Southeast Quadrant
The southeast quadrant is home to the historic Anacostia neighborhood. Although much of DC has undergone some degree of gentrification, the SE quadrant, to date, has been the least affected. That is not to say, however, that Anacostia has not seen any changes. The crack-cocaine epidemic of the early 1990s took its heaviest toll in the SE quadrant. Some of Jones’s characters live in the Anacostia neighborhood and it is mentioned often throughout his stories. Because the majority of Jones’s stories take place during the 1950s through the 1970s, it is important for the reader to keep in mind that the SE quadrant was a much different area than if one were to visit today.
Notable Landmarks of Southeast
Barry Farms - The current Barry Farm community was built in 1943 on land that held one of the first African-American communities in DC.
The Big Chair - Curtis Brothers Furniture, which sat on what was then Nichols Avenue, built the Big Chair in 1959. Ever since, even when it held the title of biggest chair in the world, it’s been a homegrown landmark, out of sight of the monumental core.
Frederick Douglass House - Frederick Douglass’s Cedar Hill House is located in the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in Anacostia, District of Columbia. Originally built between 1855 and 1859 by architect John Van Hook, Douglass purchased the property and 9 ¾ acres of land from the Freemen’s Savings and Trust Company in 1877 for $6,700.
Anacostia Park - It is one of Washington, DC's largest and most important recreation areas, with over 1200 acres (4.9 km2) at multiple sites. Included in Anacostia Park is Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens and Kenilworth Marsh.
