Streets of Washington
@streetsofdc.bsky.social
Unique vintage images from postcards, stereoviews and other ephemera as well as in-depth stories about historic people and places in the Washington, D.C. area.
Ben and Bun’s restaurant was located in the commercial storefront at 3663 Georgia Avenue NW, on the corner of Georgia Avenue and Rock Creek Church Road in Petworth. Ben and Bun’s operated in the 1960s; previously James L. Perrus’s Elite Restaurant was there. A check-cashing store is there now.
December 11, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Ben and Bun’s restaurant was located in the commercial storefront at 3663 Georgia Avenue NW, on the corner of Georgia Avenue and Rock Creek Church Road in Petworth. Ben and Bun’s operated in the 1960s; previously James L. Perrus’s Elite Restaurant was there. A check-cashing store is there now.
Vintage postcard of Howard University's Main Building, one of the first buildings constructed after the university's founding in 1867. It survived as a classroom and administration building until the 1930s and was torn down to make way for Founders Library (1939).
November 24, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Vintage postcard of Howard University's Main Building, one of the first buildings constructed after the university's founding in 1867. It survived as a classroom and administration building until the 1930s and was torn down to make way for Founders Library (1939).
The eastern side of the White House as seen from the Treasury Department, circa 1868.
October 23, 2025 at 2:06 PM
The eastern side of the White House as seen from the Treasury Department, circa 1868.
A streetcar reaches the end of the Route 74 line on Upshur Street NW at Rock Creek Church Road NW, in 1957. The Eagle Gate of the US Soldiers Home is just behind the photographer.
October 15, 2025 at 1:41 PM
A streetcar reaches the end of the Route 74 line on Upshur Street NW at Rock Creek Church Road NW, in 1957. The Eagle Gate of the US Soldiers Home is just behind the photographer.
Joseph and Stella Lapiana, natives of Sicily, opened the Cavalier Restaurant on 14th Street in Columbia Heights in 1940. The Cavalier was one of the earliest restaurants in DC to offer authentic Italian pizza. In 1949, the Lapianas sold it to “Gentleman Jim” Hance, who moved it to Twinbrook MD.
August 20, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Joseph and Stella Lapiana, natives of Sicily, opened the Cavalier Restaurant on 14th Street in Columbia Heights in 1940. The Cavalier was one of the earliest restaurants in DC to offer authentic Italian pizza. In 1949, the Lapianas sold it to “Gentleman Jim” Hance, who moved it to Twinbrook MD.
A streetcar (Route 72/74) makes its way along Maine Avenue SW, along the Southwest waterfront in May 1957. Docked at the waterfront is the USS Davis, a Forrest-Sherman class destroyer that had just been commissioned and was stopping at Washington for Armed Forces Day celebrations.
August 9, 2025 at 9:50 PM
A streetcar (Route 72/74) makes its way along Maine Avenue SW, along the Southwest waterfront in May 1957. Docked at the waterfront is the USS Davis, a Forrest-Sherman class destroyer that had just been commissioned and was stopping at Washington for Armed Forces Day celebrations.
Rehoboth Beach boardwalk--postcard view from the 1950s
July 25, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Rehoboth Beach boardwalk--postcard view from the 1950s
This Hagerstown, Maryland railroad depot was built in 1890 and designed by E. Francis Baldwin in the trendy Romanesque style. It was demolished shortly after World War II. An almost identical station once stood at the Catholic University of America in DC. It was torn down in the mid 1980s.
July 4, 2025 at 5:17 PM
This Hagerstown, Maryland railroad depot was built in 1890 and designed by E. Francis Baldwin in the trendy Romanesque style. It was demolished shortly after World War II. An almost identical station once stood at the Catholic University of America in DC. It was torn down in the mid 1980s.
Tuck postcard, circa 1905, of a busy scene at the U.S. Capitol.
May 22, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Tuck postcard, circa 1905, of a busy scene at the U.S. Capitol.
Vintage postcard photos of the GEICO Operations Building at 5620 Western Avenue, across the DC border in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The Operations Building was designed by Vincent King and opened in 1960. GEICO plans to leave of its sprawling Chevy Chase campus in 2026, moving to downtown Bethesda.
February 27, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Vintage postcard photos of the GEICO Operations Building at 5620 Western Avenue, across the DC border in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The Operations Building was designed by Vincent King and opened in 1960. GEICO plans to leave of its sprawling Chevy Chase campus in 2026, moving to downtown Bethesda.
Vintage advertising card for J. H. Kroeger, Inc. at 618 9th St NW. Harry Kroeger opened his umbrella store in 1904 (inheriting it from John Hess) and ran it until his death in 1912. He manufactured and repaired umbrellas and canes at the combination store/factory.
February 20, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Vintage advertising card for J. H. Kroeger, Inc. at 618 9th St NW. Harry Kroeger opened his umbrella store in 1904 (inheriting it from John Hess) and ran it until his death in 1912. He manufactured and repaired umbrellas and canes at the combination store/factory.
The Lodge was a Tenleytown Restaurant that predated the Dancing Crab at 4611 Wisconsin Ave NW--now a vacant site awaiting redevelopment. Does anyone remember The Lodge?
February 13, 2025 at 3:23 PM
The Lodge was a Tenleytown Restaurant that predated the Dancing Crab at 4611 Wisconsin Ave NW--now a vacant site awaiting redevelopment. Does anyone remember The Lodge?
Vintage postcard image of the Ord and Weitzel Gate at Arlington National Cemetery. The gate was originally installed by Gen. Montgomery Meigs in 1879, using columns from the old War Department building at 17th and Pa Ave NW. The gate was removed in 1979 but restored as a pedestrian gate in 2022.
February 9, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Vintage postcard image of the Ord and Weitzel Gate at Arlington National Cemetery. The gate was originally installed by Gen. Montgomery Meigs in 1879, using columns from the old War Department building at 17th and Pa Ave NW. The gate was removed in 1979 but restored as a pedestrian gate in 2022.
Charming circa 1905 postcard by Raphael Tuck of the Patent Office building at 9th and F Streets NW (now the Smithsonian American Art Museum). Tuck has added various stock images of fashionable folks strolling about, as was typical for him.
February 6, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Charming circa 1905 postcard by Raphael Tuck of the Patent Office building at 9th and F Streets NW (now the Smithsonian American Art Museum). Tuck has added various stock images of fashionable folks strolling about, as was typical for him.
Vintage postcard views of the Eagle Gate (North Entrance) of the Armed Forces Retirement Home at Rock Creek Church Road and Upshur Street NW. The gate was constructed in 1877.
February 2, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Vintage postcard views of the Eagle Gate (North Entrance) of the Armed Forces Retirement Home at Rock Creek Church Road and Upshur Street NW. The gate was constructed in 1877.
John B. Hammond, "dealer in builders' materials and mantels," according to an 1895 newspaper notice, moved into this eccentric house at 3115 Foxhall Road NW when it was built in 1891. It still stands, although significantly modified; the observation tower is gone. Postcard by Willard R. Ross.
January 30, 2025 at 3:03 PM
John B. Hammond, "dealer in builders' materials and mantels," according to an 1895 newspaper notice, moved into this eccentric house at 3115 Foxhall Road NW when it was built in 1891. It still stands, although significantly modified; the observation tower is gone. Postcard by Willard R. Ross.
The Port O’ Georgetown Restaurant opened in 1970 as part of the Canal Square redevelopment project in Georgetown, designed by Arthur Cotton Moore. The restaurant featured antique nautical artifacts as décor. It was run by the Marriott Corporation and lasted into the early 1980s.
January 28, 2025 at 3:02 PM
The Port O’ Georgetown Restaurant opened in 1970 as part of the Canal Square redevelopment project in Georgetown, designed by Arthur Cotton Moore. The restaurant featured antique nautical artifacts as décor. It was run by the Marriott Corporation and lasted into the early 1980s.
Julian P. Dodge (1869-1957) opened his Ingleside Market at 12th and N Streets NW in 1894, when he was 24 years old. In 1915, Dodge he retired to embark on a transcontinental automobile trip with his wife, Jennie, and another couple. However, their car tragically overturned in Ohio, killing Jennie.
January 23, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Julian P. Dodge (1869-1957) opened his Ingleside Market at 12th and N Streets NW in 1894, when he was 24 years old. In 1915, Dodge he retired to embark on a transcontinental automobile trip with his wife, Jennie, and another couple. However, their car tragically overturned in Ohio, killing Jennie.
The thermometer read 6 degrees on the morning of Ulysses S. Grant's inauguration on March 4, 1873. Did he move it indoors? Heck no! Read all about it on the new Streets of Washington Substack page--and why not subscribe while you are at it?
open.substack.com/pub/streetso...
open.substack.com/pub/streetso...
January 19, 2025 at 5:40 PM
The thermometer read 6 degrees on the morning of Ulysses S. Grant's inauguration on March 4, 1873. Did he move it indoors? Heck no! Read all about it on the new Streets of Washington Substack page--and why not subscribe while you are at it?
open.substack.com/pub/streetso...
open.substack.com/pub/streetso...
Detail from a late 1860s stereoview of the General Post Office at 7th and F Streets NW, constructed in 1839. The building now houses the Hotel Monaco. Note the "ghost" figure in the lower left corner, where a man was moving as the photo was taken, and all the various loiterers.
January 18, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Detail from a late 1860s stereoview of the General Post Office at 7th and F Streets NW, constructed in 1839. The building now houses the Hotel Monaco. Note the "ghost" figure in the lower left corner, where a man was moving as the photo was taken, and all the various loiterers.
The Aster Restaurant, at 14th and H St NW in the 1920s, featured Oriental food and dancing to the Aster Dance Orchestra. The restaurant declared bankruptcy in 1932. By the 1960s, this part of town, once home to trendy nightclubs, would become notorious for its strip clubs and peep shows.
January 15, 2025 at 9:30 PM
The Aster Restaurant, at 14th and H St NW in the 1920s, featured Oriental food and dancing to the Aster Dance Orchestra. The restaurant declared bankruptcy in 1932. By the 1960s, this part of town, once home to trendy nightclubs, would become notorious for its strip clubs and peep shows.
A DC Transit streetcar slogs through the snow at 14th and East Capitol Streets NE circa 1959. I will be giving a free presentation on the 20th century history of DC streetcars at the National Capital Trolley Museum on Saturday Jan 25 for DC Transit Day. Come by! #dchistory #streetcar
January 9, 2025 at 4:10 PM
A DC Transit streetcar slogs through the snow at 14th and East Capitol Streets NE circa 1959. I will be giving a free presentation on the 20th century history of DC streetcars at the National Capital Trolley Museum on Saturday Jan 25 for DC Transit Day. Come by! #dchistory #streetcar
A snowy day on Penn Ave at about 4th Street NW, circa 1867. The tracks for the horse-drawn streetcars have been cleared, but that's about all. From a stereoview.
January 7, 2025 at 4:21 PM
A snowy day on Penn Ave at about 4th Street NW, circa 1867. The tracks for the horse-drawn streetcars have been cleared, but that's about all. From a stereoview.
Detail from a circa 1867 stereoview of the General Post Office, designed by Robert Mills and constructed in 1839. This view is from the corner of 7th and E Streets NW. The building now houses the Hotel Monaco.
January 4, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Detail from a circa 1867 stereoview of the General Post Office, designed by Robert Mills and constructed in 1839. This view is from the corner of 7th and E Streets NW. The building now houses the Hotel Monaco.
Detail from a stereoview taken from the Smithsonian Castle facing NW, circa 1862. The Treasury Dept is in the upper right. The old Washington City Canal is visible in the middle ground. Between the canal and the Treasury is a jumble of buildings that made up the infamous Murder Bay. #history
December 28, 2024 at 2:16 PM
Detail from a stereoview taken from the Smithsonian Castle facing NW, circa 1862. The Treasury Dept is in the upper right. The old Washington City Canal is visible in the middle ground. Between the canal and the Treasury is a jumble of buildings that made up the infamous Murder Bay. #history