The Place: Rosedale Conservancy
Where: Cleveland Park: Newark and 35th Streets NW
Why Live Here: There are the obvious reasons, such as the fact that you have a dog who much prefers an open green area to a small DC dog park, or that perhaps you just want some of that natural splendor for yourself. But maybe you want to live around there because you are a person who enjoys visiting places that are referred to in novels and you remember how No Way to Treat a First Lady, the novel by Christopher Buckley which is said to satirize the Monica Lewinsky scandal featured The Rosedale Conservancy.
Things to Know: The Rosedale farmhouse, said to be the oldest house in Washington, D.C., was built in the 1730’s. Though it is now a private residence, it still stands today and is restored to virtually the same floor plan as existed in the early 1800’s, after the original Stone Cottage was joined to the 1794 frame main house.
The Conservancy has gone through some changes, owners, and uses, including hosting a dinner party for President John Adams, functioning as a female dormitory for the National Cathedral school, and serving as lodging for Cuban refugee Elian Gonzalez’s family in 2000. In 2002, neighbors mounted a successful (and slightly drama-filled) campaign to purchase the property via a neighborhood land trust and The Rosedale Conservancy was formed in the fall of 2002. The organization in charge of managing the three acres of terraced lawns which has been referred to as Cleveland Park’s “village green”. It is protected from any kind of development by a Conservation Easement.
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