Kalorama is comprised of two distinct neighborhoods: Kalorama Triangle and Sheridan-Kalorama. Kalorama Triangle is bordered by Connecticut Avenue, NW, Columbia Road, NW, Calvert Street, NW, and Rock Creek Park. Sitting adjacent is Sheridan-Kalorama, located between Connecticut Avenue, NW, Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Florida Avenue, NW, and Rock Creek Park. The word Kalorama comes from the Greek word meaning “fine view.”

In the late 1700s, the rural farmland that would eventually become Kalorama was outside of L’Enfant’s original plans for Washington City. While the neighborhood became popular place to live before the Civil War, portions were destroyed during the war itself. In the early 1880s, Boundary Street (what is now know as Florida Avenue, NW) was the outermost limit of the city. In

1893, the U.S. Congress ordered L’Enfant’s city plans to extend outward to include what makes up the current-day District of Columbia. At the time, existing communities were exempt from complying with the city plan, which is why the streets of Kalorama today do not comply with the strict grid system found throughout the rest of the District.

Today, an eclectic mix of home styles line the streets of Kalorama, including Georgian Revival, English Arts and Crafts homes, and Mediterranean stuccos. Many of the well-maintained homes also feature beautiful gardens, which enhance the area’s sophisticated atmosphere.

Kalorama has been home to six former presidents and their families: Woodrow Wilson, William Howard Taft, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Warren Harding, Herbert Hoover, and, most recently, Barack Obama.

Today, Kalorama is primarily a residential area but it is within easy walking distance of DuPont Circle and all the amenities that neighborhood has to offer.