Posts tagged History
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Lost Washington: King’s Palace on 7th Street in Chinatown
One of the most elegant storefronts in Chinatown is the broad and richly ornamented terra cotta façade of the R.F.D. Washington restaurant at 810 7th Street NW. This building was once the pride and joy of Henry King, Jr. (1834-1897), one of Washington’s most prominent retailers in the late 19th century. Henry King was born in the spa town of Baden-Baden in western Germany. Keep reading…
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How far has bicycling come since 1979?
The year was 1979. The Iranian Revolution led to oil shortages and long lines at the pump. Maryland Governor Harry Hughes proposed rationing gas. Levittown drivers rioted when gas prices rose to a whopping $1 a gallon. And large numbers of people tried bicycling to work. Peter Harnik wrote an op-ed in the June 23, 1979 Washington Post about the sudden rise in bicycling: On Wednesday… Keep reading…
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Weekend links: Lessons from the past
Don’t tear it down; DC United won’t go in Florida Market; Contention mounts over complete streets funding; Detroit plans to shrink; German transit inspired Disney, but not LA; HOV privilege ends for hybrids; It’s a man’s world; And…. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: NoVA small cities, MD universities think big
Alexandria flirts with CaBi; Falls Church flirts with density; UMD won’t fight campus Purple Line; LaHood mediates in Silver Line; Struck in Loudoun, crushed in DC; Stop breaking fake ground; MTA clears up photography spat; Population shift necessitates housing shift; And…. Keep reading…
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Hidden tunnels, bugs, and bigamy
One of my favorite things about historic research is that no matter how strange or intriguing a story is at first, I really have no idea where a little digging might take me. Sometimes a lead just fizzles out. But sometimes what I discover is more bizarre and ridiculous than I could have imagined… In May of 1917, while working on the foundation for the luxurious Pelham Courts… Keep reading…
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Weekend links: Rapturous applause
DC history takes to the stage; Metro repairs next weekend; Bus protects passengers; Montreal rescues Bixi; Ohio debates sprawl; They paved a park and put up a parking lot; Build bike lanes in Queens; And…. Keep reading…
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Victor Evans and the Victor Building downtown
Victor Justice Evans (1865-1931) was one of those wonderful self-made men of the last century who put his nose to the grindstone as a young man, made tons of money, and then fulfilled the American dream by happily indulging his many and diverse eccentricities. While largely forgotten now, Evans left one enduring landmark in downtown Washington: the Victor Building at 9th Street… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Bad ideas for more traffic
Creeping toward an Outer Beltway; Bolling plan panned; PG WMATA seat still lavish; CSX paying for Virginia Avenue tunnel; Blow to Medical Examiner’s office; Arlington likes it quiet; Will London get iconic bike map?; And…. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Once upon a time
Time means change; The Mount Pleasant riots; Landlords discriminate against poor; The consequences of DUI leniency; MoCo ups traffic safety enforcement; CaBi clips; Charters as the internet of public education; McDonnell renews push for drilling; Governments asking you about engaging you; And…. Keep reading…
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The evolution of Amtrak, 1971-2011
Today, Amtrak turns 40. This slideshow shows how passenger rail service has evolved over the decades, using maps from Malcolm Kenton and the National Association of Railroad Passengers. On May 1, 1971, Amtrak replaced a much more extensive private passenger rail network that was on the decline due to massive government investment in other modes of transportation. It has struggled… Keep reading…