Washington in the 1970s was a city reinventing itself. Home rule arrived in 1973, giving DC its first elected mayor. Metro opened in 1976, remaking how the region moved. Watergate consumed the political establishment for two years. And neighborhoods that had been devastated by the 1968 riots slowly started to find their footing again.
Take a look back in time at the construction of the Hart Senate Office Building in 1979, as discovered on the U.S. Capitol’s Flickr page. Learn about this piece of U.S. history and view the photo of the building in progress.
The National Archives has uncovered a rare image of Richard Nixon’s resignation letter, initialed by Henry Kissinger at 11:35 a.m. on August 9th, 1974. Check out the letter here!
Before the first train ran, WMATA produced an infomercial to build public excitement for the new Washington Metro.
Take a rare look at Washington, D.C. back in 1973! See the White House, Lafayette Park, the Washington Monument, and the Potomac in this amazing shot.
A 1970 DDOT photograph of F Street NW shows the neon-signed storefronts of downtown Washington before urban renewal reshaped the streetscape.
Take a look back at the history of 1319 Connecticut Ave NW in Dupont Circle, home of the Mad Hatter! We uncover the stories of Mrs. Cordley’s antiques store, The Jenny Shoppe, Wig Fair and more.
Providence Hospital opened on Capitol Hill in 1861. It took First Manassas wounded a month later. The site is now Providence Park.
If you were at the Capital Centre on February 10th, 1975, you were one of 18,800 lucky fans witnessing Led Zeppelin’s performance. Learn about the show, the arrests, and the setlist here!
Take a rare look at Gerald Ford and Dick Cheney on Air Force One back in September 1976. Learn more about the history of this iconic plane at GhostsofDC.org.
