Global InformationSheridan Circle information
Sheridan Circle | |
U.S. Historic district Contributing property | |
D.C. Inventory of Historic Sites | |
 Sheridan Circle including the statue of Philip Sheridan | |
| Location | Intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, R Street, and 23rd Street NW Washington, D.C., United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°54′43.8″N 77°03′02.4″W / 38.912167°N 77.050667°W |
| Part of | Massachusetts Avenue Historic District Sheridan-Kalorama Historic District |
| NRHP reference No. | 74002166 (Massachusetts Avenue Historic District) 89001743 (Sheridan-Kalorama Historic District) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 22, 1974 (Massachusetts Avenue Historic District) October 30, 1989 (Sheridan-Kalorama Historic District) |
| Designated DCIHS | November 27, 1973 (Massachusetts Avenue Historic District) August 16, 1989 (Sheridan-Kalorama Historic District) |
Sheridan Circle is a traffic circle and park in the Sheridan-Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The traffic circle, one of two in the neighborhood, is the intersection of 23rd Street NW, Massachusetts Avenue NW, and R Street NW. The buildings along this stretch of Massachusetts Avenue NW are part of Embassy Row, which runs from Scott Circle to Observatory Circle. Sheridan Circle is a contributing property to the Massachusetts Avenue Historic District and the Sheridan-Kalorama Historic District, both listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). In addition, the equestrian statue of General Philip Sheridan is 1 of 18 Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C., that were collectively listed on the NRHP.
The area around Sheridan Circle did not develop until the 1880s-1890s. Local officials extended Massachusetts Avenue NW past what was then the city's boundary, now Florida Avenue, in hopes of recreating the residential success of Dupont Circle. The Sheridan-Kalorama area was previously home to large estates and country homes. These lands were eventually sold and the traffic circle's name was changed from Decatur Circle, in honor of Commodore Stephen Decatur, to Sheridan Circle, in honor of Civil War General Philip Sheridan. It took many years for the equestrian statue of Sheridan to be created, and the dedication of the memorial took place in 1908. By that time, houses were being built around the circle, including the first one, the Alice Pike Barney Studio House.
The remaining homes around the circle were elaborate mansions, designed by some of the top local and national architects. During the Great Depression, some of the residences were sold to foreign countries. This occurred again after World War II and into the 1950s. Some of the embassies and ambassadorial residences facing Sheridan Circle include Romania, Ireland, Greece, Vietnam, Kenya, Egypt, South Korea, Latvia, and Turkey.
Two violent moments that occurred at Sheridan Circle were the assassination of Orlando Letelier and Ronni Karpen Moffitt by Chile's Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional. Those that took part in the car bomb attack were Cuban expatriates who supported Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. There is a small monument by the circle in honor of the two victims. The other violent moment took place in 2017 when clashes broke out between the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) supporters and Kurdish separatists who were protesting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The protesters and reporters were beaten by Erdoğan's security detail. The victims later opened a civil case against the Turkish government.