Brookland DC Real Estate
Homes for Sale Near Catholic University, Monroe Street Market & the Brookland Metro. From Marc Dosik & the Fed City Team.
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Living in Brookland
Dining & Coffee
Brookland's Finest Bar and Kitchen anchors the gastropub side. Menomale does Neapolitan-style pizza on 12th Street NE, Smith Public Trust has become a 12th Street craft-beer fixture, and Primrose serves rustic French. Brookland Press is the neighborhood coffee shop and bakery. Busboys and Poets at Monroe Street Market adds a politically-engaged restaurant and bookstore.
Parks & Green Space
Turkey Thicket Recreation Center has an indoor pool, basketball courts, and a playground. The Franciscan Monastery's 44 acres of formal gardens are open to the public and are one of the most peaceful green spaces in northeast DC. The Metropolitan Branch Trail runs along the western edge of the neighborhood for biking and running into NoMa and Union Station.
Transit & Commute
The Brookland-CUA Metro station on the Red Line puts you at Union Station in about 8 minutes and downtown DC in 15. The G8 bus runs east-west along Rhode Island Avenue. The Metropolitan Branch Trail offers a protected bike commute into NoMa, with many Brookland residents bike-commuting downtown year-round.
What makes Brookland a quiet anchor.
Brookland developed beginning in the 1880s as a streetcar suburb anchored by Catholic University, founded in 1887. The early development pattern produced something rare in DC: detached single-family homes on relatively generous lots, with front yards, back yards, and tree-lined streets. While much of central DC was building rowhomes shoulder-to-shoulder, Brookland was building Foursquares and Craftsman bungalows on 30- to 50-foot-wide lots.
The Catholic institutions are central to the neighborhood's character. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception sits on Michigan Avenue at the edge of CUA's campus and is the largest Roman Catholic church in North America by interior square footage. The Franciscan Monastery sits a few blocks north and includes 44 acres of public gardens. Add Trinity Washington University and the Pope John Paul II National Shrine, and you have a concentration of educational and religious institutions that has shaped the neighborhood since the 1890s.
What Brookland feels like today is a working residential neighborhood with a slow pace, a growing food scene, and a deeper sense of community than most DC neighborhoods. The 12th Street NE commercial corridor anchors daily life. The Monroe Street Market development at 8th and Monroe NE added apartments, retail, and the Studio Theater's Brookland location to the neighborhood in the early 2010s.
Explore Brookland Block by Block
Monroe Street Market Area
The blocks around 8th and Monroe Street NE, anchored by the Monroe Street Market mixed-use development, are the densest part of Brookland and closest to NoMa and the Metro. Condo inventory is concentrated here, along with the most active commercial frontage. Buyers who prioritize walkability and minimal yard maintenance gravitate to this part of the neighborhood.
The 12th Street NE Corridor
The 12th Street NE corridor between Monroe Street and Otis Place is the spine of Brookland's residential and commercial life. The blocks immediately east and west are heavily residential, with the highest concentration of detached Foursquares and Craftsman bungalows. The corridor itself houses most of the neighborhood's restaurants, coffee shops, and small retail.
East Brookland / CUA Edge
The blocks east of 12th Street NE, climbing toward Catholic University and Michigan Avenue, contain some of the largest Foursquares and the deepest tree canopy in the neighborhood. Prices here are typically the highest in Brookland, and the blocks have a quiet, settled residential feel.
Brookland Real Estate Market
$750K–$1.3M
Detached Single-Family
$600K–$950K
Rowhome Range
8 min
Metro to Union Station
High 70s
Walk Score
Detached single-family homes are the defining feature of Brookland real estate. Most were built between 1900 and 1940 in a few signature styles: American Foursquares, Craftsman bungalows, and a smaller number of Tudor Revival and Colonial Revival homes from the 1920s and 1930s. Lot sizes are unusually generous for DC, with 30- to 50-foot widths common.
Smaller Craftsman bungalows needing updates start around $750,000. Fully renovated four-bedroom Foursquares on premium blocks can reach $1.3 million or more. Rowhomes are also common, especially in the southern part of the neighborhood, generally ranging from $600,000 to $950,000. Condos near the Brookland-CUA Metro and at Monroe Street Market start in the $350,000s.
Lot size and yard space matter more in Brookland than in most DC neighborhoods. Buyers who choose Brookland often choose it specifically because they want yard space (for kids, for dogs, for gardening). Off-street parking is a meaningful value-add: properties with secure parking carry a $30,000 to $60,000 premium. Renovation quality matters because the housing stock is so old: a thoughtfully restored Foursquare appreciates faster than a piecemeal-flipped one.
For sellers, our We Pay to Fix Your Home program is particularly relevant in Brookland because so much of the housing stock is over 100 years old. We cover renovation costs upfront, and you don't pay us back until closing. We also handle estate sales at $0 out of pocket to the estate.
Local agents who know Brookland's residential character.
Our office is at 843 Upshur Street NW in nearby Petworth, about a 10-minute drive from Brookland. Marc Dosik has been selling real estate in DC since 1998, and Brookland is one of the neighborhoods we know best. We know which blocks have the best Foursquares with original details intact, which renovations have held up, and where the parking realities differ from what looks plausible online.
For Buyers
We help first-time buyers access up to $17,500 in down payment assistance through DC grant programs that most buyers don't know exist. In Brookland, where a smaller condo or rowhome can put homeownership within reach for buyers in the $400,000 to $600,000 range, that grant money makes a meaningful difference. Our 8+ agents on the team can also pull current comparable sales for the specific blocks you are interested in.
For Sellers
Our We Pay to Fix Your Home program is especially relevant in Brookland because so much of the housing stock is over 100 years old and may need kitchen, bath, or system updates to compete with the fully renovated comps. We cover those costs upfront. The improvement to final sale price typically far exceeds the renovation cost.
Brookland is locally known as Little Rome: anchored by the Basilica, the Franciscan Monastery, Catholic University, and Trinity Washington University.
The nickname reflects the dense concentration of Catholic institutions in and near the neighborhood, dating back over a century. The Basilica of the National Shrine is the largest Catholic church in North America by interior square footage. The Franciscan Monastery includes 44 acres of public gardens. That historical concentration is part of what shaped Brookland's deep tree canopy, settled residential pace, and walkable institutional anchors.
Brookland Real Estate FAQs
How much does a detached single-family home cost in Brookland?
Detached single-family homes in Brookland generally range from $750,000 for a smaller Craftsman bungalow needing updates up to $1.3 million or more for a fully renovated four-bedroom Foursquare on a premium block. The wide range reflects significant variation in size, condition, lot size, and proximity to Metro. Larger homes with parking, deep yards, or fully restored original details can exceed $1.4 million.
Are there condos in Brookland?
Yes. The Monroe Street Market development at 8th and Monroe NE has the deepest condo inventory, with one- and two-bedroom units typically ranging from the mid-$350,000s to the mid-$550,000s. Smaller condo conversions in older buildings appear elsewhere in the neighborhood, primarily near the Brookland-CUA Metro station.
Is Brookland a good neighborhood for families?
Brookland is one of the most family-friendly neighborhoods in DC. The deeper lots and yard space, proximity to multiple parks, the Metropolitan Branch Trail, and the relatively quiet residential blocks make it a strong choice. DCPS schools serving the neighborhood include Bunker Hill Elementary, John Burroughs Elementary (Spanish dual-language), and Brookland Middle School. Private and Catholic school options are also strong given the proximity to multiple Catholic institutions.
What Metro line serves Brookland?
The Brookland-CUA station is on the Red Line. It puts you at Union Station in about 8 minutes, Gallery Place-Chinatown in 12 minutes, and downtown DC in 15 minutes or less. The Metropolitan Branch Trail runs along the western edge of Brookland and offers a protected bike route into NoMa and Union Station as an alternative to Metro.
How does Brookland compare to Petworth?
The two neighborhoods share a price tier and a Northwest/Northeast working residential identity, but differ in several ways. Brookland has more detached single-family homes with yards, deeper lots, and a slower pace. Petworth has a denser rowhome pattern, a more active commercial corridor along Georgia Avenue, and slightly faster Metro access to downtown. Brookland tends to attract buyers who specifically want yard space; Petworth attracts buyers who want walkable density and rowhome architecture.
What is "Little Rome"?
"Little Rome" is the historic nickname for Brookland, reflecting the dense concentration of Catholic institutions in and near the neighborhood: Catholic University, Trinity Washington University, the Basilica of the National Shrine, the Franciscan Monastery, and the Pope John Paul II National Shrine. The nickname dates back over a century and is still in occasional use today.
Get in Touch
Ready to buy or sell in Brookland? Call the Fed City Team today.