I love when this stuff happens. GoDCer Steve did a little Googling and came up with this amazing piece of Internet gold. Remember Marjorie Morris? The intrepid young Washingtonian, noted for her adventures in Chevy Chase? We wrote some more about her here and here.

Marjorie Morris Sinclair interview

Also, the Cleveland Park Historical Society has a pretty cool website that you should check out.

The post A GoDCer Finds the “Whoopee” Party Girl! appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

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.

Park and Shop on Connecticut Avenue in Cleveland Park

The development was done by Shannon & Luchs, and at the time was a major departure from existing commercial development plans. Parking had become a major problem for commercial areas, and creating a large setback from the street to allow for parking was a major boon to shoppers and store owners alike.

Park and Shop mock-up in the Washington Post – September 14th, 1930

Check out the invitation for a public opening on Friday, December 5th, 1930. This was published that day in the Washington Post.

Park and Shop opening advertisement – Washington Post (December 5th, 1930)

The post Park and Shop on Connecticut Avenue appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

This is a great tale to share with your friends, especially if you work on the Hill. I credit GoDCer and frequent suggester of excellent stories, Marty, with this one.

Speaker of the House Carl Albert with President Richard Nixon

Here’s an article from the Washington Post on September 11th, 1972.

A car driven by House Speaker Carl Albert struck two vehicles at Wisconsin and Macomb Street NW Saturday night, causing minor damage, police said. No one was injured and no charges were filed in the incident.

Second district police drove the 64-year-old Oklahoma Democrat home after the 11:30 p.m. incident, but did not file a report. They said none was necessary because the speaker had settled with the owner of one of the cars–witnesses said for cash–and that the owner of a struck van had driven off after discerning that there had been little or no damage to his vehicle. The names of the owners were withheld by police.

Police policy calls for the writing of an accident report where more than $100 in damages or personal injury are involved. “A report doesn’t have to be made if people can resolve minor accidents among themselves where there has been no flagrant violation of the law,” Deputy Chief Tilmon O’Bryant said yesterday.

Oops. One too many drinks Albert. Don’t drink and drive.

Zebra Room circa 1989

Witnesses interviewed outside the Zebra Room, a bar at Wisconsin and Macomb, said that Albert appeared to have been drinking. But Sgt. James R. Sloan of the second district, who earlier had repeatedly denied knowledge of the incident, said that in “my professional opinion, he wasn’t drunk.”

Ray Waddle, manager of the Zebra Room, said he knew Albert because “he comes in here sometimes -I wouldn’t call him a regular patron.” Asked about the incident, Waddle said he would not comment because Albert “is a prominent man and if I said something I might get in trouble with the owner.” The owner, Hal Lake, was not available yesterday.

Witnesses who said they saw the Saturday accident, but who would not identify themselves to a reporter, gave this account:

Albert’s white Thunderbird hit the rear of the van truck and also struck a parked Pontiac Grand Prix, whose owner was in the Zebra Room. As the owner came outside to investigate, the Thunderbird drove off. About 15 or 20 minutes later, Albert drove the car back to the scene and a man who had been in the bar announced that he was a policeman, and opened the door of Albert’s car. He later disappeared.

When two policemen, responding to a call made by a waitress in the bar, approached Albert, witnesses said, the speaker began pushing at them and yelling, “Leave me alone, I’m Carl Albert, speaker of the House … you can’t touch me … I just got you your raises.”

(A 17.6 per cent pay raise for beginning D.C. police and firemen recently passed Congress and was signed by the President.)

The policemen called for assistance and more scout cars drove up, witnesses said. Albert and the owner of the Pontiac negotiated and some money was accepted by the owner.

The owner, who had taken the names of witnesses, got out of the scout car, announced to a crowd of about ttwo dozen, “I don’t need any witnesses now,” and drove away.

Albert’s son, David, 17, was brought back to the scene by police early yesterday morning to drive his father’s white Thunderbird home to their apartment at 4101 Cathedral Ave., several blocks away. The car had minor dents in the grill.

Sound sketchy to you? Definitely.

1974 House Speaker Carl Albert Oklahoma Philip John Burton Cranston Press Photo

The post Drunk Speaker of the House Crashes Into Two Cars appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

It’s been a while since our last “Three Things…” post, so we queried the Twitterverse for GoDC suggestions on our next one. DrCapsFan, an old school GoDCer (i.e, a follower since week two) threw out a great suggestion to focus on Cleveland Park’s Uptown Theater, seconded by another frequent tweeter, stephaniekays (and big Nats fan). So that seals it … the Uptown Theater it is.

And of course, since it’s a movie theater with great history, we’ll dig up some of the bigger movies that have played at the favorite Cleveland Park movie house.

neon sign Uptown Theater in Cleveland Park (tawbaware.com)

1. Clark Cable and opening night at the Uptown

Cleveland Park had its own giant movie theater ready to dedicate in the fall of 1936, right in the heart of the Great Depression. The dedication ceremony was to be held on Thursday night, October 29th, 1936 at 8:15 p.m., according to the Washington Post. Below is the article announcing the public unveiling of the uptown gem.

The Uptown Theater, Warner Bros. new picture playhouse, located on Connecticut avenue at Newark street, will be dedicated this Thursday evening, October 29, at 8:15 o’clock, according to an announcement made late yesterday by John J. Payette, Warner Bros. general zone manager. Doors will open at 7:15 to give patrons ample time to inspect the theater throughout.

Two distinguished Washingtonians–District Commissioner Melvin C. Hazen, chairman of the Board of Commissioners, and Thomas E. Clark, president of the Cleveland Park Business Men’s Association–will take part in the program.

…

The inaugural attraction at the Uptown will be “Cain and Mabel,” Cosmopolitan Production, released by Warner Bros., and starring Marion Davies and Clark Gable. The presentation Thursday evening will be the Washington premiere of this new musical comedy.

…

The most modern type of projection and sound equipment have been installed in the new house, which will seat 1,500 people in the orchestra, balcony and loges. Appointments throughout are the most modern available. Throughout the year, winter and summer, the Uptown will maintain an even temperature, the latest type of air-conditioning equipment having been provided.

Check out the trailer for “Cain and Mabel” below.

2. ‘Star Wars’ wreaks havoc in Cleveland Park

Star Wars – 1977

This might be the greatest epic saga in the history of film. Star Wars was playing at the Uptown in Cleveland Park (along with probably 10,000 other theaters).

A great Washington Post details the chaos that ensued when the movie opened to the public in 1977 … and for some reason, it slightly reminds me of a scene out of Dazed and Confused (also great).

Scene I, Take I: A quiet, residential street in Cleveland Park around the corner from the Uptown Theater where “Star Wars” is playing.

Time: A half hour before the 7:30 show.

Action: Moviegoers in cars frantically searching for parking spaces. A group of teen-agers near the end of the block-and-a-half line casually having a picnic on a resident’s front lawn as they wait for the movie to open. The Good Humor truck plying its way up and down the queue of people, tinkling out the allure of frozen goodies.

Close-up: discarded beer cars, burnt-out marijuana joints and McDonald’s hamburger wrappers.

It’s not a new motion picture under production yet, but if there is ever a sequel to that intergalactic spectacular “Star Wars,” some of the residents of Cleveland Park would like to call it “Earthly Fallout.”

“It’s … it’s an invasion,” says Marcy Schuck, a Cleveland Park resident who no longer recognizes her peaceful neighborhood since “Star Wars” started playing. “There are people, people crawling up the streets constantly. We’re constantly being awakened when people line up for the midnight show. My alley was blocked up once and I just wanted to scream and beat up the cars.”

…

Territorial imperative aside, however, [Ron] Hoffman did come home one time to discover a car blocking his driveway  “I told my wife, ‘Hey, some clown is blocking the driveway.’ The funny thing is that it turned out to be a friend of my wife whose car was blocking the drive, a person who had just graduated from clown school.”

That damn George Lucas … screwing up peaceful Cleveland Park. Any of you GoDCers wait in line to see it back then?

Here’s the trailer for Star Wars … AMAZING!

3. T-Rex and velociraptors terrorize Connecticut Avenue

You guessed it. Jurassic Park played at the Uptown, but not only that … it was the world premiere! The Washington Post wrote about it on Friday, June 11th, 1993 (the screening was Wednesday at the Uptown). All the celebrities were in town to see and be seen.

The Scene: World premiere of Universal’s “Jurassic Park” in Washington. The screening Wednesday was at the Uptown Theater, the after party was in the National Building Museum. Locally, a movie premiere is a major attention-getter since “glamour is as extinct in Washington as dinosaurs,” as one woman put it.

Who Was There: The film’s stars, Laura Dern, Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum and Samuel Jackson; plus 1,100 guests, including Muhammad Ali, Tom and Peggy Pollock, Sid and Lorraine Sheinberg, Lew Wasserman, Sens. Barbara Boxer, Arlen Specter, Harris Wofford, Patrick Leahy and Bob Kerrey; Reps. Tony Beilenson, Henry Waxman, Maxine Waters and Pat Schroeder; plus Mickey Kantor, Ron Silver and Peter and Eileen Norton.

Who Wasn’t: Director Steven Spielberg (still working on “Shindler’s List”) and President Clinton and family; recent petty sniping from reptilian East Coast media pundits about Hollywood influencing the White House was said to have kept them away. L.A. media consultant Josh Baran said, “Rampaging dinosaurs reminded him too much of the press corps.”

Best Line From a Politician: Rep. Henry Waxman (D-California): “This is the first dinosaur Hollywood has sent to Washington since Ronald Reagan.”

Quoted: Of co-starring in this film, Samuel Jackson said, “Steven is basically the star of his own film. Then you have the dinosaurs. Everybody’s anticipating what they look like. People are coming to see them. Then they’re coming to see us. Kind of. We’re kind of filler.”

Of course we wouldn’t leave you without the trailer. Here it is … in crappy quality though.

Related articles

• A Day in the Life of Washington, 1936 [VIDEO] (ghostsofdc.org)
• First Lady Grace Coolidge Visits the Tivoli Theater in Columbia Heights (ghostsofdc.org)
• If Walls Could Talk: Tivoli Theater Was “The Temple of the Arts” (ghostsofdc.org)

The post Three Big Movies at the Uptown Theater appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

Senator John Stennis (Wikipedia)

That’s right, the Senator from Mississippi and chairman of the Armed Services Committee was shot both in the chest and the leg, after he was mugged in front of his North Cleveland Park house (3609 Cumberland St. NW). He was returning home in the evening after work on January 30th, 1973.

The Washington Post reported the following on the incident:

After driving home alone and parking in front of his house, as was his custom, he stepped out of the auto and was approached by two youths in their late teens, according to police accounts.

While he was standing in the roadway, the youths demanded money, “Get ‘em up,” one demanded. Offering no resistance, according to accounts, the senator turned over his wallet, which contained credit cards, a gold pocket watch, his Phi Beta Kappa key and a 25-cent piece.

“Now we’re going to shoot you anyway,” the youths were quoted by the senator. Or, the police reported, it might have been “We ought to shoot you anyway.”

The ambulance was called from Adams Morgan to race up the three miles to the senator’s home. Two ambulance attendants, Pvt. William Taylor and Pvt. Robert Adams, didn’t know the gravity of the situation, nor the that the victim was a senator until they were a few blocks away.

In the meantime, Stennis had staggered into his home and sat down on the couch in his living room, bleeding profusely from his wounds and when the ambulance finally arrived, the senator was conscious, but fading.

As the ambulance made its way to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, President Nixon was notified and the FBI were informed — a 1971 law made it a federal crime to assault, kidnap or kill a member of Congress.

His condition was extremely tenuous, having serious wounds, both under his lower rib cage and in his left thigh. Senator Stennis underwent 6 1/2 hours of surgery and the press conference the following day labeled his chances as “guarded” that he would recover. The bullet had ripped through part of his stomach, pancreas and cut through a major vein that empties blood into the intestines. The bullet was not removed from the senator as they patched him up.

Two Washington teenagers were charged in the shooting, Tyrone Marshall and his brother John. Derrick Holloway was granted immunity in the case for turning state’s evidence against the brothers. Tyrone received a sentence of 10-to-30 years under the federal congressional assassination statue, armed robbery and assault with intent to kill while armed. John received a sentence of 15 years.

3609 Cumberland St. NW (Google Street View)

Related articles

• Officer Sprinkle Breaks Up Street Brawl (ghostsofdc.org)
• Cries of Murder; Man Slashed Several Times, Leaps From Window (ghostsofdc.org)
• The Greek Murder: A Triple Homicide (ghostsofdc.org)

The post Senator John Stennis Mugged and Shot in Front of Cleveland Park Home appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

It’s been a little while since we’ve done a “Reader’s Choice” post, so this one is for GoDCer Samantha, who tweeted the request to do something on Cathedral Heights. I also haven’t really done anything about that area, so this works out well.

Cathedral Highlands advertisement in the Washington Herald - June 23rd, 1907 (click for more details)

Let me start with a quick fact … Cathedral Heights started out as Cathedral Highlands.

The neighborhoods of Cleveland Park and Cathedral Heights are tightly connected throughout history. The former, named after President Grover Cleveland and the latter starting its life as the are where early Georgetown residents had their summer homes.

An article in the Washington Post back on November 16th, 1939, interviewed early resident, Thomas Kengla. He grew up during the 19th century in what would become Cathedral Heights.

Thomas Kengla, who now lives at 3627 Davis street, yesterday recalled the beginning of the modern suburban development in the area.

“It was started not much more than 35 years ago. I lived on the farm just opposite St. Alban’s Church in the house in which I was born. The house in which my father was born was next door. The hill down which Cathedral avenue runs today was wooded and dangerous, the wild dogs were so bad,” he said.

Seriously … Wild dogs? Can you imagine?

Another article, several decades earlier, from April 7th, 1907, announced the birth of a new suburb northwest of Georgetown. The new subdivision, dubbed “Cathedral Highlands,” was built on higher ground, away from the sweltering heat closer to downtown.

One of the most important suburban movements of the year is the re-subdivision of the tract of ground just south of the intersection of Massachusetts and Wisconsin avenues, formerly known as Tunlaw Heights. As the property lies on a high plateau, overlooking the city, affording an unobstructed view of the entire surrounding country for miles, and is directly opposite the famous Cathedral Close, the new name of Cathedral Highlands is very appropriate.

The tract has frontage of 1,348 feet on Wisconsin avenue. The subdivision has an area of thirty acres, equal to several hundred lots having a frontage of thirty feet. Fulton and Girard streets will run east and west through the property, while Thirty-eight street, Bellevue Terrace, and Thirty-ninth street will interest the tract running north and south, with Wisconsin avenue fronting the property on the east.

Below is the Baist real estate survey of the area from 1907. I don’t see a Girard street, so I’m assuming it was shuffled around in the street renaming and became Garfield. It also appears that, at one point, Garfield was Galveston and Fulton was Frankfort.

1907 Baist real estate atlas survey of Washington, plate 24 (Library of Congress)

The article reads very much like an advertisement, promoting the benefits of living in the new neighborhood.

The extension and improvement of Massachusetts avenue, just completed, brings this property within ten minutes drive of the center of the city, over Washington’s most beautiful and fashionable thoroughfare. The extension of this avenue from Wisconsin avenue to the American University campus, for which there is an appropriation of about $50,000, is the cause of great real estate activity in this section. it is expected this work will be completed during the coming year.

…

Nearly all of the streets of the subdivision have been graded, macadamized, concrete walks laid, and are adorned by rows of beautiful shade trees. Ten thousand dollars has been appropriated by the syndicate to complete the work of graiding and improving the one new street, extending water mains and sewers and otherwise improving the property, which is being sold under suitable restrictions guaranteeing the erection of residences of a high class only. The building of several houses ranging in price from $6,000 to $10,000 is contemplated for the near future.

William F. Matteson has been intrusted [sic] with the entire management of the property, and now has a large force of men on the ground carrying on the work of improvement.

That’s quite a serious responsibility for Matteson, who obviously had a significant impact on the development of Washington’s early suburbs.

Cathedral Highlands advertisement - April 14th, 1907 (Washington Post)

So who is this Matteson guy and how did he land such a sweet gig? Check back later today. I was going to add it here, but it’s too good to slap on the end of a post. Trust me … you want to read it. It will be posted at this link in a few hours.

Related articles

• Three Things About the Bryant Street Pumping Station (ghostsofdc.org)

The post Move to Cathedral Highlands: An Unobstructed View of the Entire Surrounding Country appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

We are a great nation and Americans in the 1880s were proud of their rapidly growing and dominant country. But how can you truly be a great nation without a national zoo to show off all the wonderful creatures that roam your lands, as well as those of foreign lands? Not only that, how will you help preserve the species that were being decimated by the rapid westward expansion and industrial progress?

A group of school children viewing the first bison at the National Zoological Park in 1899. Photograph by Frances Benjamin Johnston (Smithsonian)

The Boston Globe had an article on August 24th, 1888 with a compelling argument supporting the drive for a national zoo. Senator James Beck of Kentucky was sponsoring a bill pushing for this.

This is the only great nation in the world that does not possess such an institution, and of all the nations this is the one that needs it most. In no other country are the native wild animals becoming so rapidly extinct. Only a few years ago the great western plains were black with bison; now that huge animal is a curiosity even to the dwellers on the plains. A thousand other varieties and species are being exterminated with equal rapidity. If the children of the coming generations are to know anything of the kind of animals that once roamed over the United States, except from books, something like what Senator Beck’s bill contemplates must be done at once.

The price of land in Washington, already enormous, is rapidly rising, and for that reason, if no other, delay will be costly. At present land can be had for the purpose at a reasonable price, but every month adds to its value.

At a cost that would be trifling compared with the benefits to be derived, Congress might give the country the largest and most interesting collection of live animals in the world. The primary object of the proposed “Zoo” should be to preserve perfect specimens of American animals, but there is no reason why wild denizens of Asiatic jungles and South American forests should not have a department to themselves.

The “National Zoo” is a good object on which Democrats and Republicans can united for the credit of their common country. Congress ought to give it to us, and any person in private life can help secure the “Zoo” by writing to request his Congressman to vote for Senator Beck’s bill.

We know the ultimate result, but it’s interesting to see the press’ push for grassroots support via writing Congress — a practice that is continued today, multiplied by a factor of at least a thousand with electronic communication.

Two bison in a paddock in the South Yard behind the Smithsonian Institution Building. They were acquired in 1886 by the Department of Living Animals, which eventually became the National Zoological Park. This photograph, taken sometime between 1886 and 1889, predates the founding of the National Zoo (Smithsonian)

The National Zoo was established by an Act of Congress in 1889 and the following year it was subsumed by the Smithsonian. The article below is from May 30th, 1889, discussing the selection of a site for the new zoo.

The commission appointed by Congress for the establishment of a zoological park have decided upon the proposed location, the site selected lying along Rock Creek, just above Woodley Park. The boundary lines of the proposed park have not been finally fixed, but the general location is practically settled. Beginning at the northeast corner of the colored cemetery the line will probably run along the north side of the cemetery, taking in a narrow strip.

Crossing Rock Creek it will take in a portion of the southeast corner of Woodley Park, and will cross the Evans property so as to take between eighty-five and ninety acres of the lower portion of the property. It will probably be extended to the Klingle road at a point about 700 feet west of the Klingle bridge. Thence it will follow the Klingle road across the creek, two-thirds of the way from where it crosses the creek to Pierce’s Mill road. It will run along the south side of the creek through the Walbridge property taking a strip about four hundred feet wide, striking the quarry road on a direct line with the old quarry, and thence diagonally from the quarry across to the starting point at the corner of the cemetery.

The site selected includes between 150 and 160 acres, and comprises one of the most picturesque sections of the Rock Creek valley.

The property is owned principally by Doctor Holt, Pacificus Ord, N. H. Walbridge, and the Evans heirs. There are several parcels in the vicinity of the old abandoned quarry held by various owners. The appropriation to purchase the land does not become available until July 1. A survey has to be made and the work of examining will cause delay.

Senator Stanford has sent to the Smithsonian Institution a young antelope from California to add to the collection for the National Zoo. It was eleven days on the trip, and reached the park sadly banged up, but is recovering, and Captain Weeden, keeper, hopes to be able to save it. Heretofore it has been found impossible to keep antelopes in confinement for any length of time.

Another recent addition to the aviary is a trio of Mexican birds, chachalacas, a sort of pheasant, sent by Capt. Henry Romeyn, of the Fifth Infantry, stationed at Fort Ringgold, Texas. An ant eater from the same contributor, is expected shortly. Arrangements have been made for the reception of two cinnamon bears, donated by a hotel-keeper in Montana, whose generosity was aroused by reading of Buffalo Bill’s gift of three buffalo.

Model of National Zoological Park by Frederick Law Olmsted (National Park Service)

Several months later, another article mentions the final submission of the proposed land acquisition was give to President Cleveland. The article in the Washington Post was printed on November 21st, 1889.

After months of patient labor the commission which was appointed by Congress to select a site for a zoological garden have at length succeded [sic] in securing a site which is in every way desirable, and this morning will submit to the President an official map of the ground, together with a schedule of the prices which is to be paid for the same. The grounds extends on either side of Rock Creek, from the line of the Woodley Lane Bridge to Klingle Road, and embraces in all a little over 166 acres.

The property selected is owned by a number of persons, the principal owner being Miss A. E. J. Evans, from whom ninety-four acres i purchased. Any one who has driven out along the Rock Creek road will at once see the beauties of this section of the District as a sight for a zoological park. The ground is heavily wooded and comprises many picturesque spots. Rock Creek winds through its entire length.

It is understood that the price paid for the larger part of the ground averaged $1,000 per acre, but the commission are unwilling to make the price public until the President has seen and approved the report. Those persons from whom ground has been purchased are:

Former owners of the National Zoo's land (Washington Post)

Oh, by the way, Senator Stanford’s antelope didn’t survive … and there was a pleasant mention of it in the Post on June 19th, 1889.

The antelope recently sent by Senator Stanford as a contribution to the National Zoo is dead. For several days after its arrival here it gained rapidly in strength, and it was hoped that it could be kept alive until removed to more commodious quarters in the Rock Creek Park. A few mornings ago, however, some cur dogs from the neighborhood strayed into the grounds and so harassed the antelope that it dashed its brains out against the side of the enclosure in a vain effort to escape.

This is not the only instance where the Zoo has suffered from the dogs in the neighborhood. A Rocky Mountain goat, which had been tied to a tree on the lawn, was attacked recently by a big Newfoundlad [sic] dog, and in its efforts to escape ran to the end of its rope with such a force that one of its horns was pulled from its socket.

Ouch. That sounds horrible and gruesome. Watch out for the wild dogs loose in Woodley Park.

Alligators in their enclosure in the original Animal House, also known as the Carnivora House, which opened in 1892 and was the first permanent building at the National Zoological Park. The alligators are housed in the "temporary" wooden wing of the structure (Smithsonian)

son ranging at the National Zoological Park soon after completion of the first building, a house for bison and elk. In the background an elk in his yard is visible, c. 1890s (Smithsonian)

Related articles

• Cooling Off in Rock Creek (ghostsofdc.org)
• Woman Fatally Mauled at National Zoo (ghostsofdc.org)
• Reader’s Choice: Why is Syracuse University in Woodley Park? (ghostsofdc.org)
• Fall colors in Rock Creek Park (raoulpop.com)
• Washington’s Circumferential Highway: Fighting Over the Capital Beltway (ghostsofdc.org)
• Suite 870: the Haunted “Ghost Suite” at the Omni Shoreham Hotel (ghostsofdc.org)
• Then and Now: Boulder Bridge, Rock Creek Park . . . and Meet Lansing H. Beach (ghostsofdc.org)

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