Chevy Chase- History and Development

Chevy Chase is always popular with buyers because the area offers excellent schools like Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School and Somerset Elementary.  It is close to the metro and the Beltway but still insulated with lots of green lawns and tall trees, parks and trails.  It is at the edge of Bethesda with lots of restaurants and shops in addition to its own excellent restaurants like La Ferme on Brookeville Road.

In addition to large single family homes dating back to the early 20th century, Chevy Chase is home to townhomes like the Hamlet and Kenwood Forest, and several large (and smaller) condo buildings such as 8101 Connecticut Avenue, making it a perfect choice for almost everyone who wants to live inside the Beltway.

The name Chevy Chase comes from Cheivy Chace, the name of the land patented to Colonel Joseph Belt by Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, on July 10, 1725. It has historic associations with a 1388 chevauchée, a French word describing a border raid, fought by Lord Percy of England and Earl Douglas of Scotland over hunting grounds, or a “chace“, in the Cheviot Hills of Northumberland and Otterburn.  The battle was memorialized in “The Ballad of Chevy Chase“.  (Part of this grant was sold at a later date to Abraham Bradley, who established a estate known as Bradley Farm.  Bradley gave his name to a street that runs from Brookeville Road to River Road through Chevy Chase and Bethesda.)

Chevy Chase was noted as “the most educated town in America” in a study conducted by the Stanford Graduate School of Education, with 93.5 percent of adult residents having at least a bachelors degree.

In the 1880s, Senator Francis G. Newlands of Nevada and his partners began acquiring farmland in this unincorporated area of Maryland and just inside the District of Columbia, for the purpose of developing a suburban community relying on residential streetcars during the expansion of the Washington DC streetcar system. The Chevy Chase Land Company was founded in 1890, and its holdings of more than 1,700 acres (6.9 km²) eventually extended along the present-day Connecticut Avenue from Florida Avenue north to Jones Bridge Road.

The development company took steps to ensure that the homes in its new suburbs would be stately by requiring in the deed to the land, that only a single-family detached house costing a large amount of money could be constructed. Houses were required to cost $5,000 and more on Connecticut Avenue and on the side streets homes were required to cost at least $3,000

Toward the northern end of its holdings, the Land Company formed a manmade lake, called Chevy Chase Lake, to produce hydroelectric power for its streetcars, and provide a venue for boating, swimming, and other activities. The streetcar soon became vital to the community; it connected workers to the city, and even ran errands for residents.

If you are looking for a traditional neighborhood on the edge of DC with large homes on green lawns protected by tall trees, you should consider Chevy Chase Village.  The homes were built at the turn of the century and feature large rooms, high ceilings, and lovely details.  Shopping is nearby and the public schools are popular with residents.

Chevy Chase Village is a small, incorporated town located in Montgomery County, Maryland. The area was originally part of a land grant given to Colonel Joseph Belt in the mid-18th century. It was known as “Chevy Chase” after the Ballad of Chevy Chase, a medieval Scottish legend. The area was largely rural until the late 19th century, when the Chevy Chase Land Company was established to develop the area into a residential community.

Today Chevy Chase Village is on both sides of Connecticut Avenue just north of the Chevy Chase Circle, tucked up against the Chevy Chase Club and west of Western Avenue.  Its northern limit on the east side is Bradley Blvd.   To read more about this community within Chevy Chase, click here.

The beginnings of Martin’s Addition date back to 1896 when Harry M. Martin began buying land parcels of 35 to 50 acres from the Chevy Chase Land Company, Wilson Offutt, Henry N. Griffith, and others. He called his acquisitions “Martin’s Additions to Chevy Chase.” Harry Martin’s purchases went as far as the current site of La Ferme Restaurant and the “No Gain” property (at the corner of Thornapple Street and Brookville Road), both on the western edge of Martin’s Additions.  Today there are approximately 325 homes in Martin’s Addition.

By marketing his new suburban subdivisions as “additions” to Chevy Chase, Martin took advantage of all the amenities and name recognition the Chevy Chase Land Company had created since the 1890s. Harry Martin offered lots in his new subdivision at significantly lower prices than those for sale by Chevy Chase Land Company.

Deeds from the period show that Martin required the construction costs for new homes to be at least $1,750.  By contrast, the Chevy Chase Land Company required houses on Connecticut Avenue to have a minimum construction cost of $5,000, and those built on side streets, $3,000.

The neighborhood attracted middle-class federal employees, as it offered quality housing close to Washington, D.C. A newspaper advertisement in The Evening Star, published on July 11, 1905, describes the lots in “Martin’s 3d Section” as 50 x 120 to 225 feet deep – 6,000 to 12,000 square feet.  The list of amenities and selling points was long and highlighted proximity to the street car, the fine views, mature trees, and good spring water.

This spectacular neighborhood located in Chevy Chase, Maryland was begun in the late 1920s.  At one time, Kenwood was a dairy farm when Kennedy-Chamberlain Development Co. was founded in 1927. The developers became so impressed with the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin that they planted the trees before they built the first house! Membership to Kenwood golf course was offered free as part of purchasing a home in the subdivision. Currently, there are almost 300 houses in Kenwood, mostly large traditional colonials on perfectly manicured lawns.

There have been many famous residents who have lived in Kenwood including Vice President Spiro Agnew and several Cabinet secretaries. With fewer than 300 homes, Kenwood provides homebuyers with an intimate sense of community. Neighborhood get-togethers and holiday events are planned throughout the year.

The first home built in Kenwood was 6600 Kennedy Drive which sold in 1928. This classic Kenwood residence was designed by renowned architect, Alexander Sonnemann, and is the original home built in this prestigious neighborhood by Edgar Kennedy. A standout architecturally, the distinctive design features are abundant, including a portico with dramatic Doric columns, intricately designed Palladian windows and doors and uniquely beautiful light-filled interior spaces. This Georgian colonial has five large bedrooms and five full bathrooms and an updated kitchen and baths. Front and back staircases, two family rooms, completely finished basement with a laundry/hobby room and over 1/3 acre of green lawns and mature trees make this home exceptionally special. It sold most recently in 2021 for $2,875,000.  For more information about Kenwood, just click here.

There are lots of communities within Chevy Chase, such as Chevy Chase Terrace, Chevy Chase View, Section III, Section IV, and Section V, just to list a few.  Each has its own history and its own personality.  Just to keep things interesting, there is even a Chevy Chase DC, just on the other side of Western Avenue.  For more information about all these homes and for help deciphering which will be a better fit for you, just give us a call at 240-401-5577 or email us at Lise@lisehowe.com.  We are waiting for your call!