Photograph shows the ruins of a store in Washington, D.C., that was destroyed during the riots that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Investigating the Location of an American Rescue Workers Thrift Store Destroyed During the 1968 DC Riots

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I see 1806 as the address for the American Rescue Workers Thrift Store. Is this 14th St.? 7th St.? Can anyone identify the location of this image and whether the buildings are there today?

Photograph shows the ruins of a store in Washington, D.C., that was destroyed during the riots that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Photograph shows the ruins of a store in Washington, D.C., that was destroyed during the riots that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

UPDATE: Thanks to our readers, it appears that we have identified this as 7th St. Unfortunately, these buildings no longer exist.

3 thoughts on “Investigating the Location of an American Rescue Workers Thrift Store Destroyed During the 1968 DC Riots”

  1. I’m strongly leaning toward the 1800 block of 7th Street N.W. The address numbers indicate that the location is either just off S or 18th. Looking at the riot maps in Ten Blocks from the White House, damage to this extent on an 1800 block could only have occurred on 7th Street N.W. Today, the even side of the street (shown here) has been torn down and replaced with a new senior citizens apartment building, but the odd side has retail in buildings that look very similar to the ones shown here.

  2. I saw a WaPo article from 1975 that indicates that there was a Universal Barber Shop at the corner of 7th and S for 39 years.

  3. The Universal barber shop was located in the 1800 blk of 7th st nw,.a couple doors from Vondells shoe repair shop,believe that!

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