This book traces the history of the U Street neighborhood in Washington, D.C., from its Civil War-era origins to its recent gentrification.

Blair A. Ruble, a jazz aficionado, prominent urbanist, and longtime resident of Washington, D.C., is uniquely equipped to write the history of this culturally important area. His work is a rare instance of original research told in an engaging and compelling voice.

"This is a wonderful book . . . Washington's U Street: A Biography is a meritorious study of a subject of considerable historical importance. Thank you, Mr. Ruble."--Ellingtonia

"An informative, readable, and well-documented work that seeks to recover the history of the nation's capital from the vantage of its African American residents and one of their most enduring communities."--Journal of American History

"A must-read for anyone interested in the tremendously rich history of the U Street neighborhood."--14th & You

"Groundbreaking . . . Ruble carefully constructs a biographical history of U Street in northwest Washington that highlights the accomplishments of everyday people in the neighborhood, while simultaneously giving life to the area's buildings, streets, and educational and cultural institutions, particularly those of the African American community."--H-DC, H-Net Reviews

"U Street gives readers many human-interest stories, delivered with a light touch."--Internet Review of Books

Blair A. Ruble is the author of several books about the governance of cities worldwide, including Creating Diversity Capital: Transnational Migrants in Montreal, Washington, and Kyiv and Second Metropolis: Pragmatic Pluralism in Gilded Age Chicago, Silver Age Moscow, and Meiji Osaka, both also published by Johns Hopkins and the Woodrow Wilson Center. Ruble is director of the Kennan Institute and of the Comparative Urban Studies Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center.