Since 1923, a number of restaurants have operated at this site, and in the 1950s it began serving as a gathering place for the African-American community in the capital. William W. "Billy" Simpson opened his restaurant in 1956, offering fine dining which attracted prominent figures in politics, entertainment, and journalism. Groups met to discuss issues affecting the Black community and the restaurant supported Civil Rights work. After Simpson's death in 1975, his widow Edith operated the restaurant for a few years before closing it. Several Caribbean restaurants and organizations operated here in subsequent decades. In 2002, the Department of Housing and Community Development purchased the building. The National Register of Historic Places recognized the site in 2009.
Ben and Virginia Ali opened Ben's Chili Bowl shortly after they married in 1958. The restaurant is located at 1213 U Street, next to Lincoln Theatre, in the northwest corner of Washington, D.C. Ben's is widely known for its milkshakes, chili dogs, and half-smokes and has truly become a community staple. Much of the restaurant's interior decor is original to that of the 1950s. A number of celebrities and notable individuals, including Chris Tucker and President Barack Obama, have frequented the establishment. Since 2012, the restaurant has also been notable for its murals of prominent Black Americans. The mural currently decorating the restaurant exterior is by Aniekan Udofia.
Dorsch's White Cross Bakery, located in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C., is a building complex that provides office, retail, and event space. Formerly a bakery complex, the buildings represent the Districts's once prominent baking industry. Featuring craftsman-style elements, the S Street structures are amongst the most notable examples of industrial and commercial architecture in the city.
Eastern Market, in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, has been providing fresh produce and handmade arts and crafts for more than a century. It has been both a neighborhood market and gathering spot since it opened in 1873, and continues the tradition of a public market operating in this area since the turn of the nineteenth century. The building was designed by architect Adolph Cluss, with an addition by Snowden Ashford. Though the building's physical structure, management, and tenants have evolved over the past century and a half, it is the only remaining public market in the city still serving its intended purpose of supplying goods to city residents.
The Brownley Confectionery Building is one of the few remaining Art Deco commercial buildings in what was once the city's most fashionable shopping district. Originally constructed in 1932 to house the Brownley family candy business, the structure is representative of the work by noted local architects Porter & Lockie. It is distinguished by the aluminum spandrel panels decorating its limestone facade. Though the confectionery closed 1940, the building is still in use today as restaurant and office space.
The Rhodes Tavern was a historic tavern in central Washington, D.C. Built in 1799 and leased to William Rhodes in 1801, the tavern served as a site for numerous political gatherings in the early history of the capital. During the burning of Washington in the War of 1812, British commanders General Ross and Admiral Cockburn used the tavern as their headquarters. Over the next century and a half, the building served a number of functions, including a bank. The notable fight for its preservation in the late 1900s spanned six years, which ended with its demolition in September of 1984. Today, the Metropolitan Square office building stands in its place, and a commemorative plaque of the tavern is on the site. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in March 1969.
The Old Ebbitt Grill, established in 1856, is the oldest bar and restaurant in Washington, D.C. First opened as an unnamed restaurant in the Ebbitt House Hotel, the restaurant has moved several times since its initial construction; it has been at its current location near the National Mall since 1983. The restaurant is primarily known for its four bars and for its annual Oyster Riot event. Since 1970, the Old Ebbitt Grill has served numerous politicians and hosted parties with famous actors and singers in attendance. The current iteration is very popular, having some of the highest amounts of sales in the United States.
The Fraser Mansion is a historic building located in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, DC. Built originally as a home in 1890, the Fraser Mansion has gone through a highly varied number of uses over the years, including being a boarding house, a restaurant, and home to portions of the Church of Scientology. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in August of 1975 as the Golden Parrot Restaurant. Today, Fraser Mansion is currently owned by the Church of Scientology, and it serves as their office of National Affairs.
This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.
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Food is central to social life, to culture, and naturally to history. This tour highlights locations that tell the story of food in Washington, D.C. -- where people gathered to break bread, places of cultural expression, and sites of food industrial history. To make this a walking tour, visit Eastern Market and the Billy Simpson's House of Seafood and Steaks site separately from the rest of the sites.
