Home | Newsletter | Advertise

Downtown DC from Decades Past

  • December 1st 2016

by Nena Perry-Brown

✉️ Want to forward this article? Click here.

Downtown DC from Decades Past: Figure 1
Image from Bill Barrett’s collection, 700 Block of K Street NW, July 20, 1963

The National Building Museum, in partnership with the Historical Society of Washington, DC, is currently running a curated selection of images, taken from the 1960s-‘80s in and around the Mount Vernon Square area in DC, that both preserve and pay homage to the architecture and residents of yore. The exhibit features the photography of Bill Barrett, Chris Earnshaw and Joseph Mills.

Downtown DC from Decades Past: Figure 2
Image from Bill Barrett’s collection, 1115 9th Street NW, January 4, 1966

Barrett’s photographs are mostly well-composed and unfussy images of blocks and rows of buildings commissioned by local publisher Kiplinger Washington Editors. One image from 1966 of the now-demolished 1115 9th Street NW (current site of the Convention Center) could easily be captioned “DC’s first pop-up”.

Downtown DC from Decades Past: Figure 3
Image from Earnshaw’s collection, 1102 G Street N.W., 1971

Earnshaw began taking pictures as a preteen in the 1960’s; his photographs are an interesting mix of candid shots of people and studies of architectural details, and his passion for historic preservation comes through.

Downtown DC from Decades Past: Figure 4
Image from Mill’s Inner City collection, 1982–1989

Mills’ photography immortalizes the city’s less illustrious side through the 1980’s, with images “shot from the hip” without being freaked through the camera’s viewfinder. The photographer printed his snapshots using film manipulation techniques that create a yellow-and-sepia tinge.

As the city rapidly develops, it is nice to go back and witness what DC was like decades ago. The District II exhibit runs at the National Building Museum until February 12, 2017.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/mount_vernon_square_from_decades_past/11939.

Pipeline: New Condos & Apartments Coming to the DC Area

DC Real Estate Guides

Short guides to navigating the DC-area real estate market

We've collected all our helpful guides for buying, selling and renting in and around Washington, DC in one place. Start browsing below!

First-Timer Primers

Intro guides for first-time home buyers

Red Flags Revealed During a Home Inspection Top 5 Tax Breaks For Homeowners Tax Relief for DC Homeowners
Condo Fee Tutorial What is a Rent Back? 10 Ways To Tell If a Home Renovation is Well Done
Obtaining a Basic Business License For Your Rental What is an Adjustable Rate Mortgage? The Splitting the Rent Formula
How Much Cash Do You Need to Buy a House? Is This Condo Building Financially Healthy? Interest Rates and Mortgage Points
The Scoop on Mortgage Insurance

Unique Spaces

Awesome and unusual real estate from across the DC Metro

The Most Intriguing Loft in DC The R Street Firehouse DC’s One-Room House
Dupont Circle’s Old Frat House To Become Alley Home Best Transition From a Garage To a Home The Roundhouse
Tilden Gardens Restaurant-Turned-Home Hits Market Next Week Logan Circle’s Most Intriguing Garage Frank Lloyd Wright Goes Green in Kensington
Sears Bungalow Gets a Modern Makeover Old Town General Store Becomes Three-Level Home Making the Most of a Skinny House
A Studio 27 Renovation on Capitol Hill Once a Carriage House, Now a Home The Bank that Became a Home
From Pie to Hooch to Heroin to Home The Live-Aboards of Gangplank Marina A Treehouse with Rock Creek Park As A Backyard
Modern Tranquility in Sperryville Saddle Up For Stable Living Throwing a Curve at 550 Square Feet
A Modern Hilltop Retreat Tilden Street Restaurant Becomes Spacious Home Focus on Design: A Vastu Unit at 22 West
The DC Area’s First Net Zero Home A Yankee Goes Green DC’s First Carbon Neutral Home
Eco-Friendly Alley House Off H Street The Gym, The Stables and The Firehouse