This is an interesting photo of a man precariously perched on a flag pole near the Capitol Building. It was taken on July 11th, 1939 as the man (Jack Tarzan) was painting the flagpole. The safety equipment of the day looks a little weak. Okay … his real name wasn’t Tarzan, just a nickname. You can read a good blog ... Read More »
Wow. You can barely renovate a bathroom for this amount of money today. Below is an advertisement for 6431 Barnaby St. NW on June 2nd, 1935. Here is the Google Street View of the same property today. Read More »
This is a great personal story of a behind-the-scenes man. Francis H. Robinson was a long-time chauffeur for the White House, having arrived in Washington back in 1910. Robinson was originally from Massachusetts, born around 1876, and had been driving vehicles there for about two decades when Taft came calling. The original chauffeur, George Robinson, was dismissed at the request ... Read More »
Here is a very different photo of the “Big Train” in April 1939. He is looking at a box of baseballs, autographed by six presidents. These are baseballs that were thrown out as the first pitch by presidents when Johnson was pitching in Washington. A pretty impressive collection, which was donated to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Read More »
The Ballston Skulls sounds like a gang. They weren’t. The Skulls played semi-pro football representing the village of Ballston. They played and practiced on a field, known as Ballston Stadium, at Ball’s Crossroads, currently the site of Ballston Common Mall. In 1937, when the Redskins moved here from Boston, the team worked out at the Ballston facility with the Skulls. ... Read More »
This is an aerial view of Temple Heights and Oak Lawn, the current site of the Washington Hilton, north of Dupont Circle. Read More »
I had the pleasure of speaking to a great class at AU last week. One of the students asked if we had ever done a piece about Mad Hatter on Connecticut Ave. We haven’t yet, so this one is for you, Blaire. (By the way, Blaire told me her parents named her after the Blair House … and added an ... Read More »
We love digging through old newspaper classifieds to see these apartment listings. Check out a few of the ones we found this weekend. How about a nice apartment in Dupont Circle for $125 a month? This one is the Rocksboro Apartment building at 1717 R St. NW on June 9th, 1961 How about a place on Meridian Hill near 16th ... Read More »
It’s highly likely you have been to the D.C. institution known as Madam’s Organ at 2461 18th St. NW. It anchors the Adams Morgan strip, and has done so since the current patrons were in diapers. It’s been a while since our last “If Walls Could Talk” post, so let’s kick it off with the legendary Madam’s Organ. Square 2560, ... Read More »
This is a beautiful shot of the Memorial Bridge under construction, some time in the early 1930s. It’s part of the Library of Congress’ Theodor Horydczak collection. Read More »
We dug up this undated photo at the Library of Congress. It appears to be from the late 1930s or early 1940s. The good news, is that the firehouse is still there. Check out the Google Street View below. Read More »
You recognize this building. Yep, the one with CVS and Krispy Kreme. This is a view of it from the air in the 1930s. Read More »
It’s probably obvious to GoDCers where Chain Bridge Road gets its name. There is a bridge that connects the eponymous road on the D.C. side to the one on the Virginia side. But, this bridge has no chains. What’s the deal? The bridge plays a significant part in Washington’s history, and as we were digging through the archives for some ... Read More »
Amusing and true, this is an article we came across in the New York Amsterdam News, published on June 18th, 1938. WASHINGTON, June 15 — Residents surrounding Meridian Hill Park, where once stood old Wayland Seminary, telephoned police that a colored man in the nude was roaming through the park. When members of the park police unit arrived, although a ... Read More »
If you live in Cleveland Park, or have ever seen a movie at the Uptown, you will recognize the photo below. This is the Park and Shop at Connecticut Ave. and Ordway St. It was built in 1930 as one of the country’s oldest strip malls. The development was done by Shannon & Luchs, and at the time was a ... Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington