Brookland is an historic neighborhood in the Washington, DC area which came into being in the early 1870s when the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad opened a branch line in the area. Then, in the 1880s, Catholic University was established just north of Colonel Jehiel Brooks’ farm.
Soon a community of wooden homes sprang up in styles ranging from Victorian and Queen Anne to Craftsman-style bungalows. It was an attractive community for government workers, Smithsonian Institution scientists and people of many ethnic backgrounds who shared the Catholic faith.
 The Brookland Area
Visiting the area around Brookland, you can enjoy the inspiring beauty of a Franciscan Monastery and the grandeur of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. As you explore this neighborhood which has been nicknamed "Little Rome," you will find Catholic University and more than 60 other Catholic institutions located there.
The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center which offers exhibits, special programs, and more. Within a short drive from the neighborhood is the city's oldest cemetery and magnificent gardens of the U.S. National Arboretum.
The Brooks Mansion, a Greek Revival farmhouse built in 1840, had been threatened with demolition but was purchased by the Washington, DC government and was used as an extension campus for the University of the District of Columbia. Even though it was placed on the DC and National Registers in 1975, its future is once again in jeopardy. Several proposals are on the table. One is for use as a community center and neighborhood archives. Still, Colonel Brooks' mansion stands as a symbol of this community and its heritage.
Brookland Real Estate
Brookland is a diverse area in NE Washington that has a suburban atmosphere, but is close to the big city. Among available homes in Brookland include single family homes, rowhomes, and duplexes with average prices ranging from the high $200's to the high $500's.
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