Ghosts of DC

Try an address, a neighborhood, a name or a year, like “14th and U” or “1968.”

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1930s

The Great Depression hit Washington differently than most American cities. FDR’s New Deal brought a massive expansion of the federal government, filling the capital with new agencies, new buildings, and hundreds of thousands of new workers. The decade that devastated much of America actually transformed Washington into a modern metropolis.

164 stories
Exterior of Martin's Tavern at 1264 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.Martin’s Tavern Georgetown: JFK, Booth 3, and 93 YearsMay 16Wooden entrance sign for Langston Golf Course at 2600 Benning Road NELangston Golf Course: D.C.’s Segregated Public CourseMay 141887 rendering of the Grant Memorial Bridge showing the full profile and elevation of the proposed medieval-style bridge across the Potomac140 Years of Fighting Over Memorial BridgeMay 3Lights, Camera, Laughs! Jack Benny and Mary Livingstone Charmed Washington, DCJan 3, 2024The Cherry Tree Rebellion: How Jefferson’s Memorial Spurred a RevoltNov 16, 2023DC Taxi Fares: How 75 Years of Zones Ended in 2008Nov 10, 20231930s Washington DC Apartment Rents: October 1932 Classified AdsOct 15, 2023Washington, D.C. A street scene showing street cars crossing at 14th Street and New York Avenue, photographed from a building near the Lotus ClubStreetcars at 14th and New York Avenue in 1939Feb 27, 2023Washington Streetcar Workers and Riders in the 1940sAug 4, 2022
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