Gone, But Not Forgotten

DC is a city with many layers of history, as illustrated by the built environment's many architectural styles. As the city grew and changed, so did its buildings, many of which were altered or simply demolished. Sometimes architectural tastes were a factor, but often times economic pressures brought about demolition. Because of this, Washington's built environment is a mix of both old and new construction in a variety of styles and materials.

Before the 1960s, historic preservation laws were rare, with historic preservation ordinances in place in only a handful of cities (Note: the Old Georgetown Act was passed in 1950). Federal efforts had been focused on sites of national historical significance, as well as historic documentation through the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), established during the New Deal Era. However, even when a building was documented, there was a good chance that it would still be demolished, as cities changed and the federal government promoted urban renewal.

In 1966, Congress passed the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). This law encourages the preservation of historically, architecturally, and archaeologically-significant places. This is done through the Section 106 process, which focuses on federal "undertakings," and the law's promotion of state and local preservation efforts. NHPA also established the National Register of Historic Places, which has grown to include almost 100,000 listed places.

Shortly thereafter, in 1971, Don't Tear It Down (DC Preservation League's original name) was founded to save the Old Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue NW. By the end of the decade, in 1978, DC had passed a local preservation ordinance, the DC Historic Landmark and Historic District Protection Act, which established the DC Inventory of Historic Sites and a local process for preserving historic landmarks and districts. Despite these protections and processes, demolition may still occur, and some of the sites on this tour were demolished after the federal and local laws were established.

This tour includes historic sites in DC that were recognized for their historical and/or architectural significance, but were still demolished. Some of these lost places went down with a fight, but all of these losses reflect a constantly changing city. The list includes: Western Market, The Six Buildings, Church of the Covenant, McGill Building, the old Dunbar High School, and several more. Also, sometimes a loss occurs through fire, which is what happened to the Dry Barn at St. Elizabeths in 2022.