One of Northeast's oldest neighborhoods, Deanwood's relatively low-density, small wood-frame and brick homes, and dense tree cover give it a small-town character that is unique in the District of Columbia.

Several well-known African-American architects, including William Sidney Pittman and Howard D. Woodson, and many skilled local craftsmen designed and built many of its homes.

[1] The neighborhood was once home to Nannie Helen Burroughs, an early civil rights leader and the founder of the National Training School for Women and Girls, an independent boarding school for African-American girls founded in 1909 and located on 50th Street, NE.

From 1921 to 1940, Deanwood was also home to Suburban Gardens (50th and Hayes NE), a black-owned amusement park that served thousands of African-American residents during a time of racial segregation.

The neighborhood is featured prominently in crime author Jim Beane's short story "Jeanette.