Posts about History
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A one-building quest to undelete suburban DC history
This Prince George’s County Pizza Hut sparks a quest and conversation about the erasure of suburban places. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: DC can learn lessons from other cities with fare-free buses
As DC prepares for fare-free buses, lessons are being learned in other cities with free transit. Amazon pledges to invest millions for affordable housing in North Bethesda. First Gen Z Congressman struggles to find housing in DC. Keep reading…
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The legacy of Arthur Wilmer Park
OPINION: Arthur Wilmer “Wilmer’s” Park was a key Prince George’s County venue for Black entertainers pre-desegregation, then later a favorite outdoor venue for a variety of acts. Now, a preservation effort led by Prince George’s County is underway. Keep reading…
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How the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad and the Penn Line shaped the region’s suburbs
Much of DC beyond the original L’Enfant city and Georgetown consists of “streetcar suburbs,” namely late-19th and early-20th Century communities that grew up around streetcar lines. While electric streetcars didn’t extend to Maryland until the 1890s, Washington’s first steam railroad line, to Baltimore, opened in 1837, and commuters from Maryland rode trains into the city as early as the Civil War. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Riders to see shorter wait times on the Red Line during peak hours
Riders to see shorter wait times on the Red Line starting today. How amending the Height Act could revive downtown DC. Heightened HOV criteria go into effect for drivers in Arlington today. Keep reading…
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In 1931, this parking lot in Cleveland Park changed how Washington shopped
Many people are perplexed as to why Sam’s Park & Shop in Cleveland Park is a historical landmark. While it may look like an ordinary strip mall, the Park & Shop was one of the first examples of retail architecture designed around the automobile. Keep reading…
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Here’s how neighborhoods west of Kenilworth Avenue in Northeast DC became isolated from the city
The neighborhoods of River Terrace, Parkside, Mayfair, Eastland Gardens, and Kenilworth in Northeast DC are isolated from the rest of the District by the Anacostia River to the northwest and DC Route 295 to the southeast. While these neighborhoods are very isolated and contain some of the lowest-income Census block groups in the District today, they were sited to take advantage of direct transportation routes to downtown and built for higher-income professionals. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Dangerous roads considered for overhaul with federal infrastructure dollars
DC identifies major projects that could be funded with federal infrastructure dollars. Victims of traffic violence remembered in protest for safer streets. Metro pilots faregate redesigns to discourage fare evasion. Keep reading…
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National links: Rethinking the role of community feedback
Community feedback needs reform. Secretary Buttigieg on active transportation. The end of the urban drug store? Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: How a revamp of Union Station could revive the ailing transit hub
Can an ambitious redevelopment plan save Union Station? DC’s e-scooter fleet could grow to 20,000. Silver Line kicks off long-term development plans for Loudoun County. Keep reading…