The Georgetown Metropolitan

Photo by Vincent.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Gutting: The future of Blues Alley Jazz Club in doubt.
• The story of all the bodies buried in and around Q St. and 33rd.

3100 block of K St.

There has been a recent spike in Covid cases in west Georgetown since the new year, and data suggests that Georgetown University students are the primary drivers.

This conclusion comes from comparing data released by the city and data released by Georgetown University. Specifically, the city releases neighborhood level information on the number of positive Covid tests every day. And the university releases weekly information concerning its population.

The first thing to understand is that there has been a spike in Covid cases in west Georgetown since the New Year. Since then there have been 126 positive tests. This compares with 276 cases from the beginning of the crisis through to December 31st. And the increase has been concentrated in the the last two weeks, with 87 cases since January 27th. The seven day average positive rate per 10,000 people hit a peak on February 2nd with 9.3 (on a day when the citywide number was just 2.8). This put west Georgetown as, by far, the worst neighborhood in DC on that day, with it’s rate more than double the next worst neighborhood.
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Towpath

This week on Georgetown Time Machine, GM looks to the opening of a new gym on GU’s campus from 1906.

The photo appeared in the Washington Times November 11, 1906. The caption reads:

Interior of Recently Opened Gymnasium Which Is Expected to Be a Big Boost for All Sports at the Old University

The gym was named Ryan Gym, after benefactor Ida M. Ryan. Here is a clearer photo of the inside from GU’s archives taken four years later:

The balcony seen above the floor was actually a hanging running track, a feature you often see in gyms from the era. But it posed a serious problem for basketball players, as recounted in GU’s archives:

Note the elevated running track around its perimeter which created shooting problems for the basketball players. A ‘Hoya’ article of January 10, 1940, reports the track’s removal and notes: “This structure had long been a hindrance to basketball players . . . as students know, it was impossible to make a shot from the corner of the court as the ball was blocked by the overhanging balcony.”

Georgetown played home basketball games here from 1915 until 1931. They played at other locations around DC, including Uline Arena, until the construction of McDonough Gym in 1950. Continue reading →

Photo by Vincent.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Nice review of Lutece, the former Cafe Bonaparte.
• Great old photo of the Georgetown waterfront after a flood.

Potomac River

For a neighborhood that is not known much for live music anymore, Georgetown has an incredibly rich history of it. Whether it’s Mile Davis recording at the Cellar Door, John Denver debuting “Take Me Home Country Roads” at the same venue, or Roberta Flack getting her start at the Georgetown Mr. Henry’s before getting her own venue at the Capitol Hill spot, Georgetown has a lot to brag about. But another legend–one who died before her time–staked her place in Georgetown music lore: Eva Cassidy.

Cassidy was a DC-based singer songwriter who worked in jazz, blues and folk. After a successful stint working with the great Chuck Brown, Cassidy looked to record as a record to launch her career as a solo artist. She brought her band to Blues Alley a few days after New Years Day 1996 and recorded over two nights. The result was Live at Blues Alley.

Sadly, Cassidy died eleven months later. But her story didn’t end there. A British radio deejay plucked one of her albums from relative obscurity and played it. The public responded with huge enthusiasm, picking up 100,000 copies. Her posthumous success took off even more when a video from her appearance at Blues Alley of her singing her signature tune, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, hit the British airwaves. Her album sales skyrocketed, eventually reaching millions of copies sold. By 2005, Amazon was listing her as the fifth highest selling artist of all time.

The video above is a documentary on Cassidy’s nights at Blues Alley, the place it all kicked off. It’s well worth your watching.

Photo by Victoria Pickering.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• How did the old streetcar from Georgetown to Glen Echo get around the Delcaria reservoir?
• Double digit numbers of people in the GU community still testing positive for coronavirus each week.

Montrose Park