1000 block of 34th St.
When Georgetown Found Itself on the Wrong Side of the Creek
Map from Library of Congress, courtesy of Ghosts of DC.
The fantastic Ghosts of DC blog found a great map from the Library of Congress archives. It shows the property values of each block in DC in 1879. Slate blogger Matt Yglesias noticed and pointed out that it shows a time when Logan and Shaw were more expensive than Georgetown.
Actually, the blocks around Logan and the Shaw blocks to the east don’t appear to have that much more of an concentration of darker blocks than Georgetown. But it is true that this map likely captures the moment when Georgetown slowly started to slip behind the rest of the city in terms of economic status.
This is a point GM has discussed many times before. Starting in the late 19th century Georgetown became somewhat of an Irish and African-American slum (although sometimes this is a bit overstated). It’s reputation grew as a rougher part of town through the early 20th century. In the 1930s, Georgetown became one of the first “gentrified” neighborhoods in DC when New Dealers swooped in and bought up the old houses. The rest is history. Continue reading
Filed under History
The Morning Metropolitan
Photo f Jackson Arts Studios by Jacquesofalltrades.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- Georgetown Waterfront among the best spots for a picnic in DC (if you happen to go back in time today, don’t mention this fact to a local, their head will explode).
- A food truck company bought Shanghai Lounge (GM went recently. The food is the same, which is to say decently good Chinese food. Although GM still misses Arisu).
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
Concerts in the Parks Season Starting Soon
Photo by CAG.
One of the most popular events of the late spring/early summer in Georgetown is the wonderful Concerts in the Park. And it starts up in just a few weeks.
The schedule is this:
- May 19th – Volta Park – Rebecca McCabe – Like in previous years, the theme of the first concert is reduce, reuse, recycle.
- June 16th – Volta Park – The Image Band – A reggae-themed Father’s Day celebration.
- June 30th – Rose Park – An early 4th of July celebration with country/rock band Max Impact.
GM never actually went to one of these concerts until he was a parent. And truth be told, it’s particularly well suited to families. But it really is fun for everyone, and a wonderful way for the small town side of Georgetown to shine through.
So come on out!
The Morning Metropolitan
Photo by the Humble Natural Causes.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- Another Georgetown home hits hard times and has to do house porn.
- Rose Park farmers market returns.
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
Georgetown Garden Tour May 11th
On May 11th, the 84th annual Georgetown Garden Tour will be held. If you buy your ticket today, you get them slightly discounted at $30. Starting tomorrow the price goes up to $35. Tickets can be purchased here or on the day of the tour at Christ Church (all proceeds benefit the Georgetown Garden Club).
If you want the complete Garden Tour experience, you can pay $250, get four tickets to the tour and an invitation to a cocktail party the week before (GM will be there so come out and say hi!). Contact the Garden Club for more details.
This really is one of GM’s favorite events of the spring. It lets you peek behind the gates of some of the most impressive properties in the neighborhood. But GM also loves that they don’t just select the grandest gardens. Plenty of small plots find their way on to the map. And that proves that anyone can build a tour-worthy garden if they’ve got a backyard and some elbow grease.
The Morning Metropolitan
Photo by Perry B McLeod.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- Capitol Prague Cafe (the new coffee shop occupying the old Morso Express space, and the older Fetoosh Express) is now open. The main restaurant section is due to open soon, although GM hears not much has been done on the procedural side to get the liquor license back up and running.
- Speaking of coffee, if you want to drink a lot of coffee and burn some of the caffeine off on the bike, this coffee bike crawl (including Baked and Wired) may be for you (shouldn’t it be bike roll?)
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
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