The Architects the Library of Congress Forgot
John Smithmeyer and Paul Pelz won the design competition in 1873. They spent 13 years redesigning it. Then Congress fired them. Here’s what happened next.
If Walls Could Talk
What happened inside Washington, DC’s buildings. Hotels where deals got cut, rowhouses where scandals played out, embassies that hosted defections and dinners both.
The Story of Russian Oligarch Oleg Deripaska’s Mansion
Oleg Deripaska’s mansion at 2501 30th NW replaced a 30-room Tudor Herbert Haft razed in 1985 to build his ‘mini-Versailles.’
If Walls Could Talk: Red Rocks Pizzeria in Columbia Heights
I am obsessed with Red Rocks at 11th and Park NW. I have been since day one. In the hopes that I can convince my wife to go there tonight (or at least this weekend), I think it’s only fitting that they’re the first restaurant that I do a little historical research on. At least … Read more
DC JCC at 16th and Q: From Coolidge’s 1925 Cornerstone to Today
On May 3, 1925, Calvin Coolidge laid the cornerstone of the DC JCC at 16th and Q. The building has been lost, nearly turned into a prison, and won back.
Before 2 Amys: The History of 3715 Macomb Street NW
From beauty shop to shoe shop to 2Amys, explore the history of 3715 & 3713 Macomb St. NW in Washington DC. Learn about the expert barber and shoe repairman that used to occupy the space before it changed hands!
The 1877 Drawing of Proposed Capitol Modifications
In 1877 a 23-year-old draftsman named Richard Siebert filed a sweeping redesign of the U.S. Capitol with the Copyright Office. Then he vanished.
Exploring the History of Chez Billy (3815 Georgia Ave. NW) in Petworth
3815 Georgia Avenue NW has been a restaurant since 1929. In the 1960s it was Billy Simpson’s, Washington’s Black political forum.
1971 Calvert Street: The Toddle House at the Adams Morgan Bus Turnaround
![Capital Transit demonstration run of a Twin Coach articulated bus (a model they did not end up using), April 3, 1948. This turnaround is still used by buses today [photo by Robert S. Crockett].](https://ghostsofdc.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2015/12/10896004463_3f7d28bb16_o.jpg)
The Toddle House diner at 1971 Calvert Street NW served Adams Morgan from 1940 until 1971, survived a 1942 knife suit over a bad cup of coffee, and shared a chain name with a Bethesda restaurant that was still turning Black customers away in 1957. The building still stands.
Mary Surratt Boarding House is Now a Chinese Restaurant
Mary Surratt’s boarding house at 604 H Street NW, where John Wilkes Booth plotted Lincoln’s assassination, is now the Wok and Roll.