Trinidad (Washington, D.C.)
Trinidad is a neighborhood located in Ward 5, in the northeast quadrant of Washington, D.C., and is a largely residential area. It is bounded by West Virginia Avenue NE, Florida Avenue NE, Mount Olivet Road NE, and Bladensburg Road NE.
Geography
Trinidad is to the east of West Virginia Avenue, north of Florida Avenue, and west of Bladensburg Road. To the north of Trinidad is the more industrial neighborhood of Ivy City. To the west is Gallaudet University and the Florida Market. To the east lies Carver Langston. To the south of Trinidad is Old City, so named because it was part of Pierre L'Enfant's original plan for the city, and generally referred to as either Near Northeast or Capitol Hill North. Located immediately south of Trinidad is the H Street Corridor. The eastern portion of the H Street Corridor is sometimes referred to as the Atlas District, part of a neighborhood branding campaign centered on the revitalized Atlas Theater.History
The area got its name from 19th-century speculator James Barry, who had once lived on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. A street in the neighborhood bears the name of Trinidad Avenue NE.The land passed to and from the Corcoran family, who used it as a country estate, to Columbian College, which later became George Washington University, and then to the Washington Brick Machine Company. The brickworks intended to excavate clay from the land, but not needing all of the land, began selling off parcels, and, in the late 19th century, the first houses in southern Trinidad were built.
The American League Park was located at the corner of Florida Ave NE and Trinidad Avenue NE from 1901 to 1904. It was home to the Washington Senators.
In 2008, Trinidad was at the center of a significant constitutional battle. In response to crime, the Metropolitan Police Department instituted a series of checkpoints to screen those traveling into the neighborhood and turn away anyone without a "legitimate purpose" to be there. The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled in 2009 that the checkpoints were unconstitutional and violated the Fourth Amendment's prohibition on unreasonable search and seizure.