Meridian Hill was developed as part of the City Beautiful movement in the late 19th century,[1] when socialite Mary Foote Henderson embarked on a major initiative to turn Meridian Hill into the city's most prestigious area.

Following the onset of the U.S. Civil War, much of the Meridian Hill estate and the neighboring lands of Columbian College (modern-day George Washington University) were commandeered by the U.S. Army for use as a military encampment named Camp Cameron.

Mary, with many friends in U.S. Congress, had grand plans for the area and for the public use of the hill, hoping to transform the area into the most prestigious neighborhood in D.C. She put forward, without success, two ambitious proposals to build a presidential mansion on the hill to replace the White House; one by architect Paul J. Pelz in 1898 and the second by Franklin W. Smith in 1900.

In 1901, the U.S. Senate's McMillan Commission undertook a set of formal changes to Washington's civic appearance, most famously by reconfiguring the city's National Mall.

The commission also decided, with Mary's input, that a park on Meridian Hill was appropriate, and proceeded to plan for its creation.

After 1970, with inner-city areas of Washington experiencing an economic decline, the park and its neighborhood suffered some decay for a number of years, with crime and vandalism becoming a problem.

Meridian Hill is a part of Ward 1, and is in the service area of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions 1A, 1B, and 1C.