World War II reshaped Washington completely. The Pentagon rose across the river in just 16 months, the federal workforce exploded, and the city became the command center for the Allied war effort. Housing was impossibly scarce, rationing was everywhere, and Washington hummed with wartime urgency from 1941 to 1945.
Take a look at an old building on 14th St. in Logan Circle, DC in 1942 and today. The US government froze sales of all new automobiles in January 1942, and this building was an automobile dealership at the time. See the photos and find out what’s happening on the block today.
A look at the Charles Joseph Nourse House, an 1827 farm house located in Tennallytown. Learn about the history of the house and view photos of the beautiful old home.
Take a look back at the Republic Theatre on the north side of the 1300 block of U St. Opened in 1921, it was unfortunately demolished in 1976 to make way for the new Metro. See a photo of the theater from 1945-46!
Take a look back in time at Southwest D.C. in the 1930s & 1940s through this old photograph. See how the area has changed since then and explore the 1927 Baist map of the area.
Take a look at this spectacular photo of the Lincoln Memorial, taken in 1944. You won’t believe your eyes when you see it! Get ready to be amazed!
![Capital Transit demonstration run of a Twin Coach articulated bus (a model they did not end up using), April 3, 1948. This turnaround is still used by buses today [photo by Robert S. Crockett].](https://ghostsofdc.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2015/12/10896004463_3f7d28bb16_o.jpg)
Take a look back at the bus turnaround in Adams Morgan, DC – then and now. See the old photo of the bus turnaround and how it looks today, minus the Toddle House in the background which is now Mama Ayesha’s.
Get a birds-eye view of the Pentagon from the 1940s with this rare photo. Enjoy a glimpse of a bit of history and the War Department with this aerial shot captured by Theodor Horydczak.
Explore a captivating 1942 photograph of Washington D.C. during a gasoline shortage, revealing the city’s resilience and adaptation to wartime challenges through a focus on its streetcar control tower and altered transportation habits.
At 16th and K St. NW, there once sat a three story Victorian town home, the site of corrupt political dealings within the Harding administration, This is its story.
