The area that became Capitol View was largely unsettled forest and farmland into the 1930s.
By 1938, however, a large number of one- and two-story single-family detached houses and small apartment buildings had been constructed in the area.
The neighborhood was almost exclusively populated by African Americans.
As the neighborhood coalesced, it took the name Capitol View because the United States Capitol building could be seen (albeit distantly) on its western skyline.

The character of the Capitol View neighborhood radically changed with the construction of large public housing complexes.
The first of these, the East Capitol Dwellings, began construction in 1952 as a 394-unit public housing complex.
By the time the complex was completed in 1955, it had expanded to 577 units and straddled both sides of East Capitol Street between 58th and 60th Street.
The new housing was racially desegregated, and was one of the first public housing complexes in the city to accept both whites and blacks from its inception.
The East Capitol Dwellings were the city's largest public housing development into the 2000s.
But the East Capitol Dwellings were shoddily constructed, and problems with plumbing, HVAC, and poor maintenance plagued the 40-acre (0.16 km²) city-within-a-city until its demolition in 2003.

The second major public housing complex was Capitol Plaza, which opened in 1971.
This complex consisted of 92 three-story townhouses and a 228-unit, 12-story high-rise apartment building located at 5901 East Capitol Street SE.
A small strip mall, the eight-store Capitol View Mall, opened nearby in June 1976.
A second major high-rise development, Capitol Plaza II, opened shortly thereafter at 5929 East Capitol Street SE.
This 300-unit, 12-story apartment building was open only to senior citizens, and suffered from extensive structural and design problems that caused the plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems to fail.

Realizing that it had over-concentrated the poor in a small area, the city moved to support the construction of affordable townhouses in the Capitol View neighborhood.
In September 1990, the Capitol View Townhomes project opened next to the East Capitol Dwellings.
These townhouses were designed to accommodate mid-size and large families.
Thirty-six of the units had three bedrooms, while 35 were four-bedroom and 19 were five-bedroom homes.
Backed with city financing, the Capitol View Townhouses failed to sell.
 In 1997, the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA), a nonprofit called Washington Innercity Self Help, and a company known as Innovative Design Solutions partnered to transform the townhouses into public housing.
 The city spent $5 million rehabilitating them, and in 2001 the three organizations supported residents of the properties in forming a cooperative, the Southern Homes and Gardens Cooperative, to own and manage the 90 townhomes.
Under the city's agreement with Southern Homes and Gardens, the units must be managed as low-income public housing for 40 years.
Units are either owned or rented by low-income people, and residents may enter into a rent-to-own agreement.
At the end of the 40-year period, the townhomes may be sold by their owners (whether residents or the cooperative) at market rates.
The area that became Capitol View was largely unsettled forest and farmland into the 1930s. By 1938, however, a large number of one- and two-story single-family detached houses and small apartment buildings had been constructed in the area. The neighborhood was almost exclusively populated by African Americans. As the neighborhood coalesced, it took the name Capitol View because the United States Capitol building could be seen (albeit distantly) on its western skyline.
The character of the Capitol View neighborhood radically changed with the construction of large public housing complexes. The first of these, the East Capitol Dwellings, began construction in 1952 as a 394-unit public housing complex. By the time the complex was completed in 1955, it had expanded to 577 units and straddled both sides of East Capitol Street between 58th and 60th Street. The new housing was racially desegregated, and was one of the first public housing complexes in the city to accept both whites and blacks from its inception. The East Capitol Dwellings were the city's largest public housing development into the 2000s. But the East Capitol Dwellings were shoddily constructed, and problems with plumbing, HVAC, and poor maintenance plagued the 40-acre (0.16 km²) city-within-a-city until its demolition in 2003.
The second major public housing complex was Capitol Plaza, which opened in 1971. This complex consisted of 92 three-story townhouses and a 228-unit, 12-story high-rise apartment building located at 5901 East Capitol Street SE. A small strip mall, the eight-store Capitol View Mall, opened nearby in June 1976. A second major high-rise development, Capitol Plaza II, opened shortly thereafter at 5929 East Capitol Street SE. This 300-unit, 12-story apartment building was open only to senior citizens, and suffered from extensive structural and design problems that caused the plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems to fail.
Realizing that it had over-concentrated the poor in a small area, the city moved to support the construction of affordable townhouses in the Capitol View neighborhood. In September 1990, the Capitol View Townhomes project opened next to the East Capitol Dwellings. These townhouses were designed to accommodate mid-size and large families. Thirty-six of the units had three bedrooms, while 35 were four-bedroom and 19 were five-bedroom homes. Backed with city financing, the Capitol View Townhouses failed to sell.  In 1997, the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA), a nonprofit called Washington Innercity Self Help, and a company known as Innovative Design Solutions partnered to transform the townhouses into public housing.  The city spent $5 million rehabilitating them, and in 2001 the three organizations supported residents of the properties in forming a cooperative, the Southern Homes and Gardens Cooperative, to own and manage the 90 townhomes. Under the city's agreement with Southern Homes and Gardens, the units must be managed as low-income public housing for 40 years. Units are either owned or rented by low-income people, and residents may enter into a rent-to-own agreement. At the end of the 40-year period, the townhomes may be sold by their owners (whether residents or the cooperative) at market rates.
Capitol View (Washington, D.C.)