[7] The newly renamed Rittenhouse Street had been extended eastward and now connected the developments of North Brightwood and Manor Park.

[7] In 1920, real estate developer Harry Wardman and his business partner Thomas P. Bones bought the forested plot of land with the intention of building moderately priced housing, which was scarce in Washington following World War I. Wardman had already successfully built houses in other Washington neighborhoods such as Bloomingdale, Columbia Heights, and Mount Pleasant.

It was also convenient to public transportation, namely the Brightwood Railway, which traveled downtown along Georgia Avenue.

[9][10] The zoning commission denied Warman's request to rezone the area,[11] and Wardman ended up to building semi-detached houses after all.

The resurfacing of Georgia Avenue during the beginning of work on the development made the development more attractive to residents with cars,[14] and the nearby Georgia Avenue and Takoma Park trolley lines made it attractive to residents without cars.

[18] The advertisements centered on the houses' modern amenities as well as their low prices,[16] which were possible due to their mass production and Wardman's ownership of a planing mill and a woodworking company.