Ghosts of DC

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1980s

The 1980s were a tale of two Washingtons. The corridors of power hummed with Reagan-era confidence, while the crack epidemic devastated neighborhoods across the city. Mayor Marion Barry dominated local politics throughout the decade, and the question of what kind of city DC would become hung over every block.

56 stories
FBI agent Gene Harding standing in the front doorway of 4407 W Street NW talking with a reporter in February 1980The Abscam House: How the FBI Secretly Rented a Post Reporter’s Home on W Street NWUpdated Oct 26The Bayou exterior in 1977 with the Whitehurst Freeway overhead at 3135 K Street NW, GeorgetownThe Bayou: 45 Years Under the Whitehurst FreewayUpdated Oct 25EpisodeThe Rotonda McLean main entrance fountain on Greensboro Drive with two of the curved condo towers in the backgroundThe Rotonda McLean: Tysons Corner’s Original Condo IslandUpdated Aug 25

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The Crazy Horse: The Wild Life of 3259 M Street, GeorgetownUpdated Jul 2Commander Salamander storefront at 1420 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Georgetown, early 1990sCommander Salamander and the Many Lives of 1420 Wisconsin AvenueUpdated Jun 18Apple Store in Georgetown1229 Wisconsin Ave NW: The History of Georgetown’s Apple Store BuildingUpdated Jun 18Erol's Video Club logo, red on yellow, 'The First Name In Video'Erol’s Video Club: The DC Empire Before BlockbusterUpdated Jun 11Black and white photograph of cast-iron columns inside the first floor rear room of the Atlantic Building at 930 F Street NW, the room that became the original 9:30 ClubThe Original 9:30 Club and Its Home on F StreetUpdated Jun 6Washington, D.C. Mormon Temple from a distance (ldschurchtemples.com)Washington DC Mormon Temple: History of the Beltway’s Six-Spire LandmarkUpdated May 27
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