Washington in the 1920s was a city in full swing. The decade brought jazz clubs, speakeasies, and a building boom that filled in the last great gaps in the city’s streetscape. Calvin Coolidge’s Washington was prosperous and busy, even as Prohibition tried to shut down the good times. These posts explore the capital’s roaring decade.
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.
Can you find the homes shown in this 1920 Alexandria real estate advertisement? I did some sleuthing and this is what I found. Take a look at the Google Street View and see what you think! Plus, a super random historical context about George Gipp.
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.
A detailed 1922 photograph and map showing the area around today’s Metro Center at 9th and G Streets NW, when it looked very different.
In 1925, five-year-old Melvin Jones punctured his heart with scissors. Washington doctors saved his life in a surgery that made national headlines.
Step back in time to the 1922 Annual Beauty Contest at the Washington Bathing Beach. Explore the stunning winners and fashion trends of the era.
In June 1922 a Washington cop knelt on the sand of the Tidal Basin with a tape measure pressed against a woman’s thigh. He was checking how far her swimsuit climbed above the knee.
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.
This is a great advertisement from the early 1920s. The Connecticut Avenue Association was promoting retail up and down Connecticut Ave., near Dupont Circle, including the Dupont National Bank.
