DC’s Office of Planning recently released the Ward 5 Heritage Guide, a 68-page guide chock full of information about the development of the ward and points of interest in various ward 5 neighborhoods. Construction of the Riggs Park subdivision began in 1952. The guide highlights how the Supreme Court’s 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education led to the departure of white families from ward 5 neighborhoods to neighborhoods west of Rock Creek Park.  That led the way for black families to move into these communities, including Riggs Park. (Sidenote: I recently met a family that moved into the neighborhood on Jefferson Street in 1954 and left in 1995).  The guide provides a fascinating look into how the ward developed over time from the 1800s to present day.