Wait, Andre the Giant tried out for the Washington Redskins? Did that really happen? You have to read more to find out the story.
Wait, Andre the Giant tried out for the Washington Redskins? Did that really happen? You have to read more to find out the story.
Vermont Avenue was almost extended all the way to Georgia Avenue near Howard University. See the map of the proposed extension.
The original statue of Samuel DuPont sat for more than a generation at the center of Dupont Circle. Then it was removed because people thought it was ugly. Read the story to learn more.
The Bartholdi Fountain on Capitol Hill was almost moved to Dupont Circle at the request of James Blaine. Until history intervened.
The neighborhood surrounding the circle was once dubbed Fairview Heights, which no longer seems to appear on any contemporary maps.
The Kennedy Center could have looked a bit like the Watergate does today with this very curvy design proposal. This drawing was done by Edward Durell Stone, the architect who would design the final building.
In 1958, President Eisenhower approved plans for a National Air Museum. See some of the fascinating and beautiful designs that didn't make it.
The proposals were published to convince transit officials that the 19-mile system authorized by Congress within the city - part of a 25-mile network extending into the suburbs -would be inadequate by 1985.
These haunting 1967 photos show the inside and outside of the old Capitol Traction Company Powerhouse, previously located on the Georgetown waterfront.
There used to be an airport where the Pentagon stands today. Washington-Hoover Airport operated from 1933 to 1941, replaced by National Airport.
Not everyone wins an election. Here's a sample of some people who ran for D.C. Council and didn't make it.
These 1870s photos are incredible, showing the District just following the Civil War. Click on them for more details.
This most incredible image shows what the Ulysses Grant Memorial Bridge would have liked like today. It would have been where the current Arlington Memorial Bridge is today.
Why doesn't 395 cut through Washington, DC? This is the history of highways in DC.
A little-known story about upper northwest is that Reno Road, which cuts right through the heart of North Cleveland Park to Chevy Chase, was almost renamed Washington Avenue, in honor of the west coast state. An article in The Washington Post from July 24th, 1959 mentioned the proposal and opposition from a single senator, Howard Cannon […]
Near the end of World War II, there was an interesting proposal to build a subway in the District to alleviate post-war traffic.
You’re going to love this amazing photo of a long-lost building in our city. You’re looking at the old Raleigh Hotel, formerly located at 12th and Pennsylvania Ave. NW. It’s so sad that these iconic structures were taken down. Source: Library of Congress
Proposed renovations of the Capitol Building from the 1870s. Achitectural drawing for alterations to the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. West elevation.
Here’s an interesting proposal for the Southside Freeway in Arlington, which never came to be. This graphic is from The Washington Post printed on October 7th, 1960. That date, by the way, is when the famous Kennedy/Nixon presidential debate happened, being held at the WRC-TV NBC studios off of Nebraska Avenue. Below is an excerpt from […]
The sad truth is that slave pens existed in and around all of Washington. This photo shows one of those in Alexandria during the 1860s. We dug these up at the Library of Congress. Source: Library of Congress