 Congress passed the Residence Act of 1790 to establish a federally owned district in which would be built the new national capital, and George Washington picked the current site in 1791 (a choice ratified by Congress later that year).William Marbury, a wealthy Georgetown merchant who later was a party in the landmark "Marbury v. Madison" Supreme Court case, purchased much of the "Chichester tract" some time in the late 18th or early 19th century.The growth of the Washington Navy Yard created the need to provide housing for the many new employees working at the facility, but little land was available for new construction in the area and housing prices were high.