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My younger brother is in his early 20s and lives near Baltimore and I pointed out to him that DC in the Marion Barry era was just as bad if not worse than Baltimore and he refused to believe me. I'm not too much older but I vaguely remember how much worse DC was in those days. I remember anytime my parents drove thru DC, half the houses would be boarded up and everything looked rundown everywhere except Georgetown and NW.
What areas were way worse and more crime filled than they are now? In what neighborhoods did gentrification start when Mayor Williams came in? What neighborhoods were fairly safe and prosperous back then?
U Street was bad, Adams Morgan was quite sketchy, they called it Columbia Frights, probably quite a bit to be honest.
even downtown wasn't particularly nice in the 90s. My dad worked down there and if employees were staying late at night, they usually had security escort them.
One are that comes to mind is downtown around Franklin Square. All those gleaming office buildings on 14th Street around K Street/ New York Ave. used to house X-rated bookstores, adult theaters, strip clubs, and there was a lot of prostitution. It's really only within the last 15 years that the area has been cleaned up, and walking around today there's not even a trace of the area's seedy past.
My younger brother is in his early 20s and lives near Baltimore and I pointed out to him that DC in the Marion Barry era was just as bad if not worse than Baltimore and he refused to believe me. I'm not too much older but I vaguely remember how much worse DC was in those days. I remember anytime my parents drove thru DC, half the houses would be boarded up and everything looked rundown everywhere except Georgetown and NW.
What areas were way worse and more crime filled than they are now? In what neighborhoods did gentrification start when Mayor Williams came in? What neighborhoods were fairly safe and prosperous back then?
The Palisades and Wesley Heights have gotten a lot better...
over in SW where they build Nationals studium was one of the worst in the 90's.. the whole 501 area(Arthur Cappers and carrolsburg projects) and then u had syphax gardens and greenleaf gardens down the street..potomac gardens around the corner
over in SW where they build Nationals studium was one of the worst in the 90's.. the whole 501 area(Arthur Cappers and carrolsburg projects) and then u had syphax gardens and greenleaf gardens down the street..potomac gardens around the corner
man when i think about it DC was one big ass ghetto back then lol
YESSIR!! My dad used to work over there. It was straight up hood. We used to be really concerned about him working in that area. That areas is night and day, really amazing how it has changed.
One are that comes to mind is downtown around Franklin Square. All those gleaming office buildings on 14th Street around K Street/ New York Ave. used to house X-rated bookstores, adult theaters, strip clubs, and there was a lot of prostitution. It's really only within the last 15 years that the area has been cleaned up, and walking around today there's not even a trace of the area's seedy past.
I recall the prostitution, yes, around 14th and K but never recall it being quite as seedy as the blocks between 9th and 7th around F St. Right across from the FBI there used to be a couple of porn shops, the old fashioned Times Square kind with the private booths. And 5th and K NW used to be like something out of Fort Apache the Bronx.
Weirdly though, I never recall feeling that DC was so bad or fearful, even as it was surely the murder capital. When I got to DC in the late 80s/early 90s, there was a cool group house circuit that made most of NW feel like a college town, there was Woodies, Hechts and even Garfinkels I think still hanging on downtown, there were scattered cool hangout spots(DC Space, the Ritz, Insect Club) DuPont wasn’t filled with chains, Georgetown was what Gallery Place is today, Arlington had a bit of a funky edge…
I recall the prostitution, yes, around 14th and K but never recall it being quite as seedy as the blocks between 9th and 7th around F St. Right across from the FBI there used to be a couple of porn shops, the old fashioned Times Square kind with the private booths. And 5th and K NW used to be like something out of Fort Apache the Bronx.
Weirdly though, I never recall feeling that DC was so bad or fearful, even as it was surely the murder capital. When I got to DC in the late 80s/early 90s, there was a cool group house circuit that made most of NW feel like a college town, there was Woodies, Hechts and even Garfinkels I think still hanging on downtown, there were scattered cool hangout spots(DC Space, the Ritz, Insect Club) DuPont wasn’t filled with chains, Georgetown was what Gallery Place is today, Arlington had a bit of a funky edge…
You are bringing back some memories for me. I remember having dinner with my then-boyfriend, now-husband, at the corner table at The Mark (now Oyamel), at 7th and D, on several occasions in the late nineties. It was a crazy juxtaposition of amazing food, great service and a view of prostitutes, johns, and drug dealers using the pay phone right outside. We were never at a loss for conversation.
The Arthur Capper Developments were not "hood" -- it was sustainable affordable high end housing for DC's most at need communities.
Arthur, if your reading this, ignore the ignorant commentary on this thread.
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