Posts by Kent Boese — Guest Contributor
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Trompe-l’œil in alley
Trompe-l’œil (French for “trick the eye”) is two-dimensional art that looks like it’s three-dimensional. This well-executed example appears in the alley behind Logan Hardware. Its huge. I took this photo a few weeks back; hopefully its still there. That alley changes a lot. More images below. Keep reading…
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Lost Washington: Carbery House
The Carbery House was built in 1818 at the northwest corner of 17th and C Streets, opposite the Ellipse. It was the residence of Thomas Carbery, mayor of Washington and a noted member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. Keep reading…
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Lost Washington: Center Market
The block where the National Archives is located, bounded by Pennsylvania Avenue, Constitution Ave, 7th Street, and 9th Street, NW, was once the location of Center Market. Designed by Adolph Cluss, it was built in 1871. It was expanded in the 1880s with large wings also designed by Cluss. Keep reading…
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Lost Washington: Washington City Orphan Asylum
The Washington City Orphan Asylum was founded in 1815 to care for the destitute children of Washington. It was originally located on H Street, NW, between 9th and 10th Streets in a building designed by Charles Bulfinch and completed in 1828. Keep reading…
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Farragut Square, 1886
The basic plan of Farragut Square (left) has been stable over the years. The only real changes that have occurred have been in lighting and foliage. The image at right, from the first quarter of the 20th century, shows the style of the gas lamps that once graced the park. Below is a list of the plants in the square in 1886. Keep reading…
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Then and Now: The Toronto apartment building
The Toronto, located at the southwest corner of 20th and P Streets, NW, began life in 1908. An April 12, 1908, article in the Washington Times described the beginnings of the Toronto in this manner: Work was commenced last week on the six-story apartment house to be erected at Twentieth and P streets northwest, by Thomas H. Pickford. The architect, A. H. Beers, has also submitted… Keep reading…
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