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Ghosts of DC

  • The Best Of
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      • McLean
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    • Southeast DC
      • Congress Heights
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    • Northeast DC
      • Trinidad
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    • Northwest DC
      • Tenleytown
      • Park View
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      • Brightwood
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      • Sheridan-Kalorama
      • The Palisades
      • Logan Circle
      • Petworth
      • Glover Park
      • Bloomingdale
      • Georgetown
      • Woodley Park
      • Dupont Circle
      • Columbia Heights
      • Cleveland Park
      • Adams Morgan
      • Mt. Pleasant
      • Chevy Chase
      • Cathedral Heights
      • Chinatown
    • Lost Neighborhoods
      • Hell’s Bottom
      • Swampoodle
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  • Notable People & Places
    • Places
      • Washington Monument
      • Library of Congress
      • The White House
      • The Capitol Building
      • Dulles Airport
    • People
      • Franklin D. Roosevelt
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      • Warren G. Harding
      • William McKinley
      • Abraham Lincoln
      • John F. Kennedy
      • Teddy Roosevelt
      • Woodrow Wilson

Then and Now

The same Washington, DC corners, photographed then and now. A few are still recognizable. Most aren’t.

The Time Baseball Almost Landed in Arlington (Not Washington)

June 14, 2026June 9, 2026 by ghostsofdc
The HKS Architects concept put a new ballpark right on the Potomac, with the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and Capitol framed in center field. Image upscaled by Google Gemini AI.

For most of the 1990s, Arlington was the favorite to land the Montreal Expos. There was an HKS rendering on the Potomac, a governor in support, and three candidate sites in Pentagon City. Then in eighteen months it all collapsed, and the rejected block eventually became Amazon HQ2.

Categories Lost History, The Best Of, Then and Now Tags 1990s, Arlington, Baseball, Washington Nationals

Rhino Bar: 63 Years of Drinking at 3295 M Street in Georgetown

June 8, 2026 by ghostsofdc

Three bars in 63 years at one Georgetown address: Shamrock 1952, Winston’s 1972, Rhino Bar 1998. The full arc of 3295 M Street NW before retail took it.

Categories If Walls Could Talk, Then and Now Tags 1950s, 1970s, 1990s, 2010s, Bars & Restaurants, Georgetown, Georgetown University

Fedlandia Emerges from L’Enfant Plaza: From Southwest DC Neighborhood to the Future

April 30, 2026April 12, 2026 by ghostsofdc
Early 1962 vision of L'Enfant plaza (AI-generated by Nano Banana)

Before L’Enfant Plaza’s Brutalist towers, Southwest DC was a thriving neighborhood. We dug into the Evening Star archives to trace the full story, from the 1954 demolition to the Fedlandia proposals reshaping the area today.

Categories Lost History, Notable People & Places, The Best Of, Then and Now Tags 1950s, 1960s, Southwest

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

October 22, 2023September 16, 2023 by ghostsofdc

A deep dive into a 1923 newspaper reveals America struggled with familiar issues like racism, prohibition, and budget woes amid intense social change. Comparing eras shows our past holds lessons to guide us through modern tumult.

Categories Then and Now Tags 1920s, Politics

Old Dutch Market: Dupont Circle’s Grocer That Vanished

January 18, 2023January 17, 2023 by ghostsofdc

The Old Dutch Market at Dupont Circle is now occupied by CVS. It was a thriving business in DC through the 1920s. See their launch ad and learn more about what happened to them.

Categories Old Ads & Classifieds, Then and Now Tags 1910s, Dupont Circle

A Foreigner’s Impressions of Washington in 1799

April 22, 2026December 29, 2022 by ghostsofdc
View of Washington from Georgetown in 1801

Cows in the streets, a well overflowing near the White House, and woods where the Capitol stands. John Davis saw Washington in 1799 before it was a capital.

Categories The Best Of, Then and Now Tags 1790s, Capitol Building, Georgetown, The White House, Thomas Jefferson

A Look Back at the History of 910 15th St. NW in McPherson Square

April 27, 2026April 29, 2019 by ghostsofdc

Take a look back at the history of 910 15th St. NW in McPherson Square! Learn about the evolution of this DC landmark and how it’s been transformed into the Camden Parc Apartments.

Categories Then and Now Tags Architecture

A Comparison of 7th & G Street NW in 1911 and Today

April 27, 2026February 8, 2015 by ghostsofdc
View looking north up 7th Street NW from G Street NW. Streetcars, automobiles and horse pulled carts are in the street.

Take a look at the remarkable transformation of 7th & G Street NW in Washington D.C. from 1911 to today. See the difference in streetcars, automobiles, and horse-drawn carts in this comparison.

Categories Faces & Places of Yesterday, Then and Now Tags 1910s, Streetcars

Back in 1892: What Adams Morgan Looked Like Before the Jumbo Slices

December 22, 2021December 20, 2013 by ghostsofdc

Take a look back in time to 1892 and see what Adams Morgan looked like before the jumbo slices. Explore a topographic map from the Library of Congress showing the area with no 18th St. and 16th St. and a much more rural landscape.

Categories Then and Now Tags 1890s, Adams Morgan, Washington Heights
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