Washington Gas Light Co. advertisement (1906)

By the way, the company has been around since it’s founding in 1848. President James K. Polk signed the Congressional act creating the company on July 8th, 1848. The company went on to install gas lights in the House and Senate chambers, followed by the lighting in the White House and down Pennsylvania Avenue.

By 1856, Washington Gas had grown to include nearly 1,700 customers, more than 30 miles of gas mains, and about 500 street lights.

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Brothers Charles and Nicholas Ludington founded their eponymous airline in 1930, based out of Philadelphia. The brothers put over a million dollars into the business with the goal of operating hourly plane service between the major east coast cities.

By 1932, the company was setting world recording for the number of passengers it was transporting up and down the Eastern seaboard. The Baltimore Sun reported on July 10th, 1932 that a new world record had been set the previous day.

Washington, July 9–Another world’s record has been set by the Ludington Airlines, Inc., operating hourly plane service between New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington. The line recently carried its 100,000th passenger between Washington and New York, according to an announcement made today by James M. Eaton, airline president. The line has been in operation twenty-one months.

The carrying of 100,000 passengers in the space of twenty-one months has never been even nearly approached before, it was said, the figure constituting a world commercial airline passenger carrying record.

Inaugurated September 1, 1930, the Ludington Line recently increased its hourly plane departures by the addition of a number of half hourly schedules.

On June 4 the airline established a new high speed non-stop “special dispatch” service between Washington and new York using planes cruising at 160 miles an hour and making the airport-to-airport flight in eighty minutes. This faster service brings the downtown sections of both cities within two hours time of each other.

By 1933, the airline had been acquired by Eastern Air Transport, the precursor to Eastern Airlines.

Dulles Airport serves about 60,000 passengers on a daily basis now and in 2010 saw 23.7 million passengers through its terminals.

The Ludington brothers would be shocked.

Ludington Airlines advertisement

Henry A. Cooper

Not too long ago, the main drag through Washington, on the north side of the Mall, adhered to the structured naming convention of this city. It was B St. NW.

Wisconsin Congressman Henry A. Cooper didn’t feel the name suited a central and important boulevard in the nation’s capital. The Mall was undergoing significant redevelopment and Cooper put forth a bill to give the thoroughfare a more impressive name.

Representative Cooper was seeking a name that would reflect the magnificent stature of B Street, yet this was not without a fair number of challenges. In July of 1930, the D.C. Commissioners would not give their support to renaming the street.

The District Commissioners yesterday refused to give their approval to the proposal or representative Cooper, of Wisconsin, to change the name of B street northwest to Constitution avenue. The proposal was contained in a resolution introduced in the House and sent to the Commissioners for a report. Constitution avenue is one of several names which it has been proposed to give to B street.

The street, when the Government building project is completed, will be a great ceremonial street, the Commissioners said, and agreed that it “should be given a name commensurate with its dignity and importance and  directly associated with some great person in our national history,” but of the many names which have been suggested the Commissioners said they “do not desire to express a choice.”

Fast forward through the fall and into the next year, momentum was building and sufficient support was garnered to rename B street. Below is an article from the February 10th, 1931 Washington Post.

The bill to rename B street, the ceremonial street in the center of the Mall development program, Constitution avenue, was ordered favorably reported yesterday by the Senate District committee.

The bill, sponsored by Representative Henry Allen Cooper (Republican), Wisconsin, was passed by the House last Saturday. Representative Allen was the only witness before the Senate committee when his bill was under consideration. He discussed the suggestion that the avenue be named Jefferson avenue in honor of Thomas Jefferson.  Paying high tribute to the author of the Constitution, Mr. Cooper said there should be erected a great memorial to Jefferson and the naming of B street Constitution avenue was in itself a tribute to Jefferson.

It’s quite interesting to imagine the street being named Jefferson Avenue, although that’s an equally grand name in my opinion. Cooper was right about the memorial for Jefferson, but construction on a monument to our third president did not begin until 1939, near the tidal basin, and was finally completed in 1943.

Department of Labor at 14th St. and Constitution Ave. NW (1935)

A couple weeks later, President Herbert Hoover signed the bill into law, officially changing the name to Constitution Avenue.

President Hoover signed two measures of interest to the District of Columbia yesterday., one was the joint resolution to change the name of B street to Constitution avenue and the other an act authorizing $100,000 for the District of Columbia Commission for the George Washington Bicentennial.

Sadly, a few days later, on March 1st, Henry Cooper died in his hotel room, accompanied by his wife. He was 80 years old.

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Blaine Mansion (1900)

Here’s a great color photo courtesy the D.C. Public Library Flickr photostream. It was taken, just at the turn of the century.

The house was built in 1881 and was the home of James G. Blaine, former Speaker of the House, Senator, and twice the Secretary of State. His LinkedIn resume would look pretty sweet.

We are look at the corner of 20th and P St., where there is a Le Pain Quotidien (solid and healthy brunch) and Pizzeria Paradiso (awesome beer selection) today.

James G. Blaine mansion today (Wikipedia)

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Fred and Ethel Mertz (William Frawley and Vivian Vance) from I Love Lucy performed “Carolina in the Morning” at the 40th anniversary dinner for the Anti-Defamation League. This was held in the Mayflower Hotel in 1953.

View of Washington Monument (May 5th, 1922)

Here is a nice photograph from 1922. You’re looking at the Washington Monument from within the Lincoln Memorial, which has just opened. The memorial has not yet been formally dedicated — a ceremony attended by Lincoln’s son.

Thanks Shorpy!

Potomac bathing beauties (1920)

Thanks Shorpy!

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Basketball and learning the Charleston (1926)

Enjoy your evening and stay out of trouble. If you’re lucky enough to have the long weekend … relax and have a good time!

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Ben's Chili Bowl (Wikipedia)

I took a fair bit of time to do a little research into how U street got its name. After some research, it was abundantly clear that this wouldn’t be a short post.

This is an area of D.C. that has a rich history, went through some rough times, but has risen to become the core of the city’s renaissance. The story of U street might not be as obvious as you think, and it will definitely surprise you.

I also came across some excellent archival footage of U street in its heyday. The really interesting stuff doesn’t start until about 45 seconds into the film, but it’s worth the wait. I think you’ll like it.

Seriously? You clicked “Why Is It Named U Street?” … point goes to @GhostsofDC for the bait and switch. Enjoy the video. Happy Friday!

…WAIT! This isn’t just a rickroll. There is local relevance.

Our favorite Internet meme, Rick Astley, was in town and played at Merriweather on August 28th, 1989 (Pete Rose was permanently banned from baseball four days earlier). It gets better. Martika opened!

Rick Astley at Merriweather (1989)

Please tell me someone reading this post was at this concert. Next time I’m going to Paula Abdul you.