Then & Now: Black History Landmarks in Washington, DC

Trace the roots of Chocolate City through sites that represent historic Black excellence, artistry and community.

The story of Washington, DC begins with Benjamin Banneker. The son of a freed enslaved man, he helped establish the District’s original boundary stones – and Black creativity and excellence have been part of its foundation ever since.

Chuck Brown invented go-go here, a form of funk music now immortalized with its own museum. Ben and Virginia Ali put DC's take on the hot dog – a half-smoke – and the importance of serving the community on the map.

With America's 250th anniversary – and with help from our friends at DC History Center – we're highlighting some of the people and places at the center of DC's story, and you can follow along with the landmarks below.

Plan a visit to the DC History Center for its free exhibits and research library, open Thursday – Sunday, at 801 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20001.

Historic images provided by DC History Center.

Ben’s Chili Bowl

Credit: DC Historic Preservation Office, 1988

Ben’s Chili Bowl is a DC institution. The fixture on U Street is famous for its food, especially the half-smokes, but it also has a signature mural on its facade. This piece includes African American icons both local and national, including the Obamas, Prince, Wale, Chuck Brown, Muhammad Ali and many more. The restaurant itself is also a vital piece of history, as it remained open – and served as a gathering place – during the 1968 riots in the U Street neighborhood after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. While the U Street location is currently undergoing renovations, visit the pop-up across the street, Ben’s Next Door and the H Street installment.

Anacostia Theatre at 1415 Good Hope Road SE

Credit: Emil A. Press, 1964

First opened in 1947, this Anacostia movie theatre became a popular gathering place for the community in the emerging neighborhood. Its first screening was Magnificent Doll starring Ginger Rogers. Designed in the Streamline Moderne style, emphasizing sleekness and nautical elements, the theater ran until 1967. But the creative spirit it brought never left Anacostia. Today, just across the street, the Go-Go Museum and Café celebrates the city’s signature musical genre, and nearby, the Anacostia Art Gallery showcases Black art, wearable art and rare creations, open every weekend.

African American Civil War Memorial

Credit: African American Civil War Museum Collection, 2007

Hop off the U Street Metro at the 10th Street NW exit and you will immediately be greeted by this memorial that commemorates the service of 209,145 Black soldiers (along with 7,000 white soldiers, 2,145 Hispanic soldiers and an additional 20,000 unsegregated Navy sailors) who fought for the Union in the Civil War. Its prominent location in the U Street corridor is purposeful, as the neighborhood has been a center of Black entertainment and theater in the District for decades. The memorial was commissioned by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities in 1993, completed in 1997 and dedicated in 1998. An accompanying museum, which is currently relocating to the former Grimke School, first opened in 1999.

Blues Alley

Credit: Jack D. Brewer, 1998

The oldest continuously operating jazz supper club in the country resides in DC’s Georgetown neighborhood. Founded by musician Tommy Gwaltney in 1965 as a place for him and his friends to jam, Blues Alley’s red brick carriage house quickly became one of the most popular places for jazz in the District. The intimate setting hosted performances by luminaries such as Dizzy Gillespie (the venue has been referred to as “the house that Dizzy built”), Charles Mingus, Sarah Vaughan, Eva Cassidy, Wynton Marsalis, Sonny Rollins and many more. Blues Alley still regularly hosts a rotation of jazz music stars.

Willard InterContinental Washington, D.C.

Credit: William Edmund Barrett, 1963

Affectionately known as “The Willard,” the beloved hotel began as a series of small houses on Pennsylvania Avenue, built in 1818. The houses were purchased by Henry Willard in 1847, who then combined the buildings to make one four-story hotel at 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue. The Willard had already made history by this point: the Mint Julep had been introduced outside of Kentucky for the first time by one Henry Clay at the hotel’s famous Round Robin Bar in 1830, a bar that you can still visit to this day. Other notable Willard facts: Abraham Lincoln took up residence there for 10 days prior to his 1861 inauguration and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. put the finishing touches on his “I Have A Dream” speech in the Willard’s lobby the same year the picture to the left was taken.

Duke Ellington Mural

Credit: Kathryn Schneider Smith, 1997

DC’s U Street neighborhood began to build up toward the end of the 1800s thanks to the construction of streetcars on its main thoroughfares. While it was primarily residential at the outset, it soon developed into an epicenter of African American life in the first half of the 20th century – one of the most exciting areas in the country for the celebration of Black culture. This was especially true for its influence in the music and arts scene, as theaters like the Lincoln and Howard opened. Legendary jazz musician Duke Ellington, who was born and raised in the District, was at the forefront of the city’s musical movement, which led to U Street being known as "Black Broadway." A colorful mural depicting Duke adorns the True Reformer Building at 1200 U Street NW.

Founders' Library at Howard University

Credit: John P. Wymer, 1949

Recognized in 2012 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as a “national treasure,” the Founders’ Library at Howard University is one of the crown jewels of the campus. Howard (named for founder and Civil War General Oliver Otis Howard) was established in 1867 to educate freedmen; it quickly grew into a co-ed institution and intellectual hub for Black leaders, lawyers, writers and activists. Among Howard’s famous alumni: Thurgood Marshall, Kamala Harris, Toni Morrison, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Chadwick Boseman, Stokley Carmichael. The historically Black university in Shaw debuted the Founders’ Library on its main quad in 1939 and it quickly became a symbol of Howard’s status as “The Mecca” for its students.

Howard Theatre

Credit: Robert McNeill, between 1950 and 1960

From hosting DC-born Duke Ellington in the '30s to Ella Fitzgerald in the '50s to Marvin Gaye in the '60s, the Howard Theatre staged performances by some of American music's all-timers. Restored in 2007, the two-level concert hall now hosts jazz, rock and blues acts. A statue of Duke, entitled Encore, sits outside the theater. There’s also the Howard Theatre Walk of Fame, the first of its kind in the District, a stunning tribute to 20th-century Black icons. Extending from the 1900 block of 7th Street NW to the Theatre entrance on T Street NW, the walk depicts its honorees in bronze medallions featuring hand-sculpted bas relief portraits embedded in the sidewalk. Even certain architectural details from the theater's facade are mirrored in the medallions. As you walk, you’ll notice the incredible array of honored musicians.

Barry Farm

Credit: John P. Wymer, 1950

The history of Barry Farm in Anacostia dates back to the federal government’s purchase of a 375-acre site in 1867 to provide housing for African Americans after the Civil War. The neighborhood that grew there cultivated its own economic life and own political class – Frederick Douglass among them – whose organizing prompted Congress to end home rule in 1874. In the decades that followed, residents led a successful campaign to desegregate public schools and cultivate the city's Go-Go scene.

Take the arched Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge over the Anacostia River to arrive at Barry Farm, which remains a thriving community hub with an Aquatic and Recreation Center. Come warm weather months, the Goodman League, one of the country's premier summer basketball leagues, has hosted annual tournaments drawing street legends, college prospects and NBA players – its courts were also refurbished just last year. You can read more about Barry Farm’s history in a detailed account from the DC Policy Center.

Cedar Hill

Credit: John P. Wymer, 1950

Famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass was born into slavery, but after running away, he became an outspoken advocate who had the ear of American leaders. During the Civil War, Douglass encouraged President Lincoln to live up to the ideals stated in the Declaration of Independence. Years later, Douglass bought his beloved home, Cedar Hill in Anacostia, and lived there until his death in 1895. Now known as the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, you can book a guided tour of the house and property.

Lincoln Theatre

Credit: John P. Wymer, 1949

Dating back to 1922, the Lincoln Theatre was considered a precursor and influence on the Harlem Renaissance, hosting marquee acts over the years such as Washington natives Duke Ellington and Pearl Bailey, along with greats like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole and Louis Armstrong. Its central location on U Street made it a hub during the Black Broadway era of the neighborhood. Today, the historic theater continues to attract national talent to its stage with a packed calendar of touring acts.