Posts by Kent Boese — Guest Contributor
-
-
Next stop, Georgia Ave-Petworth-Park View?
While having a Metro station at the intersection of Georgia and New Hampshire Avenues is a boon to the area, one of the unfortunate oversights of the station is that its name honors Petworth while ignoring the neighborhood of Park View. Technically, the station is in Ward 4’s Petworth, though barely. South of Rock Creek Church Road and east of Georgia Avenue is not Petworth… Keep reading…
-
Then and Now: Homes near AFRH
This row of homes on Park Road east of Georgia Avenue has certainly seen some changes over the years. They were designed in 1908 by architect N. T. Haller for builder Percy H. Russell. When they were completed Georgia Avenue was still named Brightwood Avenue, Park Morton (now behind and next to the row) wouldn’t be built for another 53 years, and the Soldiers’ Home (now… Keep reading…
-
Then and Now: Peoples Drug to McDonald’s
The southeast corner of Columbia Road and 18th Street ca. 1920 and today. Unlike the buildings housing CVS stores today, there was much more individuality in the buildings where Peoples Drug stores were located. Below is an image of the interior of this Peoples (Store no. 10). Both historical images are from the Library of Congress. Keep reading…
-
Then and Now: Streetcar turnaround to neighborhood park
The northwest corner of 11th and Monroe Streets was once the turnaround for the streetcars that traveled along 11th Street. After streetcar service was discontinued in Washington, it was turned into a park. Keep reading…
-
Amateur baseball in DC: The Suburban League, 1908-1914
Baseball was a popular pastime in pre-World War I Washington. Actually, to call the sport popular is misleading. There was probably not a neighborhood or section of the city that wasn’t caught up in the game. Numerous amateur leagues sprang up across the area, such as the Sunday School League, the Railroad League, the Marquette League, and the Suburban League. The… Keep reading…
-
Lost Washington: the Lafayette Hotel
The Lafayette Hotel was completed in early 1916 and continued its stately presence on the southeast corner of 16th and I streets, NW, until it closed in 1971. In December of 1915, while still under construction, owner Thomas H. Pickford announced that the hotel had been leased to J. H. Paris and associates for a term of years at $100,000. Mere months after the Lafayette opened,… Keep reading…
-
Then and Now: Eagle Gate, U.S. Soldiers’ Home
Even though the Eagle Gate — located at Rock Creek Church Road & Upshur — is clearly recognizable today, there is no mistaking that its has undergone some changes over the years. Eagle Gate ca. 1920, from postcard in author’s collection. Eagle Gate today. The most noticeable may be the absence of the iron archway and electric light that once illuminated… Keep reading…
-
Bruce-Monroe to get “temporary urbanism” over parking lot
What do you do with vacant land whose developments stall in an economic recession? One option is to turn all empty space into paid parking lots, which generates revenue but brings traffic and little benefit to communities. The other is to find interim uses that serve people rather than cars, also known as “temporary urbanism.” In 2008, the District closed the Bruce-Monroe… Keep reading…
-
Then and Now: New York Avenue Presbyterian Church
The current New York Avenue Presbyterian Church was built around 1951 and replaced the earlier 1859 structure. The church can trace its beginning to around 1800 when a group of men came to Washington from Philadelphia along with the government and organized the Associate Reformed Church. In 1807 the congregation erected a church on F Street at 14th where the Willard Hotel currently… Keep reading…