Hotel Harrington: 109 Years on 11th Street
From its 1914 opening to its 2023 closure, Hotel Harrington was DC’s longest-running hotel. Now KHP Capital plans to bring 436 11th St NW back to life.
Featured
The posts the Ghosts of DC editors think deserve a second look. Strange, vivid, and surprising stories from Washington’s past, hand-picked from the full archive.
“Czar Reed”: The Speaker Who Broke the Filibuster
Thomas Brackett Reed rewrote the rules of Congress, crushed the filibuster, and walked away from power on principle. He died at the Arlington Hotel while a party raged downstairs.
The History of Dulles Airport: From Cornfields to Concorde
The full history of Dulles Airport: when it was built, why it’s named Dulles, the Concorde arrival, the Unabomber, and the Virginia farmland it replaced.
1930s Washington D.C. Apartment Listings: A Glimpse into Great Depression Living
Delve into 1930s Washington D.C. apartment listings and discover how the Great Depression and the presidential campaign influenced living conditions. Explore affordable rents, modern amenities, and the challenges faced by residents in this historic era.
Crandall’s Metropolitan Theater: Coolest Theater South of the North Pole
Harry Crandall’s Metropolitan Theater opened at 9th and E NW in 1918, hosted DC’s first talkie, and was demolished in 1968. Here’s its story.
When Did the Howard Theatre Open?
The Apollo in New York, the Pearl in Philadelphia, the Uptown in Baltimore, and the Howard Theatre in Washington were the preeminent African-American venues for stars like Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and the big bands of the 1930s to rock and roll and the Motown sound.
A Rare Look at Bill Clinton Delivering Georgetown’s Commencement Speech in 1980
Take a rare look back in time at the then-governor of Arkansas, and Georgetown graduate, Bill Clinton delivering the commencement speech at Georgetown for the graduating class of 1980.
Autumn 1984, Washington DC – The Best of Times, The Worst of Traffic: The Story of Dr. John O. Nestor and the Birth of ‘Nestoring’
In Autumn 1984, Washington DC, Dr. John O. Nestor set off a heated discussion over driving etiquette with his left-lane strategy. His verb, ‘Nestoring’, has become an obscure verb and a lesson in sticking to your principles.
Washington Monument Under Construction in 1883
Washington Monument under construction with U.S. Fish Commission hatching ponds in the foreground and Bureau of Engraving and Printing building in the background.