Fort Dupont Park
More than 350 acres of forest with Civil War earthworks, hiking and mountain-bike trails, picnic areas and free community garden plots.
Neighborhood guide, Washington DC
Living in Marshall Heights and Benning Ridge
Brick houses by Benning Road Metro, next to some of the largest parks in DC.
What it costs here
$438K
Median house price · 270 sales
$379
Median per square foot
+77%
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
Parks and trails near Marshall Heights
Forest, riverfront and Civil War forts, all within a short ride of Benning Road.
Anacostia Riverwalk Trail
More than 12 miles of paved trail along both banks of the Anacostia. The nearest access is about a mile west, by Minnesota Ave Metro.
Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens
About 700 acres of riverside park, including the only national park devoted to water lilies and lotus, which bloom each July.
Fort Circle Parks trail
A seven-mile wooded trail that links Fort Mahan, Fort Chaplin, Fort Dupont and Fort Davis, passing the edge of Benning Ridge.
Highlights
Ice skating, baseball and the library
Ely Place, at the north edge of Fort Dupont Park, has the ice arena and the Nationals' youth academy.
Fort Dupont Ice Arena
DC's only indoor ice rink reopened in December 2025 after a $39 million rebuild, with an NHL-size rink. Youth hockey returns in October 2026.
Nationals Youth Baseball Academy
Three lighted turf fields and a clubhouse with classrooms and a teaching kitchen. Its baseball, softball and after-school programs are free for kids.
Capitol View Library
The neighborhood library on Central Avenue SE, renovated and reopened in 2019, with meeting and study rooms.
Transportation
Getting around Marshall Heights and Benning Ridge
- Metro
- Benning Road station, on the Blue and Silver lines, is at Benning Road and East Capitol Street. Stadium-Armory is one stop west.
- Bike & trails
- The Fort Circle trail runs through the woods to Fort Dupont Park, and the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail is about a mile west.
- Parking
- Street parking on residential blocks, and some houses have driveways or parking pads.
Buses run on Benning Road, East Capitol Street and Minnesota Avenue toward downtown and the Orange Line.
Neighborhood
Living in Marshall Heights and Benning Ridge
Schools, restaurants, parks, and shopping in the neighborhood.
- Schools
- Plummer, Nalle and C.W. Harris elementary schools, Kelly Miller and Sousa middle schools, and H.D. Woodson and Anacostia high schools serve the area. Check a specific address with DCPS's School Finder.
- Dining & nights out
- Gigi's Coffee Roasters on Central Avenue NE, a 24-hour Denny's at Benning Road Metro, and the Shrimp Boat Plaza at East Capitol Street. Barracks Row is three stops west on the Blue Line.
- On foot
- Benning Road Metro, the DMV's Benning Ridge service center and historic Woodlawn Cemetery are all within a few blocks of each other on Benning Road.
- The library
- Capitol View Library at 5001 Central Avenue SE, with meeting and study rooms, computers and a parking lot.
- Parks & recreation
- Ridge Road Community Center has a gym, fitness center and outdoor pool. Benning Park on Southern Avenue has a playground and the Woody Ward pool.
- Groceries
- Safeway at 322 40th Street NE, about a mile away, and the Saturday farmers market at Kelly Miller Middle School through November.
Highlights
Music history in Capitol View and Fort Dupont
From Marvin Gaye's teenage home to go-go in the park.
Marvin Gaye
Gaye spent his teenage years on 60th Street NE in Capitol View, just off East Capitol Street, before leaving for Motown in 1960.
Chuck Brown Day
Each August, DC's parks department fills Fort Dupont Park with go-go bands to honor the Godfather of Go-Go. The 12th annual show was August 22, 2026.
History
History of Marshall Heights and Benning Ridge
Some of DC's earliest Black suburbs, built on Civil War ridges.
1861–1864
Civil War forts on the ridge
Union troops built Fort Davis, Fort Dupont and Fort Chaplin along this ridge to guard the capital. Their earthworks still stand in the parks.
Army engineers' plan of Fort Dupont. 1886
Marshall Heights is laid out
The Marshall family's land was divided into lots and became one of DC's earliest Black suburbs. Families bought land here and, in the 1920s and 1930s, built many of the houses themselves.
Marshall Heights on an 1886 survey map. 1895
Woodlawn Cemetery
Woodlawn opened on Benning Road as a resting place for Black Washingtonians. Senator Blanche K. Bruce and Congressman John Mercer Langston are buried there.
Woodlawn Cemetery, 2010. Late 1920s
DePriest Village
Industrial Bank founder John Whitelaw Lewis developed DePriest Village for Black homebuyers, using Black architects and builders. It is now part of Capitol View.
1954
Bolling v. Sharpe
Black students turned away from the new Sousa Junior High on Ely Place sued, and the Supreme Court's ruling ended segregated schools in DC. The school is a National Historic Landmark.
Sousa Junior High on Ely Place SE, 2008. 1972
Summer concerts at Fort Dupont
For more than 50 summers, free concerts on the park's hillside stage brought acts like Roy Ayers and Sun Ra. The Park Service credits the series with helping build DC's go-go scene.
A summer concert at Fort Dupont, 2008. 1976
Fort Dupont Ice Arena
The Park Service opened the rink, and in 1978 Neal Henderson founded the Fort Dupont Cannons there, now recognized as the oldest Black hockey program in North America.
1991
Queen's Stroll Place
Queen Elizabeth II toured new affordable homes on Drake Place SE and was welcomed with a hug by new homeowner Alice Frazier. The block was renamed Queen's Stroll Place.
Next steps
Next steps by buying stage
Pick the step that matches where you are in buying a home.
01 · Still running numbers
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Plan the down payment
At Marshall Heights 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.
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FAQ
Marshall Heights and Benning Ridge questions
What kinds of homes are in Marshall Heights and Benning Ridge?
Mostly detached and semi-detached brick and frame houses built from the 1920s to the 1950s, including mid-century modern houses on Chaplin Street SE. Capitol View adds newer townhomes from the Capitol Gateway redevelopment, and there are garden apartment buildings throughout. A detached or semi-detached house has no condo association to review and no dues in your debt-to-income ratio, and conventional and FHA loans both fit.
How close is the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail?
About a mile west of Benning Road Metro, with the closest access near Minnesota Ave Metro. From there the paved trail runs north through Kenilworth Park, past the lotus ponds at the Aquatic Gardens, into Maryland, and south past the RFK campus toward the Navy Yard. A trail bridge from Kenilworth to the National Arboretum has final approval and is still planned.
Where is the DMV?
The DC DMV's Benning Ridge Service Center is at 4525 Benning Road SE, a short walk from Benning Road Metro. It opened in 2016 as the DMV's largest service center and handles licenses, ID cards, titles, registration and knowledge tests. As of September 2026 it is open Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday.
What is there for kids at Fort Dupont Park?
The Nationals Youth Baseball Academy on Ely Place runs free baseball, softball and after-school programs on its three lighted turf fields and in its classrooms. Next door, Fort Dupont Ice Arena has public skating, and DPR's youth hockey program for ages 8 to 13 starts October 5, 2026, bringing back the Fort Dupont Cannons. The park itself has trails, picnic areas and free community garden plots.
Can I finance an older house in average condition?
Yes. FHA 203(k) and Fannie Mae HomeStyle renovation loans add the renovation budget to the purchase mortgage and are underwritten against the value after the work. Licensed contractors do the work and funds are released in draws. You buy the house and pay for the update with one loan and one closing.
We've owned here for decades. How can we use our equity?
A cash-out refinance or a home equity loan can turn part of your equity into cash for a renovation, a family member's down payment, or another purpose, without selling the house. A cash-out refinance replaces your current mortgage; a home equity loan adds a second loan and leaves the first one in place. We price both against your current loan and show the cost of each.
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A licensed DC loan officer will answer your question by email within one business day.
Loan options
Financing a Marshall Heights home
Most homes here are detached or semi-detached houses, the simplest property types to finance.
Detached and semi-detached houses
Brick and frame houses with no condo association and no dues in your debt-to-income ratio. Conventional and FHA loans both fit.
Renovation loans
For a house in average condition, a renovation loan adds the work to the purchase mortgage and is underwritten against the value after the work.
Home equity for longtime owners
A cash-out refinance or home equity loan lets an owner borrow against the house without selling it.
Nearby: the Deanwood guide to the north, the Hillcrest and Fort Dupont guide to the south, and the River Terrace and Benning guide to the west.
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