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National Historic Landmarks: African American History
11 Locations ~ Curated by DC Preservation LeagueCapital City Slavery
25 Locations ~ Curated by Shae Corey, DC Preservation League [edited by Zachary Burt]Riding the 70s? (From Silver Spring to Archives/L'Enfant Plaza)
50 Locations ~ Curated by DC Preservation LeagueRiding the S2/S9? (From Piney Branch to Lafayette Square)
40 Locations ~ Curated by DC Preservation LeagueFeatured Sites
Uptown Theater
The Uptown Theater is prominently located along Connecticut Avenue NW in the Cleveland Park Historic District. Designed by John J. Zink – a notable and prolific movie theater architect from Baltimore – the theater’s Art Deco/Moderne design is…
Mary Church Terrell House
Mary Church Terrell (1863-1954) earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Oberlin College during the 1880s and taught in Ohio and Washington, DC. Following the completion of her graduate degree, Mary Church traveled and studied languages abroad.…
United States Naval Observatory (USNO) Historic District
The United States Naval Observatory (USNO) Historic District is encompassed by Observatory Circle and Massachusetts Avenue NW, and corresponds to a period of significance dating from 1887 to 1973. The hilltop campus, which includes significant…
Recent Sites
Lingering on the Palate: Heller’s Bakery (1928 - 2014)
A “Pillar of Pastry,” as deemed by Paul Schwartzman of The Washington Post, Heller’s Bakery filled the air of the Mount Pleasant neighborhood with the sweet smell of doughnuts and apple turnovers for almost nine decades. Opened in 1928 by Ludwig…
Lingering on the Palate: Mamma Desta’s (1978 - 1983)
Opened in 1978, Mamma Desta’s would be the first and most well known Ethiopian restaurant in Washington, DC. A 1982 review from The Washington Post stated that the restaurant was a “simple vision of eating; lots of stews, which are sopped up with…
Lingering on the Palate: Roma’s (1920 - 1997)
The early twentieth century brought on an influx of Italian immigrants who sought to recreate the taste of home in a new country. One of the earliest Italian restaurants to grace Washington, DC, was Roma’s.
Roma’s was first opened by Frank Abbo on F…
Lingering on the Palate: Harvey’s Restaurant (1858 - 1991)
Harvey's Oyster House is one of the most famous Washington restaurants of all time. Founded as Harvey’s Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Oyster Saloon by brothers George Washington Harvey (1840-1909) and Thomas Harvey (1830-1872), the restaurant opened in…
Lingering on the Palate: Southern Dining Room (1938 - 1980s)
In the age of racial segregation and discrimination that kept Washington, DC’s “fine restaurants” out of reach for African American Washingtonians, a wide range of eateries, such as informal cafeterias and full-service commercial restaurants, filled…
Lingering on the Palate: Duke Zeibert’s (1950 - 1994)
A pinnacle of the power-dining culture of DC, Duke Zeibert’s opened in 1950 on L Street NW near Farragut Square, by David “Duke” Zeibert (1910 - 1997). Duke first gained a loyal following while working at Fan and Bill’s, a restaurant that he had…
DC Historic Sites
A project by DC Preservation LeagueDC Historic Sites is based on the DC Inventory of Historic Sites, the city's official list of properties deemed worthy of recognition and protection for their contribution to the cultural heritage of the city, the nation’s capital, and the nation. DC Historic Sites was developed by the DC Preservation League, Washington's only citywide nonprofit advocate dedicated to the preservation, protection and enhancement of the historic resources of our nation's capital.
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