Existing comment:
A Long and Winding Road
The first map of Woodley Park, called Kervand's Woodley and dated 1875, shows Woodley Lane (now called Woodley Road) as the only road through the area and the heart of the new subdivision. As recently as 1887, Woodley Lane was described as "a country road winding its way down the hillside, crossing the creek on wooden bridges a few feet above the level of the stream, and thus making the difficult and circuitous ascent to greater elevation of the Tennallytown Pike" (now called Wisconsin Avenue). An iron truss bridge was built over Rock Creek at Woodley Lane in 1888-1889.
You can still trace the path of old Woodley Lane. From Rock Creek walk up the hill on what is now Shoreham Lane, up 24th Street to Connecticut Avenue, go north for half a block on Connecticut to Woodley Road, left on Woodley Road to 29th Street, then right on 29th Street to Cathedral Avenue. The old Woodley Lane continued up what is now Cathedral Avenue and turned left to go in front of "Woodley" (now Maret School). Today, Cathedral Avenue curves again to the right past the current west gate of Maret, and continues on what is still called Woodley Road, before making the ascent to Wisconsin Avenue.
The small triangle of land at the corner of Woodley Road and 29th Street was formed when the rectangular street system was imposed over a bend in the original Woodley Lane. |