The Georgetown Metropolitan

This week for Now and a Long Time Ago, GM stops by the car barn at M just west of Key Bridge. The old photo is care of Old Time DC and shows a Capital Traction streetcar leaving the station.

At first consideration, it would seem that this photo was taken before 1933, the year Capital Traction merged with Washington Railway and Electric Company and became Capital Transit. But the history of these two cars suggest it could be from basically anytime up to the end of streetcars in 1962.

The cars are 303 and 1512. They were both created in the early 20th century. But they were used as late as 1960 on a nostalgic fan trips. Here’s some more info on car 303 from the Shoreline Trolley Museum that explains: Continue reading →

Photo by Ehpien.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Nice writeup of the gondola meeting last week.
• Free outdoor movies at the waterfront on Tuesdays.

1500 block of 35th St.

GM couldn’t make it to the Gondola study meeting last night, but he was able to get a copy of the presentation that was given. It provides some of the basics behind what the experts are considering. There are still many, many questions unanswered at this point, but that’s the reason the study is being conducted.

Photo by Jim Barton.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The Graham Hotel sells for $37 million.
• An interview with the experts looking into the gondola.

Georgetown University

GM was recently given one of those Georgetown-themed tote bags that J.Crew has been selling for the last couple years. It was the first time GM actually looked at it up close, and he realized it’s covered in icons for various spots around the neighborhood. But some are a bit of a mystery to GM.

The first thing that caught GM’s eye was the alarming face of Linda Blair near the corner of 36th and Prospect, the ostensible location of the Exorcist house:

A little below that you see crew oars for the Tombs restaurant and the profile of some runners for the C & O Canal:

Further down M St. you’ll see a trumpet for Blues Alley and a cupcake for Baked and Wired. Teddy Roosevelt bestrides his island.

Continue reading →

Photo by Jim Barton.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Large Georgetown home jumps $1.7 million in price after renovation.
• Reminder: meeting tonight in Rosslyn about the gondola study.

Key Bridge

This week on Now and a Long Time Ago, GM visits M and Wisconsin Ave. The old photo was taken from a photo recently tweeted by the Georgetown Business Association. It shows the intersection as it was in 1915.

Two things immediately jump out. The first is how little the building on the northwest corner has changed (although an entrance facing Wisconsin has been since removed). It was originally built in 1850. In 1904, the Potomac Savings Bank bought the property. The bank at the time was located at the southwest corner of N and Wisconsin. The building at M and Wisconsin burned in 1909. The bank rebuilt and remodeled the property and moved back in in 1910.

The bank itself failed in 1933 (it was a bad time for banks). The property was shortly thereafter occupied by the Hamilton National Bank. That bank merged with the National Bank of Washington in 1954. It was the Georgetown branch of the local bank, and that’s why it still says “Georgetown Branch” over the door. Here it is in the 1960s:

Continue reading →