Brick Victorian row houses with a columned portico and crape myrtle in bloom on East Capitol Street, Washington, D.C.

Neighborhood guide, Washington DC

Living in Hill East (Capitol Hill East)

Brick rowhouses between Lincoln Park and the Anacostia River, what they sell for, and how to finance one.

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What it costs here
$970K
Median house price · 693 sales
$678
Median per square foot
+50%
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

What's in Capitol Hill East

Brick Victorian rowhouses between Lincoln Park and the Anacostia River.

Aerial view of Lincoln Park in fall color, the Emancipation Memorial and the Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial facing each other across the lawn, with Capitol Hill rowhouses along the edge, Washington, D.C.

Lincoln Park

The park a few blocks west on East Capitol Street, with playgrounds and walking paths.

Rows of Latrobe cenotaphs on the green grounds of Congressional Cemetery, with the chapel and spring blossoms behind, Washington, D.C.

Congressional Cemetery

A historic cemetery with a K9 dog-walking cooperative that has a waiting list.

Wood-railed concrete footbridge over a calm river with redbud in bloom, by a DC photographer - matches the Kingman/Heritage Islands footbridges the card describes

The riverfront

The Anacostia River Trail and the footbridges to Kingman and Heritage Islands start at the east end of the rowhouse blocks.

DC government concept rendering of the planned new stadium on the RFK campus, looking west across the Anacostia toward the Capitol dome at sunset.

The RFK campus

The Fields at RFK stay open for recreation while the campus is rebuilt. Demolition of the old stadium began in 2025, and a new Commanders stadium is planned to open in 2030.

Eat and drink

Restaurants and bars in Hill East

Three places on Pennsylvania Avenue SE, all open as of September 2026.

Trusty's storefront at 1420 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, with its thumbs-up Full-Serve sign and umbrella-shaded patio tables, Washington, D.C.

Trusty's

Washington City Paper readers voted this bar at 1420 Pennsylvania Avenue SE the best dive bar in DC for 2026. Upstairs is the Bus Bar, built into an old school bus, with Tuesday trivia and weekend brunch.

Dining room at The Roost, 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, with leather booths, lit bookshelves and a large painted mural, Washington, D.C.

The Roost food hall

A food hall at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue SE with Red Apron burgers, HiFi Tacoshop, Slice Joint pizza, Snapdragon dumplings and Ako sushi. Shelter pours 50 beers on draft, and Caruso's Grocery is a sit-down Italian-American restaurant.

Sweet Crimes Bakery's turquoise rowhouse storefront at 1238 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, with its hanging sign and a pink patio umbrella, Washington, D.C.

Sweet Crimes bakery

A fully gluten-free bakery at 1238 Pennsylvania Avenue SE with vegan donuts, bread, cakes and breakfast sandwiches. Washington City Paper readers voted its menu the second-best gluten-free menu in DC for 2026.

The brick gatehouse at the entrance to Congressional Cemetery on E Street SE, Washington, D.C.
Congressional Cemetery, 35 acres on E Street SE.

Transportation

Getting around Capitol Hill East

DC Metro vault station platform, coffered concrete arches, daytime, few riders
Metro
Stadium–Armory and Potomac Ave stations, both on the Blue, Orange and Silver Lines.
US city bus crossing a downtown intersection at twilight, American flag visible
Bus
Buses run on Pennsylvania Avenue SE and East Capitol Street to downtown.
Pennsylvania Ave protected bike lanes leading straight to the US Capitol
Bike & trails
The Anacostia River Trail and the RFK fields are at the neighborhood's east edge.
DC brick rowhouses with cars parallel-parked at the curb, sunny day, DC plates
Parking
Residential permit parking, as on the rest of Capitol Hill. Some houses have a parking pad or garage off the rear alley.

Neighborhood

Living in Capitol Hill East

Schools, restaurants, parks, and shopping in the neighborhood.

Eastern High School's restored 1923 brick campus and towers on East Capitol Street, Washington, D.C.
Schools
Payne and Maury elementary schools feed Eliot-Hine Middle School and Eastern High School, whose restored 1923 building is on East Capitol Street.
Warm dimly lit restaurant interior, diners at candlelit tables under a fringed lamp
Dining & nights out
The Roost food hall and Trusty's on Pennsylvania Avenue SE, the Pretzel Bakery on 15th Street SE, and the Barracks Row and Eastern Market restaurants a few blocks west.
Wide green park lawn with picnickers, mature trees, city buildings behind
Parks & recreation
Lincoln Park, the Fields at RFK, Congressional Cemetery, and Kingman and Heritage Islands in the river.
Wooden library bookshelves in the foreground with a warm reading room beyond
The library
Rosedale Library on Gales Street NE is just north. The Southeast Library, a 1922 Carnegie building on 7th Street SE, reopened in September 2026 after an expansion.
Shopper reaching for produce in a warmly lit grocery produce aisle, face in profile
Groceries
Safeway on 14th Street SE, and the butchers and produce stands at Eastern Market.
Aerial view of pedestrians crossing a striped urban crosswalk at an intersection
On foot
Rowhouse blocks within walking distance of two Metro stations, Lincoln Park and the river trail.

Next steps

Next steps by buying stage

Pick the step that matches where you are in buying a home.

  1. 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.

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  2. 02 · Saving up

    Plan the down payment

    At Capitol Hill East 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 →

  3. 03 · Writing offers

    Get a pre-qualification letter

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FAQ

Questions about buying in Hill East

Where is Hill East?
Hill East, also called Capitol Hill East, is the eastern end of Capitol Hill: roughly from 15th Street east to the Anacostia River, south of East Capitol Street. Stadium–Armory and Potomac Avenue Metro stations, Congressional Cemetery and the RFK campus are all in or next to it.
Does the RFK campus redevelopment affect buying in Capitol Hill East?
It can affect your appraisal. Congress transferred the 180-acre RFK campus to DC in January 2025, and separately the city selected developers for two Capitol Hill East projects totaling over 2,300 units on Reservation 13. Large projects can move comparable sales either way: new homes add supply, while new amenities and infrastructure can support values. Your appraisal is based on recent sales, so check what has sold on your block recently.
Is Capitol Hill East inside the Capitol Hill Historic District?
Much of it is not. Outside the district, exterior work (windows, siding, additions, roofing materials) generally does not need Historic Preservation Review Board approval, so you avoid the review timeline and the cost of period-appropriate materials required a few blocks west. Boundaries are specific, so confirm the status of a particular address before you plan work.
Will I need a jumbo loan in Capitol Hill East?
Only if the loan is above $1,249,125, DC's 2026 conforming loan limit. Capitol Hill East prices are well below that limit. National sites sometimes quote $832,750 as DC's limit; that is the national baseline, and DC is a designated high-cost area with the higher limit.
How does Capitol Hill East compare with Capitol Hill proper on price?
The housing is largely the same late-Victorian brick rowhouse, and Capitol Hill East generally sells below Capitol Hill proper. DC's reduced first-time buyer recordation tax rate (0.725% on a purchase price up to $777,000 in tax year 2026) therefore applies to a larger share of Capitol Hill East sales than Capitol Hill sales.
Can I finance a Capitol Hill East rowhouse that needs renovation?
Yes. FHA 203(k) and Fannie Mae HomeStyle loans finance the purchase and the work in one mortgage, underwritten against the home's value after the work is done. Licensed contractors do the work and funds are released in draws. Outside the historic district you also have more freedom in materials and design.
What should I check on a pre-1920 rowhouse here?
Foundation and party-wall condition, roof age, knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized supply lines, HVAC age, and any sign of water intrusion. Get a sewer scope: problems in an old sewer line are expensive and do not show up any other way. If you are considering a renovation loan, the inspection findings also feed the scope of work the lender underwrites.

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Local expertise

Financing a Capitol Hill East home

Three things shape a loan here: price compared with Capitol Hill, the historic district boundary, and the RFK redevelopment.

Capitol Hill rowhouses at lower prices

The rowhouses east of Lincoln Park are the same late-Victorian brick as the ones a few blocks west in Capitol Hill proper, and they generally sell for less.

Outside the historic district

Much of Capitol Hill East is outside the Capitol Hill Historic District, so exterior work generally does not need Historic Preservation Review Board approval.

RFK campus and Reservation 13

DC has selected developers for over 2,300 homes on Reservation 13, and a Commanders stadium is planned on the 180-acre RFK campus. We look at recent sales on your block before you make an offer.

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