NoMa is booming. Where did that name come from?
Where the name "NoMa" came from — and its connection to the birth of Beatlemania.
It also includes ZIP code 20002 — the Union Market area, with a 72% increase in new apartment construction since 2017.
What happened?
The view on an Amtrak train out of Union Station is now lined with new glass, steel and brick apartment buildings and condos (26 newly-constructed buildings at last count), with cranes building more and banners inviting future residents to ‘QR code’ information about living in the new condos and apartments soon to be for sale or rent.
That doesn’t count all the new or repurposed office buildings.
It is a remarkable remake of an area of Northeast D.C. that 25 years ago was mostly gritty industrial buildings, warehouses and chain link-fenced empty lots north of the train station.
To cynics, NoMa may be just a New York-ish reference to neighborhoods like SoHo. Most D.C. neighborhood names have a historical reference. NoMa was fabricated. But the birth of NoMa goes back to city planners more than two decades ago — with a specific purpose.
“In the late-90s, a report that gave recommendations for D.C.’s economic resurgence identified the area North of Massachusetts Ave. as a key area of opportunity. The vision was to develop NoMa as a mixed-use technology, media, arts and residential district — and that has now happened,” said Maura Brophy, president and CEO of the NoMa Business Improvement District.
Technically, any neighborhood “North of Massachusetts Avenue.” could have been named NoMa, and running through the District for 8.5 miles. It is the longest state-named avenue in the city. However, most, if not, all of those neighborhoods north of Mass Avenue have names. So, NoMa it would be.
The name became the neighborhood’s officially-accepted moniker when the Red Line Metro stop near Florida Avenue, Northeast was renamed NoMa-Gallaudet U station in 2011.
More than 13,000 people now live in NoMa and it draws more than 50,000 workers daily. Over the past 20 years, more than 12.5 million square feet of office space has been constructed.
There is a saying in the real estate world that “retail follows roofs,” and that has been the case in NoMa.
There are now seven hotels in NoMa, along with more than 50 retailers, restaurants and bars — including a Harris Teeter grocery store.
“We have a diverse mix of retailers that hits many different price points when it comes to goods and services and restaurants, including upscale offerings and fast-casual,” Brophy said.
Starr Restaurant Group (Le Diplomate, St. Anselm) opened its newest concept, El Presidente, in September. Ted’s Bulletin will open an outpost in NoMa next year.
The Metropolitan Branch Trail runs through NoMa, attracting bikers and runners. The area regularly hosts events, including concerts. It has its own farmers market. The NoMa BID’s Gateways Project is using public art to create a visual identify for the neighborhood, much focused on its history.
There is an interesting art installation under the M Street Northeast overpass called “Rain” with thousands of LED lights that pulse to the traffic flow above.
NoMa has several parks, including two dog parks. Playful Pack, a dog day care center, has signed a lease for a NoMa location.
NoMa also has a place in music history.
One of the most prominent existing buildings in NoMa is the former Washington Coliseum sports and concert venue. Built in 1941, the oval structure is now home to sporting goods company REI, other retailers and offices — with the NoMa Business Improvement District moving its headquarters there next month.
The Beatles performed their first U.S. concert there in 1964, two days after the “Fab Four’s” American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, launching what became “Beatlemania” in the United States.