History

Owner of Tennis Zone, Ravi Shankar, Passed Away on Sunday

By Prince Of Petworth


2319 Wisconsin Ave, NW

From Legacy:

“On February 4, 2018, Ravi Shankar died in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He is survived by his mother, Maya Devi, two brothers, Tarun Shankar, and Arun Shankar, his wife Geeta Shankar and two children, Jatin, 19, and Raychal Shankar, 17. Ravi was 49 years old. Ravi was born and raised in Delhi, India. He was an enthusiastic badminton and squash player in his early teen years, before turning his attention to tennis.

At age 19, he opened up his own tennis academy, which was the third largest tennis academy in the region. He was proud of that. He moved to the United States in the mid-1990’s. He worked at the Drilling Tennis Shop in downtown Washington, DC for eight years. He then went out on his own and opened the Tennis Zone tennis shop, first in Chevy Chase. Later he moved the store to Glover Park where it has operated for the last five years.

A man of exceptional talent and a warm personality, Ravi had an unparalleled ability to string tennis and squash racquets, matched with a sophisticated knowledge of string types and racquet differences that benefitted beginners and professionals alike. (more…)

Streets of Washington Presents: The Old French Embassy on 16th Street, a Gilded Age Gem

By Prince Of Petworth

Streets of Washington, written by John DeFerrari, covers some of DC’s most interesting buildings and history. John is the author of Historic Restaurants of Washington, D.C.: Capital Eats, published by the History Press, Inc. and also the author of Lost Washington DC.


(photo by the author)

The powerful and influential Mary Foote Henderson, whom we’ve previously profiled, commissioned an impressive collection of palatial houses on Meridian Hill in the early years of the 20th century. One of the most prominent of these is the imposing Beaux-Arts mansion at the corner of 16th Street and Kalorama Road NW, which originally served as the French Embassy when it was completed in 1907. This well-preserved building, now home to the Council for Professional Recognition, is a striking expression of Henderson’s vision of Washington as an elegant equal to Paris, with Sixteenth Street its Champs-Élysées. (more…)

New Series: Awesome Matchbox Covers from Defunct D.C. Restaurants

By Prince Of Petworth

I’ve been meaning to kick off this series but keep forgetting about it. God bless the week between Christmas and New Years which seems to move at a glacial pace. So for fellow D.C. restaurant/history nerds – have I got a treat for you! My in-laws rock and got me an amazing birthday gift a couple years ago – a mounted set up of all their old D.C. restaurant matchboxes (they moved to the area in the mid-60s and are avid restaurant goers.)

Obviously we must start this series with the legendary Duke Zeibert’s.

“Trust for the National Mall relocates historic Lockkeeper’s House on the National Mall”

By Prince Of Petworth

From Trust for the National Mall:

“The Trust for the National Mall and the National Park Service relocated the Lockkeeper’s House, the oldest structure on the National Mall, as part of a major restoration project that will transform the historic structure into a new educational site on the National Mall. Learn more and donate at www.nationalmall.org/lockkeeper”

The National Cathedral’s Bourdon Bell will ring at 12:00 noon in Memory of the Victims of the Las Vegas Shooting

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Eric P.

From a press release:

“Washington National Cathedral will join churches across the country as it rings the Bourdon (funeral) Bell on Tuesday, October 3, in memory of those killed last night in Las Vegas. The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Episcopal bishop of Washington, will be joined by local and national religious leaders representing many faiths. Their message is to take a moment for prayer while also urging a national conversation to end gun violence. (more…)

“opened in 1894 and immediately dwarfed the surrounding neighborhood, inciting an uproar and eventually leading to the height limit”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Brian Mosley

Thanks to Jeanne for passing on:

“Read this interesting bit of dc history your readers may find interesting.”

From Atlas Obscura:

“The 160-foot-tall, 12-story Cairo building opened in 1894 and immediately dwarfed the surrounding neighborhood, inciting an uproar and eventually leading to the height limit.

Unlike cities like New York and Chicago that were pressed for downtown real estate, critics argued that there was no reason for such a massive building in sleepy Washington.

The Commissioners of the District of Columbia were soon inundated with complaints that reflected fears of depreciated property values and even natural disasters. Not only would the massive Cairo shut out light and air, but its upper stories stood beyond the reach of D.C. fire engines. Some predicted a calamitous fire that could send bricks and debris raining down on neighboring properties.”

For those unfamiliar it’s worth reading the whole story here. Change some words around and this could easily reflect a “Dear PoPville” or two from today…

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