The Uptown
The 1936 art-deco movie theater with a large curved screen, closed since 2020 and now leased to become an arts venue.
Cleveland Park, Washington DC
Buying a home in Cleveland Park
How to finance a house, condo or co-op in Cleveland Park and Woodley Park, near the National Zoo and the Red Line.
What it costs here
$2.1M
Median house price · 186 sales
$894
Median per square foot
+51%
Renovated over average condition
Recorded arm’s-length sales from DC’s assessment records, through August 12, 2026. Not an appraisal or a valuation of any particular home. Compare every DC neighborhood
Highlights
Cleveland Park landmarks
Cleveland Park began as a streetcar neighborhood along Connecticut Avenue, between the National Zoo and Rock Creek Park.
The National Zoo
Free admission every day, with giant pandas back at the Zoo, a walk from Cleveland Park's streets.
Connecticut Avenue apartment buildings
The Kennedy-Warren's aluminum art deco, the Broadmoor's gardens, and a row of 1920s co-op buildings on Connecticut Avenue.
Tregaron & Rock Creek
A restored twenty-acre estate landscape between the neighborhoods, with Rock Creek Park at the east end of the streets.
Transportation
Getting around Cleveland Park
- Metro
- Cleveland Park and Woodley Park (Red), one station at each end of the neighborhood.
- Bus
- Buses run along Connecticut Avenue, with crosstown service on Porter Street and Calvert Street.
- Bike & trails
- Rock Creek's trail network at the bottom of the hill, and the car-free Klingle Valley Trail.
- Parking
- Residential permit parking along the avenue, with few open spaces near the Zoo on weekends. The large buildings rent garage spaces, and some side-street houses have a parking pad.
Neighborhood
Living in Cleveland Park
Schools, restaurants, parks, and shopping in the neighborhood.
- Schools
- Eaton and Hearst elementary schools feed Deal and Jackson-Reed, and Oyster's bilingual campus is in Woodley Park. Nearby private schools include Maret, Washington International and the Cathedral schools.
- Dining & nights out
- Vace's Italian deli, Medium Rare's steak-frites, Duke's Counter across from the Zoo, and Open City in Woodley Park.
- Parks & recreation
- Rock Creek Park, the Klingle Valley Trail, Tregaron Conservancy's paths and meadow, and the Newark Street fields and dog park.
- The library
- The rebuilt Cleveland Park branch library is on Connecticut Avenue.
- Groceries
- Yes! Organic on Connecticut Avenue, the rebuilt Giant on Wisconsin Avenue, and Wegmans at City Ridge a few minutes west.
- On foot
- Two Red Line stops, shops along Connecticut Avenue, and the Zoo are all within walking distance.
Next steps
Next steps by buying stage
Pick the step that matches where you are in buying a home.
01 · Still running numbers
Work out what you can afford
Estimate the full monthly payment, including DC property tax, insurance and any condo fee. The condo fee counts in full in your debt-to-income ratio.
See what you can afford →02 · Saving up
Plan the down payment
At Cleveland Park prices, the down payment depends on the loan program and the property type. FHA needs 3.5% down, and the whole down payment can be a gift from family.
See what you'd need →03 · Writing offers
Get a pre-qualification letter
Attach a pre-qualification letter to your offer. Pre-qualification takes about two minutes and does not pull your credit.
Get pre-qualified →
FAQ
Cleveland Park mortgage questions
Is a Connecticut Avenue apartment a condo or a co-op, and does it change the loan?
Yes, it changes the loan. Cleveland Park and Woodley Park have 1920s apartment buildings that are co-ops: you buy shares in the corporation, finance them with a share loan that only some lenders offer, and pass a board interview. Co-op fees can include property taxes and the building's own mortgage, so compare them with a condo's fee plus property taxes. Condos in the same blocks are financed with a standard mortgage plus a review of the building. We confirm whether a building is a condo or a co-op before you tour.
Will a Cleveland Park house need a jumbo loan?
The loan amount decides it. In DC for 2026, loan amounts up to $832,750 are standard conforming, amounts from $832,751 to $1,249,125 are high-balance conforming, and amounts above $1,249,125 are jumbo. Jumbo loans have their own down payment, credit and reserve rules.
What does the Cleveland Park historic district mean for renovations?
Exterior work visible from the street needs Historic Preservation Review Board clearance. The review affects the renovation schedule; the loan terms stay the same. If you use a renovation loan, put the review timeline in the draw schedule from the start. Interior work is generally unrestricted.
Are the apartment buildings near the Zoo harder to finance?
No, but underwriting on an older building looks closely at the association's reserves, insurance, and planned capital projects. A 1920s building in the middle of a facade or plumbing project can carry a special assessment, which you should include in your monthly budget. We get the building's documents early and include those costs in the estimate.
Which DC buyer programs apply at Cleveland Park prices?
An FHA loan needs 3.5% down, and the whole down payment can be a gift from family; for a condo, the building must be FHA-approved or pass FHA's single-unit review. Qualifying first-time buyers pay the reduced 0.725% recordation tax rate on purchases up to $777,000 (tax year 2026), and the Tax Abatement program applies up to $576,000. In recorded sales through August 2026 (DC Office of the Chief Financial Officer data), the median house price in Cleveland Park and Woodley Park was $2,057,500, above both caps, and the median condo price was $425,000, below both. Every program has income limits. DC Open Doors (through DCHFA's participating lenders) has no maximum sales price and a $275,400 income cap.
We're selling a house and buying in a Connecticut Avenue building. What should we plan for?
Plan for two things. First, the timing of the sale and the purchase: a bridge loan or a home equity line on the house you're leaving can let you buy before you sell. Second, the building: co-op boards review your finances, and condo reviews take days. Start both early.
Ask a question
A licensed DC loan officer will answer your question by email within one business day.
Loan options
Co-op, high-balance and bridge financing in Cleveland Park
Share loans for co-op buildings, the high-balance limit below jumbo, and buying a new home before you sell the current one.
Co-op share loans
The Kennedy-Warren and its neighboring buildings include co-ops. A co-op is financed with a share loan, which only some lenders offer, and the buyer submits a board package.
High-balance and jumbo loan limits
DC's 2026 conforming limit is $1,249,125. A loan at or below that amount is high-balance conforming; only a loan above it is jumbo.
Selling a house and buying an apartment
Buying before you sell takes planning: a bridge loan or a home equity line on the current house, and a complete board package for a co-op.
For homes south of the Zoo: Read the Woodley Park guide
Get pre-qualified for a home in Cleveland Park
Send the listing for a house, condo or co-op, and your loan officer will lay out the financing.