Design work has begun for a new Carter G. Woodson Park, located in my neighborhood one block from the Carter G. Woodson house at the intersection of Rhode Island Avenue, Q Street, and 9th Streets NW. According to the project’s manager at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, who is overseeing the planning, the project […]
Defending the Capital
During the Civil War, the U.S. government built 68 forts around Washington to protect the capital from Confederate invasion. Although little-known today, remains from these forts can be found throughout the city. Here’s a short history of the “fort circle,” from the National Park Service: When the Civil War began, only one fortification existed for […]
‘It’s Fun To Be In the O-R-D-E-R’
For those accustom to my usual topics about urbanism and D.C., permit me a brief digression about a University of Michigan “leadership” society with a controversial history, that recently re-named themselves from Michigamua to The Order of Angell. The Ann Arbor blog Left Behind in the Fishbowl has posted what appears to be a copy […]
What’s Going on at 14th and U?
This post is in reponse to a request by my friend Jim to find out “what is going on” with the property shown here located at 2001 14th Street NW, at the intersection of 14th and U. Construction is underway to renovate this building and construct an addition on a neighboring lot. The building was […]
An Introduction to the Manhole Covers of Washington, D.C.
I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about manhole covers recently. I was reminded of the topic at a recent lecture by Dr. Timothy Beatly during a lecture about urban placemaking. He was speaking about ways European and Australian cities create distinctive urban environments. European cities, generally much denser and with higher foot traffic […]
Shaw’s Buried Stream
Regular visitors to D.C.’s Shaw-Howard University Metro Station will be familiar with the water. Year-round, a soft trickling sound can be heard in the damp station, and sometimes the water visibly flows over the southbound rail bed. In the photo to the right, the flow has slowed leaving a series of puddles. Although the station […]
What Will be the Fate of Washington’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library?
The future of Washington’s downtown Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library hangs in the balance. A bill now pending before the DC Council’s Committee on Education, Libraries and Recreation proposes to construct a new central library on the old convention center site, and lease the old structure as office space to help pick up the […]