Ghosts of DCThe lost and untold stories of Washington

Try an address, a neighborhood, a name or a year, like “14th and U” or “1968.”

Not sure where to start?
Best OfThe stories readers come back toAtlasOur stories, on a mapPodcastOur stories, told aloud
Notable People & Places

National Airport in 1967: Kennedy Center and Watergate Rising from the Air

This 1967 aerial photograph was taken from an Eastern Airlines flight on approach to National Airport. On the right, the Kennedy Center is under construction. The Watergate buildings are going up nearby. Neither was finished yet.

1 min read
View from a Lockheed Elektra on approach to Washington National in 1967. The Watergate complex is under construction to the left and the Kennedy Center to the right.
View from a Lockheed Elektra on approach to Washington National in 1967. The Watergate complex is under construction to the left and the Kennedy Center to the right.

This is such a great find. We came across this while checking out our favorite Facebook page, Old Time D.C. This is a shot from an Eastern Airlines flight on approach to National Airport in 1967. You can see the Kennedy Center under construction on the right and the Watergate buildings going up on the left. What an amazing photo.

National saw a far worse day with Eastern. In 1949, Eastern Air Lines Flight 537 collided with a P-38 on final approach, and all 55 people aboard died.

View from a Lockheed Elektra on approach to Washington National in 1967. The Watergate complex is under construction to the left and the Kennedy Center to the right.
View from a Lockheed Elektra on approach to Washington National in 1967. The Watergate complex is under construction to the left and the Kennedy Center to the right. (Bill Holmes (Flickr))

Before construction began, the Kennedy Center was supposed to look very different. See Edward Durell Stone’s unbuilt 1959 design.

We use AI to help research, write and edit stories across our sites. Here’s how we use AI.Suggest a correction

On the AtlasNewSee the 2 places in this story2700 F St NW · 2600 Virginia Ave NW38.8958° N · 77.0557° W

Filed underNotable People & Places

Topics1960s · Kennedy Center · Watergate

Like what you found here?

Get new Ghosts of DC stories by email.

More from the 1960s

Proposed design for the Kennedy CenterKennedy Center History: The 1959 Design That Wasn’t BuiltStorefronts of the 800 block of 14th Street NW in the early 1980s: the Californian Steak House, Benny's, the Cocoon, the Butterfly and the Gold Rush, with the Parkside Hotel behind14th Street’s Lost Red Light District: From Combat Zone to Cocktail BarsBest OfEpisodeAI-colorized version of the 1960s rendering of the proposed Three Sisters Bridge over the Potomac, with the Three Sisters islands belowThree Sisters Bridge Across the Potomac Was Never BuiltBest OfEpisode