Chevy Chase Circle, Washington, D.C. sits exactly on the line where the District ends and Maryland begins. It’s where Connecticut Avenue NW meets Western Avenue at the top of the city, and the state border runs right through the fountain in the middle. Drive halfway around and you’ve left the District; keep going and you’re back.
It looks like a pleasant suburban roundabout with a fountain, two churches, and plenty of trees. It’s also the site of one of the longest-running local fights over a public memorial’s name, a dispute that flared up again in 2026.
Chevy Chase Circle Key Facts
| Detail | Information |
| Location | D.C.–Maryland border, top of Connecticut Avenue NW |
| Roads that meet | Connecticut Avenue (MD 185 north of the circle), Western Avenue, Chevy Chase Parkway, Magnolia Parkway, Grafton Street |
| Size | About 240 feet across, 1.05 acres |
| Managed by | National Park Service, through its Rock Creek Park unit |
| Centerpiece | Francis Griffith Newlands Memorial Fountain |
| Fountain dates | Designed and authorized in 1933; most sources say it was built in 1938 |
| Fountain basin | 60 feet across, Aquia sandstone and concrete; jets reach about 30 feet |
| Nearest Metro | Friendship Heights (Red Line), about a mile west |
Standing on the State Line
Western Avenue marks the District’s northwestern border, and Chevy Chase Circle is where it crosses Connecticut Avenue. The south half of the circle belongs to Chevy Chase, D.C. The north half opens into Chevy Chase Village, Maryland.
You can see the boundary marked on the ground. A D.C.–Maryland border marker sits on the circle’s grounds. In 1933, the Garden Club of America installed stone entrance markers here to welcome people into Washington.
The two sides have different characters. On the Maryland side, Connecticut Avenue becomes a quiet residential boulevard lined with large homes. On the D.C. side, a commercial strip begins almost immediately, with restaurants, a historic movie theater, a library, and the neighborhood’s Saturday farmers market.
The difference is intentional. The Chevy Chase Land Company kept commercial buildings out of the early Maryland development, which pushed shops onto the D.C. side of Connecticut Avenue.
Reaching Chevy Chase Circle, Washington, D.C.
Metro Plus a Walk or Bus
No Metro station is close enough for a quick walk. The best rail option is Friendship Heights on the Red Line, at Wisconsin Avenue and Western Avenue.
- On foot: Walk northeast along Western Avenue for roughly 20 minutes through residential streets.
- By bus: Montgomery County’s Ride On Route 1 runs between the Friendship Heights and Silver Spring stations, with a stop at Chevy Chase Circle.
From Union Station, the Red Line runs straight to Friendship Heights toward Shady Grove with no transfer. From Reagan National Airport, take the Blue Line to Metro Center or the Yellow Line to Gallery Place, then transfer to the Red Line.
Buses Along Connecticut Avenue
Metrobus restructured its network in June 2025. The redesign plan called for a D70 route running straight down Connecticut Avenue from Chevy Chase Circle to Farragut Square, replacing the old L2. Check WMATA’s trip planner to confirm the current route name and schedule before you ride.
By Car
Connecticut Avenue is the main approach from downtown D.C. and from Maryland suburbs like Kensington. The circle handles heavy commuter traffic during rush hour. According to the National Park Service, cars crashing into the circle have historically been the main threat to the fountain’s condition.
Side streets on the D.C. side offer some parking, often time-limited. Maryland streets nearby are mostly residential with local restrictions.
By Bike
Rock Creek Park lies just east of the neighborhood, and its trails connect to the wider network heading downtown. Expect a steady uphill ride on the way back north.
The Fountain and the Name Fight
Edith McAllister Newlands paid for the fountain to honor her late husband, Francis G. Newlands. Architect Edward W. Donn Jr. designed it. Newlands was a U.S. senator from Nevada, author of the 1902 Newlands Reclamation Act that funded Western irrigation projects, and founder of the Chevy Chase Land Company, which developed neighborhoods on both sides of the border starting in the 1890s.
There’s another side to his record. Newlands was an avowed white supremacist who called for repealing the 15th Amendment’s voting protections. He intended Chevy Chase to be a whites-only community.
The renaming debate goes back more than a decade:
- 2014–2015: The Chevy Chase, D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission considered a renaming resolution. Some of Newlands’s descendants opposed it.
- 2020–2021:C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and Rep. Jamie Raskin introduced bills to remove his name. Maryland Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin introduced a Senate version, and the Montgomery County Council passed a supporting resolution.
- 2022: Because only Congress can rename the fountain, the National Park Service installed an interpretive sign explaining Newlands’s views instead.
- 2026: In April, local outlets reported that the sign had been removed following a 2025 executive order directing federal sites to review “divisive” content. A nearby resident has sued the Park Service seeking an explanation.
Even the Chevy Chase Land Company has publicly supported renaming the fountain. As of October 2026, available reporting doesn’t show that any renaming law has passed. The original dedication still stands, along with the 1933 inscription praising Newlands for “true regard for the interests of all men.”
Around the Circle
Two Historic Churches
- All Saints’ Episcopal Church opened on the circle on December 1, 1901, making it one of the area’s oldest institutions.
- Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church was built on the circle in 1911.
Both give the circle a village-green feel that sets it apart from the more formal circles downtown.
Chevy Chase Club
This private club sits just north of the circle on Connecticut Avenue. Newlands founded it and served as its first president. You can’t go inside without a membership, but its long frontage makes up much of the view on the Maryland side.
The Avalon Theatre
A few blocks south at 5612 Connecticut Avenue, this historic neighborhood movie theater is a local favorite and still anchors the commercial strip.
Chevy Chase Farmers Market
The market runs Saturdays from 9 a.m. at 5540 Connecticut Avenue. It’s an easy stop before or after visiting the circle.
New on Connecticut Avenue
Wheelhouse opened on June 10, 2026, at 5714 Connecticut Avenue, just south of the circle, in the former Wine & Organic Market space.
What’s Changing Nearby
The biggest project in the area is the Chevy Chase Civic Site at 5601 and 5625 Connecticut Avenue. The library there dates from 1968 and the community center from 1971. In January 2026, the District chose Rift Valley Chevy Chase LLC to redevelop the site.
The plan includes:
- A new 23,500-square-foot library
- A new 21,600-square-foot community center
- About 177 mixed-income homes
- Roughly 8,000 square feet of ground-floor retail
No construction timeline has been confirmed in available sources. The library and community center remain open in their current buildings for now.
Tips for a Smooth Visit
- Visit in warm months. The fountain typically runs in season, and the National Park Service approved new fountain lighting plans in 2020, so evening views can be striking.
- Cross only at marked crosswalks. Traffic moves quickly around the circle, and drivers often focus on the border lanes instead of pedestrians.
- Find the border marker. It’s easy to miss but fun to stand beside.
- Read the dedication carefully. The 1933 inscription and the missing interpretive sign are part of the circle’s story now.
- Spend time on the D.C. side. All the cafés, the theater, and the farmers market are south of the circle.
Common Searches, Short Answers
Q1. Is Chevy Chase Circle in D.C. or Maryland?
Both. The D.C.–Maryland border runs through the circle and its fountain. The southern half is in Chevy Chase, D.C., and the northern half is in Chevy Chase Village, Maryland.
Q2. What Metro station is closest to Chevy Chase Circle?
Friendship Heights on the Red Line, about a mile away. Walk northeast on Western Avenue for roughly 20 minutes, or take Ride On Route 1 to the circle.
Q3. Why is the Chevy Chase Circle fountain controversial?
It honors Senator Francis Newlands, a self-declared white supremacist. Bills to rename it have been introduced in Congress, and an explanatory sign installed in 2022 was removed in 2026.
Q4. What’s near Chevy Chase Circle?
Two historic churches, the private Chevy Chase Club, the Avalon Theatre, a Saturday farmers market, and shops along Connecticut Avenue on the D.C. side. Rock Creek Park lies just east.
