The Bellevue Neighborhood in Southwest Honored as One City Location of the Month

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

The DC Office of Motion Picture and Television Development is pleased to honor the Bellevue neighborhood in Southwest as the May 2012 One City Location of the Month. Bellevue, meaning “beautiful view” in French, is primarily a residential neighborhood with a suburban-like quality, consisting of curvy streets, open park spaces, and striking vistas. On the east and south sides of the neighborhood, Oxon Run, the largest municipal park in DC, serves as a natural feature with abundant greenery that provides a nice contrast to the commercial and residential areas that adorn the community.

Bellevue is bounded by Southern Avenue, SW on the south, First Street, SE on the east, Halley Street, SE on the north, and Second Street, SW on the west. The neighborhood is conveniently located near major regional routes, including I-495 and I-295, which provide quick access to downtown Washington, Maryland, and Virginia. The South Capitol Street corridor serves as the commercial spine that links residents to neighborhood-serving retail and other major arteries include Atlantic Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, which connects Bellevue to other prominent locations east of the river, including Historic Anacostia and Saint Elizabeth’s Campus.

Most of the Bellevue community is comprised of a network of small blocks, a surrounding cluster of pedestrian-scaled, duplexes and apartment homes, and several community assets such as schools, hospitals, and recreation centers. Well known District landmarks including a portion of Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling (Bolling Air Force Base), the Naval Research Laboratory, the Blue Plains wastewater treatment plant (DC Water), Specialty Hospital of Washington-Hadley, the Metropolitan Police Academy, Washington Firefighters Training Center, a federal Job Corps center, and the Architect of the Capitol's Botanic Garden's production facility are all located in Bellevue.

Once a thriving commercial hub, Bellevue declined during the 1980s, and began a revitalization effort in the early 2000s. The most recent contribution to the revitalization effort is the new $15 million world-class, David Adjaye designed Bellevue Library, which replaces the former Washington Highlands Library and will open officially this month on June 13. One of the most prominent developments is W.B. Patterson Elementary School at South Capitol and Elmira Streets, SW. Public investment of $15.3 million enabled construction of a larger, more modern facility for neighborhood youth activities. In addition, more than $150 million in commercial mixed-use development is in the pipeline along South Capitol and Atlantic Streets, the heart of the Bellevue business district.

In 2011, the DC Film Office launched its One City Location of the Month to bring attention to the wide range of varied, cinematically compelling locations that are available to film and television productions. Former One City Location of the Month recipients include the Frederick Douglass Historic Site in Southeast, the Atlas Performing Arts Center in Northeast, the Adams Morgan neighborhood in Northwest, and Arena Stage in Southwest.

To learn more about the Bellevue neighborhood and to view photos please visit the One City Location of the Month feature. If you are interested in using the Bellevue neighborhood for a future filming location, please contact us at [email protected].