In the early part of the 20th century, DC was dotted with dozens and dozens of alleys with small houses lining them. Occupied primarily by the city’s poorest residents, the alleys attracted the attention of Congress which viewed the alleys as breeding grounds of crime and disease. It passed the Alley Dwelling Elimination Act of 1934 to “clear” the alleys. The residents were moved and most of the houses torn down.
Georgetown had about twenty of these alleys at the beginning of the 20th century. GM was recently directed to a nice map by Matthew Steenhoek showing all the alleys that existed in 1912:
The blue flags mean the alley is still there, green means the alley has been completely redeveloped, and red means that commercial uses exist on the alley today.
Of the blue flagged alleys in Georgetown, some still even have dwellings on them. They are:
- Poplar St.
- East St.
- Orchard Lane
- Canton’s Alley (now Canton Pl. and Scott Pl.)
- Jones Court
- Bell’s Court (now Pomander Walk)
- Cecil Alley (now Cecil Pl.)
Lastly, Dyer’s Alley is still around and has found a new life as Cady’s Alley. It’s not quite how it originally was used, but it demonstrates how these historic spaces can be reactivated to form lively urban places.
The Georgetown Metropolitan 