Cedar Hill, the Frederick Douglass House, a white nineteenth-century home with a columned porch, in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Historic Anacostia, Washington DC

Buying a home in Historic Anacostia

Nineteenth-century frame houses in a designated historic district below Cedar Hill, and the rules to know before you make an offer.

Get pre-qualifiedWhat can I afford?
What it costs here
$488K
Median house price · 54 sales
$345
Median per square foot
+34%
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 Historic Anacostia

A historic district east of the Anacostia River, with the Anacostia Metro station and Anacostia Park down the hill.

The Big Chair at Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and V Street SE in Anacostia, Washington, D.C.

The Big Chair

A 19.5-foot chair at Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and V Street SE since 1959.

Cedar Hill, the Frederick Douglass House, a white nineteenth-century home with a columned porch, in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Cedar Hill

Frederick Douglass's hilltop home, run by the National Park Service, with a view across the city.

Street artist spray-painting a colorful mural, location-anonymous close-up; thematic arts-scene imagery, does not claim to be the Anacostia Arts Center

MLK Avenue's arts corridor

The Anacostia Arts Center has galleries, a black-box theater and local small businesses on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.

An autumn boardwalk winding through the wetlands of Anacostia Park, Washington, D.C.

Two riverfront parks

Anacostia Park's pavilion and ballfields are down the hill, and the planned 11th Street Bridge Park will connect this side of the river to Navy Yard.

The Anacostia neon script sign on the facade of a building at Good Hope Road SE, Washington, D.C.
The Anacostia sign on Good Hope Road SE.

Transportation

Getting around Historic Anacostia

The coffered concrete crossvault of Metro Center station, Washington, D.C.
Metro
Anacostia station (Green Line), about ten minutes to downtown.
US city bus crossing a downtown intersection at twilight, American flag visible
Bus
Bus routes on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Good Hope Road cross the river to Capitol Hill and downtown.
Pennsylvania Ave protected bike lanes leading straight to the US Capitol
Bike & trails
The Anacostia River Trail and the 11th Street bridges connect to Navy Yard and Capitol Hill.
DC brick rowhouses with cars parallel-parked at the curb, sunny day, DC plates
Parking
Few blocks have permit zones. Some houses have a parking pad or garage off the alley.

Neighborhood

Living in Historic Anacostia

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

Thurgood Marshall Academy in its 1901 brick building on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, Washington, D.C.
Schools
Thurgood Marshall Academy, a law-themed charter high school founded by Georgetown Law alumni, is on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. Savoy Elementary, next to the Arts Center, is a national Turnaround Arts school.
Warm dimly lit restaurant interior, diners at candlelit tables under a fringed lamp
Dining & nights out
Busboys and Poets, Munchies Halal, Lee's Brunch, DCity Smokehouse, and shows at the Arts Center. Barracks Row and Eastern Market are across the 11th Street Bridge.
Wide green park lawn with picnickers, mature trees, city buildings behind
Parks & recreation
Anacostia Park's skating pavilion and ballfields, the Anacostia Recreation Center pool, and Fort Stanton's trails behind Cedar Hill.
Wooden library bookshelves in the foreground with a warm reading room beyond
The library
The Anacostia Library is on Good Hope Road.
Shopper reaching for produce in a warmly lit grocery produce aisle, face in profile
Groceries
Giant on Alabama Avenue and Lidl at Skyland are a short drive. A seasonal weekend farmers market sets up on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.
A row of porched brick rowhouses with dormer windows on Quincy Street NW, Washington, D.C.
On foot
The Metro station, the Arts Center, Busboys and Poets and Anacostia Park are within about a fifteen-minute walk of the historic district.

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.

    See what you can afford →

  2. 02 · Saving up

    Plan the down payment

    At Historic Anacostia 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

    Attach a pre-qualification letter to your offer. Pre-qualification takes about two minutes and does not pull your credit.

    Get pre-qualified →

FAQ

Historic Anacostia mortgage questions

What does the historic district designation change?
It adds a review step for exterior work. Historic Anacostia is a designated historic district, so changes to facades, windows, porches, roofing materials, and additions need Historic Preservation Review Board approval. Interior work is generally unrestricted. The costs are time and materials: period-appropriate windows and siding cost more than standard replacements, so include them in your renovation budget from the start.
Can I use a renovation loan on a historic Anacostia house?
Yes, including on the nineteenth-century frame houses in the historic district. FHA 203(k) and Fannie Mae HomeStyle loans finance the purchase and renovation together, underwritten against the value after the work. Build the historic review into your timeline: the lender underwrites a defined scope of work, and that scope has to match what the review board will approve.
Which DC buyer programs work in Historic Anacostia?
An FHA loan needs 3.5% down, and the whole down payment can be a gift from family. Qualifying first-time buyers pay DC's reduced 0.725% recordation tax rate on purchases up to $777,000 (tax year 2026). A home priced up to $576,000 (tax year 2026) can qualify for the DC Tax Abatement program, which waives recordation tax and abates property tax for five years. Buyers within the income limits can also apply for DC Open Doors (through DCHFA's participating lenders), which covers the required minimum down payment, or HPAP (through DHCD-certified housing counseling agencies), which offers up to $202,000 plus $4,000 toward closing costs.
How do appraisals work on renovated houses in Anacostia?
The appraiser compares the house with recent sales nearby. A fully renovated house on a block of unrenovated ones can appraise below its contract price if there are few renovated sales to compare it with. We look at recent comparable sales before you set your offer so the price and the appraisal line up.
Do I have to be a first-time buyer?
No. An FHA loan has no first-time buyer requirement: 3.5% down, and the down payment can be a gift from family. The DC Tax Abatement program is open to anyone making the home their principal residence. The reduced recordation rate and HPAP require first-time buyer status. DC Open Doors (through DCHFA's participating lenders) is open to repeat buyers, with a 640 minimum credit score and a $275,400 income cap.
What is Cedar Hill?
Cedar Hill is the Frederick Douglass House, the home Douglass bought in 1877 and lived in until his death. It is now a National Historic Site on the hill above the historic district.

Ask a question

A licensed DC loan officer will answer your question by email within one business day.

Please don't include your Social Security number or account numbers.

General information only. This is not a commitment to lend, a pre-qualification, or an offer of credit. By submitting this form, you agree to our Privacy Policy. We respect your privacy and will not share your information with unaffiliated third parties without your consent.

Local expertise

Financing a home in a historic district

The historic district rules and the house's condition decide which loan fits.

Historic district review

Exterior work in Historic Anacostia (siding, windows, porches, additions) needs Historic Preservation Review Board approval, and period-appropriate materials cost more than standard ones. Interior work is generally unrestricted.

Frame houses and renovation loans

The historic district includes nineteenth-century wood-frame houses, some of which need some TLC. FHA 203(k) and HomeStyle loans finance the purchase and the work together, underwritten against the value after the work.

Appraisals on renovated houses

A renovated house on a block of unrenovated ones can appraise below its contract price. We review recent comparable sales before you set your offer.

This neighborhood began in 1854 as Uniontown, Washington's first planned suburb, and its founding documents barred sales to Black buyers. Frederick Douglass bought a house there in 1877. Read the story.

Financing a house that needs some TLC

We price the loan two ways, as-is and with the renovation financed, and tell you what the historic review is likely to require.

Start your pre-qualificationBook a 15-minute call