The Black Broadway: Washington D.C.'s U Street

11. The Whitelaw Hotel at the corner of 13th and T Streets NW, was an upscale hotel for African American travelers when it opened in 1919. The hotel was owned and operated by John Whitelaw Lewis, the owner of the Industrial Bank on U Street. Its clientele included Cab Calloway, Joe Louis, and Duke Ellington. Today, the building is occupied by apartments.

12. The intersection of 14th Street NW and T Street NW. A major commercial thoroughfare in Washington, D.C., 14th Street NW was historically a corridor separating majority white neighborhoods on the west from majority African American neighborhoods on the east.

13. During the early 20th century, T Street NW was a popular residential destination for many of the community’s old families and most distinguished citizens.

14. Walking west on U Street NW, just west of 15th Street NW.

15. The Balfour Apartments, at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue NW and V Street NW, was completed in 1900.

16. The St. Augustine Church, at the intersection of V Street NW and 15th Street NW, is the city’s oldest predominantly Black Catholic congregation. In 1961, the congregation merged with a white congregation, and moved into this 1883 sanctuary.

17. The Franklin D. Reeves Municipal Center, at the intersection of U Street NW and 14th Street NW, was dedicated in 1986. The 489,000-square-foot building was intended to serve as an anchor for the redevelopment of a corridor that had declined after the 1968 riots.

18. The intersection of 13th Street NW and U Street NW.

19. Opened in 1910, the Howard Theatre at 620 T Street NW, was billed as the “Theater of the People.” Entertainers that performed here include Sammy Davis, Jr., James Brown, The Supremes, Lionel Hampton, Lena Horne, and Marvin Gaye. The theater permanently closed in 1970 as a result of desegregation. One of the Most Endangered Places in the District in 2002, the Howard Theatre was renovated and reopened in 2012.

20. The Balfour at U Street NW and 16th Street NW.

Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com