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Architecture

Washington’s built environment is the product of grand ambitions, fierce debates, and brilliant (and sometimes terrible) ideas across more than two centuries. These posts dig into the buildings, architects, and design decisions that shaped the city we know today.

14th and F Street in 1903: The Old Ebbitt House

March 9, 2022August 13, 2014 by ghostsofdc
Ebbitt House in 1903

A 1903 photograph of 14th and F Street in Washington, D.C., featuring the old Ebbitt House. The site is home to Old Ebbitt Grill today.

Categories Lost History Tags 1900s, Architecture

1887 Map of Washington, DC and Its Environs

November 27, 2021July 8, 2014 by ghostsofdc
Map of Washington, D.C., and environs : with marginal numbers and measuring tape attachment for instantly locating points of interest within a radius of twenty miles from the Capitol /

An 1887 map of Washington, DC showing the city and surrounding areas within a 20-mile radius of the Capitol. Click through for the full-resolution version.

Categories GoDCers Love Maps Tags 1880s, Architecture, Landmarks, Library of Congress 3 Comments

Exploring the History of 1523 31st St. NW in Georgetown

November 22, 2021April 30, 2014 by ghostsofdc
View of 1523 31st St. NW

1523 31st Street NW in Georgetown was built in August 1885 for Navy engineer Harrie Webster, who later became a Rear Admiral.

Categories If Walls Could Talk Tags Architecture, Georgetown 1 Comment

Blodgett’s Hotel in Washington, D.C.: From 1793 to the Fire of 1836

October 27, 2021January 27, 2014 by ghostsofdc
Print shows view from street of Blodget's Hotel with stagecoach parked in front and a person walking on the sidewalk on the left, later (from 1802 to 1836) the U.S. Patent Office.

The history of Blodgett’s Hotel in Washington, D.C., from its construction in 1793 through its destruction by fire in 1836.

Categories Lost History Tags 1810s, Architecture, Hotels, Landmarks 4 Comments

Remember This Super Ugly Giant on Wisconsin Ave.? It’s Soon to be the New Cathedral Commons!

January 1, 2022January 8, 2014 by ghostsofdc
Giant Food on Wisconsin Avenue

Remember this super ugly Giant on Wisconsin Ave. near the Cathedral? It’s soon going to be the new Cathedral Commons! This old photo was taken in the summer of 1942.

Categories Faces & Places of Yesterday Tags 1940s, Architecture, Bars & Restaurants 1 Comment

Exploring the York Theatre’s History in Petworth, Washington DC

April 27, 2026January 8, 2014 by ghostsofdc
The York Theatre in the 1920s

Discover the history of the York Theatre, located in Petworth, Washington DC. Opened in 1919, explore photos from the theater, including an awesome old photo from Flickr. Learn more!

Categories Faces & Places of Yesterday Tags 1920s, Architecture

Never Built: Proposed University on the National Mall in 1816

April 27, 2026December 23, 2013 by ghostsofdc
Plan of the west end of the public appropriation in the city of Washington, called the Mall : as proposed to be arranged for the site of the university / to the Committee of the H. of R. of Congress, BHLatrobe, Surveyor of the City of Washington, Jan'y 1816.

Early in the 19th century, there was a proposal to build a national university at the west end of the Mall, where the Lincoln Memorial now sits.

Categories GoDCers Love Maps, Lost History Tags 1810s, Architecture, National Mall 2 Comments

Where is this 1940s DC Rowhouse? Could it be Dupont or Columbia Heights?

November 25, 2021December 3, 2013 by ghostsofdc
1940s DC rowhouse

Take a look at this beautiful 1940s DC rowhouse. Do you know where it could be located? Could it be in Dupont or Columbia Heights?

Categories Faces & Places of Yesterday Tags 1940s, Architecture, Dupont Circle

Windom House: From Mansion to the Australian Embassy

May 21, 2026October 22, 2013 by ghostsofdc
View northwest past the equestrian statue (by Henry Kirke Brown) of General Winfield Scott. Includes the Queen Anne-style Windom House on the northwest corner of Massachusetts Avenue and 16th Street NW, and the Hutchins House next door to the west. (Current site of the Australian Embassy). William H. Seaman Photograph Collection, HSW (1888)

The Windom House at Scott Circle was home to a Treasury Secretary who died mid-speech in 1891. The Queen Anne mansion was razed in 1964 and is now the site of the Australian Embassy.

Categories Faces & Places of Yesterday, Lost History Tags 1880s, Architecture, Embassies, Sheridan-Kalorama
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