The Georgetown Metropolitan

Tudor Place

This week for Georgetown Time Machine, GM visits a legendary event from Georgetown’s past: the Great Ice Flood of 1918.

The photo, taken February 15, 1918, shows the flooding along K St. through Georgetown. It was caused by a phenomenon called an ice dam. This occurs when a deep freeze is followed by a rapid thaw. What happens is that a thick layer of ice forms with the freeze, but then gets broken up by the thaw. The ice starts to float down river, but can quickly become jammed by bridge abutments, and other blockages. The jam then blocks the water flow and causes the river to rise over its banks. In the case of the 1918 flood, it caused catastrophic damages.

GM has written about this flood before, and the Post wrote a detailed account of how it occurred two years ago. But reading about it in the contemporary newspapers adds a whole new layer.

The flood was instantly compared with another huge flood in 1889. That flooding occurred in June and was simply the result of heavy rains. It caused half the National Mall to be flooded (all the areas within the dark blue line were flooded):

But back to the 1918 flood. The February 14th evening paper gave a blow-by-blow as the situation grew perilous:

By the next evening, the Washington Times was reporting photos of the scene of flooding along the Georgetown Waterfront, including the photo up top.

Although by this point, it was starting to play it a bit for laughs, as it compared Georgetown to the canals of Venice (which were still a war zone at the time):

This photo is one GM has explored before, but would have never guessed the exact context involved directing freight cars around:

Continue reading →

Photo by Victoria Pickering.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Correction to an earlier post: Georgetown Visitation is doing its annual Christmas tree sale after all.
• Georgetown University continues to report over 25 Covid cases a week.

Washington Harbour

Tonight is the December meeting of the ANC. There are a variety of interesting topics on the agenda, but potentially the most interesting is a presentation by Perkins Eastman on the feasibility of renovating Jelleff Rec Center.

The aging rec center is in dire need of renovations. The facilities are extremely outdated and the building has terrible accessibility. The DC Council had budgeted $7 million at one point to provide the needed renovations, but then in 2019 the mayor proposed instead to spend $25 million to completely rebuild the center. It will be interesting, therefore, to see what sort of plans such a rebuild could entail. Log in to the zoom at 6:30 tonight to find out.

Some of those other interesting agenda items include the monthly crime update from MPD, a discussion on the DCPS schools reopening plan, and the installation of a bust on the pediment outside the Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce building on Potomac St.

The rest of the agenda can be found here.

Photo by Mike Maguire.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Newly discovered artifacts reflect Georgetown University’s connection with slavery.
• The Citizens Association of Georgetown just bought a rowhouse on 30th St.

1200 block of Potomac St.

As you hopefully stay home for Thanksgiving this week, it’s important to take some time to think about those that have much less than us to be thankful for. And to turn those thoughts into action, please consider giving to Georgetown Ministry Center.

The institution, based right in the heart of Georgetown, offer services and programs to the area’s homeless. And in cold winter nights, it offers a place to sleep, which can be a question of life or death. As GM wrote back in October, the center is trying to adjust to the challenges of Covid, and could certainly use your help in doing so.

If you’re a federal employee who participates in the Combined Federal Campaign, please add the center (CFC# 31661) to your list of charities. Then pass the gravy!

Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Herb Miller sells the Powerhouse building on Grace St.
• John Kerry was tapped to be Biden’s climate czar, but don’t expect to see high profile security outside the former Secretary of State’s house on O St. again, he sold it last fall.

1000 block of 29th St.