Posts by Neil Flanagan — Contributor
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In 1931, this parking lot in Cleveland Park changed how Washington shopped
Many people are perplexed as to why Sam’s Park & Shop in Cleveland Park is a historical landmark. While it may look like an ordinary strip mall, the Park & Shop was one of the first examples of retail architecture designed around the automobile. Keep reading…
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Four Black men developed a Montgomery County suburb to provide a better life for some in their community. They received something very different in return.
In 1906, four African American men attempted to develop an elite suburb for African Americans along Wisconsin Avenue between Chevy Chase and Friendship Heights, Maryland. Despite facing intense hostility from adjacent white landowners, at least 28 people bought lots. However, their vision was ultimately undone using subtler methods, showing how nominally race-blind tools can serve racist ends. Keep reading…
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The National Underground is a bad idea that should be buried
A private group called the National Mall Coalition is proposing a large concrete structure between the Smithsonian Castle and the Museum of Natural History. The lowest level would serve as a cistern, storing stormwater that’s either detained temporarily or retained to irrigate landscaping in the area. Above that would sit multiple levels of bus and car parking and a visitors center. Keep reading…
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Here’s how a DC newspaper covered traffic safety just before World War II
The defunct Washington Evening Star ran a series of punchy, illustrated columns called “Why Must They Die?” Keep reading…
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Four Black men developed a Montgomery County suburb to provide a better life for some in their community. They received something very different in return.
In 1906, four African American men attempted to develop an elite suburb for African Americans along Wisconsin Avenue between Chevy Chase and Friendship Heights, Maryland. Despite facing intense hostility from adjacent white landowners, at least 28 people bought lots. However, their vision was ultimately undone using subtler methods, showing how nominally race-blind tools can serve racist ends. Keep reading…
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Here’s how real estate professionals in 1948 perpetuated segregation in DC
It wasn’t that long ago that DC’s Real Estate Board told agents not to sell homes in white areas to black people. A 1948 report called Segregation in Washington put the discrimination into plain language. Keep reading…
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What if the Kennedy Center was part of downtown DC?
The Kennedy Center is a marble island cut off from downtown by highways. What if instead, it was the heart of a new urban neighborhood linking Georgetown and the National Mall? Keep reading…
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Today’s problems were visible decades ago, but zoning has blocked solutions ever since
No one could have foreseen that DC’s zoning could push middle-class residents out of the District and force people to drive even to get milk, right? Actually, planners in 1970 warned us exactly of these dangers. Keep reading…
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10 small parks and plazas that prove tiny is terrific
When it comes to parks, quality is way more important than size. These 10 “teacup parks” show that. Keep reading…
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Four wild ideas that challenge the concept of memorialization
What if we re-thought how we commemorate important people and events? A federal competition is asking that question, and four finalists will now create memorials that answer it. Keep reading…