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.
Learn about the Washington Animal Rescue League and how they have been helping animals for over 100 years. Learn how you can help with a donation today!
Take a look at the incredible transformation of H Street in Washington, DC from 1925 to today. See a vintage photo from 1925 and compare it to how the same block looks today on Google Street View.
In 1921, the Secretary of Treasury, Edwin Denby, issued a ‘shoot to kill’ order to the Marines on a train leaving Union Station in Washington. Read the full story here!
Real estate prices in Columbia Heights have changed drastically since 1921. Take a look back at the prices and see just how much they have changed using the consumer price index and an online calculator.
The Warder Mansion is the only H.H. Richardson building left in Washington. In 1923 an architect bought the doomed downtown house, numbered every stone, and moved it a mile and a half up 16th Street.
Thanks to GoDCer Judith for sharing photos from her grandparents’ honeymoon Washington visit in 1925. See the views of the Capitol, Mt. Vernon and more!
In April 1923, Washington, D.C. experienced a major flood. This blog post takes a look at the aftermath with a photo of the flood and a streetcar that’s seen better days. Learn more about this historic event here.
On December 28, 1925, a five-alarm fire tore through George J. Mueller’s wholesale candy plant on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, in the heart of Washington’s first Chinatown. Smoke clouded the Capitol, streetcars stalled for fifteen blocks, and a crowd packed the sidewalks to watch it burn.
Take a step back in time and explore this amazing 1927 photo of 14th Street in Washington, DC. Get a glimpse of the Commerce Department and the Willard Hotel in the distance
