking East Capitol Street; bottom: East Capitol Car Barn (left) Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Catholic Church (right)
Hill East Location in Washington, D.C.
Coordinates: 38°53′7.70″N 76°58′27.96″W
Country	United States
District	Washington, D.C.
Quadrants	Southeast
Ward	7
Government
• Councilmember	Wendell Felder
ZIP code	20003
Area code	202
Website	https://dc.gov/hilleast

History

Hill East is the contemporary name for the eastern end of the Capitol Hill neighborhood, coined to give the area its own modern identity distinct from the historic district.^[2] While the area had long been part of Capitol Hill, particularly Barney Circle and Kingman Park, Hill East as a distinct neighborhood began circulating around the mid-2010s and became used by the late 2010s. The existing neighborhood is primarily early 20th‑century brick rowhouses—flat‑front Federals, Wardman-style homes with full-width porches, and some Victorian models—with small front lawns, alleys, and occasional carriage houses.^[3] The community gardens, tree-lined streets, and area green spaces contribute to Hill East's reputation as a nature-rich enclave within Washington, D.C.^[4]

Landmarks

Congressional Cemetery

D.C. Armory

Hill East is home to several landmarks. The Congressional Cemetery, established in 1807, serves as the final resting place for numerous notable figures, including members of Congress and early local residents.^[5] South of Congressional Cemetery is the Seafarers Yacht Club. Established in 1945, it is often referred to as the oldest African American boat club on the East Coast.^[6]

The nearby D.C. Jail has operated as the city's main correctional facility since the 1970s.^[7] Adjacent to it is the site of the former District of Columbia General Hospital, previously known as Gallinger Municipal Hospital, which functioned as the city's primary public hospital until its closure in 2001 and demolition in 2018.^[8]

Along East Capitol Street, Holy Comforter–St. Cyprian Catholic Church, a historic African American parish, has been a center of community life and worship in the area for over a century.^[9] The East Capitol Car Barn, an architecturally distinctive former streetcar facility, has been repurposed for residential and community use.^[10]

On the eastern edge of the neighborhood the D.C. Armory, built in 1941 as a National Guard training facility, has since served as a major Washington, D.C. venue for military events, sports, concerts, and civic gatherings, and Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (RFK Stadium) was the home venue for the Washington Redskins football team among other sporting teams and large-scale events.^[11][12]

Development

Since 2018, the Government of the District of Columbia has been actively transforming the Hill East neighborhood with initial focus on Reservation 13, formerly the D.C. General Hospital campus, into a mixed-use waterfront district under the 2002 Anacostia Waterfront Initiative.^[13]

Phase I—completed by Donatelli/Blue Skye Development—delivered over 360 housing units (including permanent supportive and deeply affordable units) along with ground-floor retail.^[14] Phase II—completed by Donatelli/Blue Skye for Bundle 1 and R13 Community Partners for Bundle 2—are building a combined ~2,300 units, including deeply affordable, middle-income, and market-rate housing, plus around 60,000 sq ft of retail, a 150‑room Marriott hotel, and new parks honoring RFK's legacy as well as a park dedicated to Relisha Rudd, who was kidnapped from a homeless shelter on the site and murdered back in 2014.^[15][16] As of June 2025, infrastructure work—including relocation of a major 72‑inch sewer line and roadway design—is well underway, with vertical construction for some Bundle II parcels anticipated from 2026.^[17]

Adjacent to Reservation 13, the 180‑acre RFK Stadium campus is being primed for redevelopment following Congress's transfer of the land to the District and former President Joe Biden's signing of H.R. 4984 in January 2025.^[18] In April 2025, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser, National Football League (NFL) commissioner Roger Goodell, and Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris announced plans to build a $3.7 billion stadium on the site.^[19] The campus would be surrounded by mixed-use development featuring 5,000–6,000 housing units, parks, a sportsplex, retail, restaurants, hotels, office buildings and parking infrastructure.^[20] The project is expected to break ground in 2026 following RFK's demolition and open by 2030, pending D.C. Council approval.^[21][22]

Education

Eastern High School

The District of Columbia Public Schools operates public schools in Hill East. Those schools include: Eastern High School, Elliott-Hine Middle School, Payne Elementary School and The Capitol Hill Cluster Schools (Stuart-Hobson Middle School, Watkins Elementary School and Peabody Elementary School).^[1]

St. Coletta of Greater Washington, which operates a special education school and City Center Public Charter School have campuses within Hill East.^[23]

Transportation

Hill East is served by Stadium–Armory and Potomac Ave stations on the Washington Metro Blue, Orange and Silver lines.^[4]