Situated in Washington’s Southeast Quadrant, Hillcrest is a primarily residential neighborhood.
The district was developed by Colonel Arthur E. Randle, a late 19th and early 20th century real estate developer and investor, who is also credited with building Congress Heights. Following this, he went on to create the Hillcrest neighborhood, as well as other areas in the city.
He subsequently moved with his family to the neighborhood known as Randle Heights, where he built a splendid mansion – so splendid, it became known as the “Southeast White House” – and encouraged other fellow citizens to follow suit.
At the end of the 1960s, Hillcrest expanded to incorporate the neighboring area of Summit Park, which at the time featured a much more luxurious and exclusive vibe.
Housing in the area includes mostly large, single-family homes, with a few apartment complexes dotted around. The area bursts with a great variety of architectural styles, including Federal Revival, Tudor Revival, American Craftsman, and Mid-Atlantic Colonial Revival.
Regardless of the specific style that they are built in, housing in Hillcrest features solid, luxury structures with very high specs.