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Homes in the District of Columbia were historically known for having vibrant paint colors that represented the individuality of each resident among the city’s diverse population.
Washington, D.C., was once known as the “Chocolate City” due to its large population of Black residents. Now, that history is waning as Black residents have become minorities in neighborhoods that once belonged to them.
Today, these neighborhoods are suffering under “grayification” as their homes lose unique colors in favor of monochromatic colors. And the new paint jobs could point to a growing phenomenon of gentrification in formerly Black neighborhoods, according to a recent analysis by a major media company in the nation’s capital.
The Washington Post released a study this week highlighting gray homes as a common signifier of gentrification in district neighborhoods that are commonly known for red-brick row houses and murals.
The study connects the rise of muted home colors — often known by shades like “shark fin” or “deep space” — with rising home prices, noise complaints and the displacement of Black residents.
Changing landscape
The analysis also used Google street view images to track home color trends across the district’s eight wards — electoral districts known for having distinct cultures and demographics. The findings revealed an increase in desaturated, monochromatic tones across real estate in every ward.
In Ward 7, for example, 88 new or rebuilt homes featured gray color schemes. Ward 8 followed a similar pattern due to an influx of “affluent” white residents moving into the district’s inner city neighborhoods — most of which are historically Black.
“An influx of affluent and predominantly White residents moving to inner-city neighborhoods has flipped the defining 20th-century phenomenon of White flight on its head and, in cities such as D.C., has changed the makeup of neighborhoods that were once majority — and, in some cases, almost exclusively — Black,” the report stated.
Numbers behind the shift
According to 2023 data from the U.S. Census Bureau — the most recent data available — only 33% of homeowners in the district identify as Black. That’s down from 45% in 2010. Meanwhile, the white homeownership rate rose from 48% to 51% during the same period.
Experts believe that color tones serve as signifiers of wealth and luxury in these neighborhoods. New homeowners typically select neutral colors for upkeep and simplicity. These colors may indicate that homeowners have the means of maintaining the cleanliness of the home’s exterior paint.
“It all comes down to this perception of wealth and luxury, this idea that neutrals indicate status — painted brick takes more to upkeep than regular brick. If you have a light-gray or white house, it signals you can afford to keep it clean,” Libby Rasmussen, a local business owner and “color enthusiast,” told the Post.
A neighborhood transformed
Peggy Lovett, a Black resident of the Eckington neighborhood, shared her observations about the changes with the Post. According to the report, she owns a bright-red house that now stands out among a sea of gray homes.
“I see a house going up that’s that color, and I know they have money,” Lovett said. “It’s a great big change, but it’s not just in my neighborhood — D.C. has really been changing.”
In Eckington, the population of Black residents dropped from 97% in 1990 to 40% in 2023, according to census data cited by the Post.
Broader market impact
These shifts in homeownership and neighborhood demographics are in alignment with broader economic changes in the nation’s capital.
Following recent federal job cuts tied to efforts by the Elon Musk-led U.S. DOGE Service, the District of Columbia housing market is undergoing significant shifts. The average sale price for a home in the city is $552,500, according to recent Redfin data.
And as the city continues to change, the trend of gray homes may signify more than just a fresh coat of paint.
