I’ve always admired this one (even though it’s been under renovation for a while) in Ledroit Park. I was psyched to see a little history about it when I passed it a couple of weeks ago:
History
I never know what I stumble upon when I my walkabouts take me through alleys. Suffice it to say this was a very pleasant find. The owner of the car explained that it is all original (not a kit car) except for the paint color. Top speed – 35 miles per hour. The details were amazing. I particularly liked how the wheels had wood spokes:
Can’t believe a car from 1926 is still running and looking this good:
Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC
From a press release:
Cultural Tourism DC invites residents and visitors to journey to the highest point in DC with the Top of the Town: Tenleytown Heritage Trail. This newest addition to the Neighborhood Heritage Trails takes participants though the history of a vibrant neighborhood that began as an intersection of two Native American footpaths. From President Theodore Roosevelt and Kermit the Frog to the stone-carving Perna and Porto families, Top of the Town: Tenleytown Heritage Trail presents stories of the people who shaped this historic neighborhood.
Cultural Tourism DC and the Tenleytown Heritage Trail Working Group will host The Tenleytown Neighborhood Heritage Trail’s official unveiling and neighborhood celebration on Saturday, November 13, at 1 pm at Fort Reno Bandstand on Chesapeake Street between 40th Street and Nebraska Avenue Northwest. This event is free and open to the public.
Top of the Town: Tenleytown Heritage Trail explores the neighborhood’s involvement in the two world wars and the Civil War, its key role in the development of modern communications, and its lost African American community, Reno City. Other trail highlights include:
* The studio where Kermit the Frog started his career
* Grant Road, a winding byway that recalls the area’s rural past
* Stonework by some of Tenleytown’s master stone mason families
* The place where women of the U.S. Navy broke the Japanese code during World War II
Photo by PoPville flickr user districtfallout
As a lover of both history and signs, I fully support this group. Back in Dec. ’07 I wondered if we were safe from the Reds…
From the group’s organizer Adam Irish:
Fallout Shelter Signs – Cold War History in Your Neighborhood
At the climax of the Cold War in the 1960s, D.C. readied over a thousand fallout shelters for use in a nuclear disaster. The shelters wouldn’t have protected Washingtonians if the city itself was attacked–only from the fallout (radioactive dust) from detonations elsewhere. Fallout shelters were marked by luminescent black and yellow signs and stocked with food, water and other supplies to sustain occupants for two weeks. They were located in public and private buildings including offices, apartments, churches, and schools. Although civil defense activities were phased out in the 1970s, some of the signs remain to this day. Keep your eyes peeled, and you’re sure to find a few in your neighborhood.
Fallout shelter signs in D.C. should be preserved as monuments to one of the most frightening periods in American history. Only 5-10% of the signs remain and nothing prevents their destruction. For fallout shelters in your neighborhood and more local Cold War history, visit http://districtfallout.wordpress.com. District Fallout is a project by the DCPL Landmarks Committee to preserve the remaining signs in place.
If you’re interested in locating old shelter signs in your area (or who knows, maybe even an intact shelter!) or would like to get involved in preservation efforts, email us at [email protected].
“Dear PoP,
The Veterans History Project is a Congressionally mandated program at the Library of Congress that collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of America’s wartime veterans. To date, the Project has collected more than 70,000 stories, nearly all collected by volunteers. This Veterans Day, the Veterans History Project urges Americans to pledge to record the story of at least one veteran in their community or neighborhood for the Library of Congress. More than 1,000 veterans die every day in the United States, so these are important elements of history to capture before they disappear forever. People can take the pledge and learn more here.”
Sounds like a great project.
And this fire box art is nearby the house of the day (below). And there’s a good bit of city history on the back:
“Dear PoP,
I saw in an Everyblock update that a permit has been issued for the razing of 820 C St. SE. Attached is a screenshot from Google Maps Streetview. It does look like the house is boarded up and in really bad shape, but it also looks like it shares not only a wall but architectural features with the adjoining house. It seems like it would have had to be in REALLY dire shape for demolition to have been ok’d in the Capitol Hill Historic District.”
I put an inquiry in to DCRA but they must be focused on food trucks because I haven’t heard from back them. So maybe some readers happen to know? Does it just require an ‘ok’ from the Capitol Hill Historic District? From the photo there don’t seem to be too many extraordinary features. Would taking down this home damage the adjoining wall?
I’m embarrassed to admit I got asked this question and had no idea what the answer was. Thank God for Wikipedia:
“The flag of the District of Columbia, USA, consists of three red stars above two red bars on a white background. It is based on the design of the coat of arms of George Washington, first used to identify the family in the twelfth century, when one of George Washington’s ancestors took possession of Washington Old Hall, then in County Durham, north-east England. For heraldic reasons, the stars are properly called mullets.”
Knowing this I hope we will stop disparaging those who also chose to sport mullets…
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I received a very sad tip the other day and while it hasn’t been exactly confirmed it wasn’t really denied either… When I first stumbled upon the Brass Knob Warehouse located at 57 N Street, NW I was blown away (not to be mistaken with the
Anyway a reader wrote in saying that he heard the Warehouse was closing up shop. I immediately called the Warehouse and while they said they are still open for business they also said that, “the economy hasn’t been kind to us” and that their business is based on home renovations which have seriously slowed down. So while the shop is still open, it sounds like if business doesn’t pick up they may not last until the economy completely rebounds. And that would be a very sad for a very cool warehouse. I certainly hope that my reader tip was overly pessimistic!
Photo of ’14th and U St, NW 1988′ by Michael Horsley
Thanks to a friend of mine for sending this incredible link to a flickr series called ‘Hidden Washington DC’. The description says:
“From 1985 to 1988 I wandered the streets of Washington DC photographing the unseen and vanishing moments of the city. These images lay dormant in the archives until I realized that they needed to be brought to life before the persons and spaces are totally lost to entropy and time.”
They are absolutely fascinating. See them all here.
And many thanks to Mr. Horsley for allowing me to post a couple of his great photos.
