Posts about Preservation
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Breakfast links: Setting a date
Capital Bikeshare to start September 20th; Is DC pedestrian unfriendly?; DC’s neglected Civil War history; Free WiFi on the Mall; Stadiums die, debt lives on; Linking cabs and passengers; Obama infrastructure proposal, political reality at odds; Fear vs. Reality. Keep reading…
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DC grid isn’t Maryland’s only street name pattern
Yesterday, I discussed the extension of DC’s alphanumeric street naming system into Maryland. But there are other naming systems which are perhaps less logical but quirky enough to deserve mention. Bowie, Maryland has a quasi-systematic set of named streets. Most of the suburban style housing built in the post war era falls in to sections where each street starts with… Keep reading…
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Maryland’s systemic streets
Last year, I mapped Washington’s street-naming system and state-named avenues. But the logical organization of street names doesn’t end at the DC line. The alphabetical and numerical naming of streets continues into Maryland (and Arlington). Washington’s numbered streets run north-south and increase in number as distance from the Capitol increases. Keep reading…
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You know you’ve arrived when…
Greater Greater Washington is the subject of the cover story in this week’s City Paper, about how our little ragtag band of bloggers here is getting to be a little bit influential. If you’re visiting us for the first time after finding out about us in the article, welcome! The best way to stay on top of what we’re talking about is to subscribe to the RSS feed, sign… Keep reading…
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Great Hall’s new look could accentuate its past
Having spent most of my life in the DC area, I have a good stock of memories of things that I found particularly impressive or pleasing: Meridian Hill Park, rowhomes in Capitol Hill, the Tidal Basin, and seeing the Washington Monument at night have stuck, indelibly, in my head. Union Station is the train terminal for DC, and it’s historic, too. It should be on my personal list… Keep reading…
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Should Union Station’s Great Hall be less great?
Union Station’s Great Hall is one of the city’s most fantastic public spaces. It is beautiful, engaging, and lively. And somebody wants to tear a couple of giant holes in its floor. Earlier this week, Washington City Paper reported on a proposal to cut holes in the Great Hall’s floor in order to provide better access to the basement food court, and to replace… Keep reading…
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Washington’s first sidewalk cafe
A modest, four-story storefront once stood near the corner of 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW overlooking Washington’s first sidewalk café. From an illegal gambling parlor to a trendy 1960s discotheque, the building saw much in the way of what Washington had to offer for nighttime entertainment. It began its colorful career in about 1872, although according… Keep reading…
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The little shop that survived (sort of)
A recent article in The Washington Post about the historic synagogue downtown that was moved once and will be moved again soon got me thinking about historic buildings in D.C. that have been moved. Georgetown’s exquisite Dumbarton House is another example; it was moved north about 50 feet in 1915 to allow the Georgetown stretch of Q Street to be connected up with its Washington… Keep reading…
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Lost Washington: The old Palais Royal department store
Many Washingtonians remember the Woodward & Lothrop department store, which used to be downtown at 11th and F Streets, N.W. The old Woodies Building is still standing. But less well-known is its old rival, the Palais Royal, which was located in the block immediately to the north, at 11th and G. The Palais Royal got started in 1877 on the northeast corner of 12th Street… Keep reading…
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HPRB denies S Street addition
The Historic Preservation Review Board decided not to follow the Dupont Conservancy’s recommendations and will not allow the 3rd floor mansard roof at the corner of 15th and S Streets, NW. Keep reading…