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Welcome to
Historic Chevy Chase DC

HCCDC is celebrating its 30th year as a nonprofit historical society conducting research and documenting the history, design architecture, landscape, streetscape and development of Chevy Chase DC, a lovely circa-1907 community in Northwest Washington DC.

We have captured more than 32 oral histories of our residents, conducted a rigorous research study of the community’s desire for a Historic District, organize history-related talks and events and conduct a popular Historic Walking Tour every September, among many other activities. We welcome your involvement and interest!

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Latest News

New Zoom Series Puts Historical Framework on Small Area Planning

April 9, 2021

“Planning Our Future” Events on April 28, May 19, and June 9

New Zoom Series Puts Historical Framework on Small Area PlanningRead More

UDC Black Land Loss Program Gears Up for Summer

April 1, 2021

Oral histories of eight descendants of Chevy Chase DC’s Broad Branch Community of Black landowners evicted in the 1920s are now being conducted by college students as part of an academic-community partnership between HCCDC and the University of the District of Columbia. The histories, to be documented on this website, are the first phase of …

UDC Black Land Loss Program Gears Up for SummerRead More

The Belmont Syndicate: The Lost Plan for a Black Chevy Chase

March 1, 2021

Historians Neil Flanagan and Kimberly Bender have shared a recording of their Feb. 24 Zoom presentation about how a Black housing development in what is now Friendship Heights was scuttled by white developers. The pre-recorded portion of the event followed by a live Q&A is now posted on YouTube here. The program, sponsored by DC …

The Belmont Syndicate: The Lost Plan for a Black Chevy ChaseRead More

Zoom Talk: A Tour of DC’s Racialized Housing Landscape

February 1, 2021

Recording with Sarah Shoenfeld Now Available

Zoom Talk: A Tour of DC’s Racialized Housing LandscapeRead More

Events

Current Month

28apr7:30 pm8:30 pmVirtual Event"Planning Our Future" SeriesRe-Imaging Washington, circa 1900 with Tom Lewis

Event Details

Reimaging Washington, Circa 1900 Register For This Free Event!

Event Details

Reimaging Washington, Circa 1900

Register For This Free Event!

This hour-long Zoom event on Wednesday, April 28, featuring author/historian Tom Lewis, is the first in a series of three webinars Historic Chevy Chase DC is hosting to help provide historical perspective and context to the Small Area Planning process going on now. HCCDC hopes to facilitate meaningful discussion by examining our collective past as a way to understand how Chevy Chase DC relates to the rest of the city.

Lewis, emeritus professor at Skidmore College, is author of “Washington: A History of Our National City,” a 2015 book that Ken Burns called a “vivid example of the best kind of history.” Lewis will take us back to the McMillan process that essentially shaped the DC we inhabit today. In a lively conversation with HCCDC’s Carl Lankowski, he will examine how much of the city’s development was created between 1890-1910, an urban landscape defined in part by the increasing force of Jim Crow racism. Despite post-Civil War modernization projects by “Boss” Shepherd, the original L’Enfant federal city plan had lost its charm due to rapid urbanization. A Republican senator from Michigan, James McMillan, initiated an episode of planning in the mid-1890s to address that. We examine the plan and how it fits in with our vision of “community” today.

The other two webinars in the “Planning our Future” series are on May 19 and June 9. The May presentation will feature historian/architect Neil Flanagan who will focus on the mechanisms that produced the segregated racial geography we are living with today. The June event will feature a panel of local activists and professional planners examining proffered solutions to the affordable housing needs in Ward 3 and in Chevy Chase in particular. The panel, being formed now, will represent a broad range of the voices being heard in the contentious discussions of the city’s Comprehensive Plan and how a Chevy Chase DC Small Area Plan will affect our community.

Biographical information on our speaker:

Tom Lewis has written a number of books about American history and culture including, “Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio,” “Divided Highways: The Interstate Highway System and the Transformation of American Life,” “The Hudson: A History,” and Washington: A History of Our National City.”

He has also consulted on, written, and produced a number of documentary films for public television.  His credits include Brooklyn Bridge, Ken Burns and Florentine Films (Director of Research); The Shakers: Hands to Work, and Hearts to God, Ken Burns and  Florentine Films (script writer); The Civil War, Ken Burns and Florentine Films (consultant); Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio, Ken Burns and Florentine Films (co-producer); Divided Highways: The Interstates and American Life, Hott Productions/Florentine Films (writer and producer).  Films he has produced have won numerous awards, including a George Foster Peabody Award for Broadcasting Excellence; an Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for Outstanding Historical Programming; first place, New England Film Festival; Bronze Apple, National Education Association; and honorable mention, San Francisco Film Festival and Chicago Film Festival.

Lewis received his B.A. in English from the University of New Brunswick (Canada).  He earned his MA (with honors) and Ph.D. (with distinction) from Columbia University, where he was a Faculty Fellow, a Paul Klingenstein Fellow, and a Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellow.  He is Professor Emeritus of English at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York.

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Time

(Wednesday) 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

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NEW! Read about the latest intrigues of Chevy Chase DC’s past in Cate Toups Atkinson’s most recent blog post. Reach her at cate.atkinson@gmail.com

5611 Chevy Chase Parkway Fireplace

The Mysterious Provenance of Four Victorian Fireplaces

Four bungalows were built side by side on Chevy Chase Parkway in 1911. They each had identical Victorian marble fireplaces in different shades, likely salvaged from a mansion razed on Washington Circle.

Continue Reading The Mysterious Provenance of Four Victorian Fireplaces

Our Projects

HCCDC’s initiative to recognize the history of Black landowners forced out in 1928 to create Lafayette Park includes a plan to rename the park to Lafayette-Pointer Park. The letter above was written in 1829 by George Pointer, a slave who bought his own freedom at age 17 and whose descendants settled on Broad Branch.

Read More

House Histories

Carl and Pam Lankowski in front of McKinley Street NW House Chevy Chase DC

HCCDC’s online archives hold a growing collection of social and architectural histories of Chevy Chase DC houses, including Pam and Carl Lankowski’s 1919 kit house on McKinley Street.

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Historic House Plaques

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Join Us!

An annual contribution of just $25 a year supports our valuable work.

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Oral History Interviews

Judith Adams

Judith Clark Adams

Judith Clark AdamsRead More

Allen Beach

Allen Beach

Allen BeachRead More

Ralph Benson

Ralph Benson

Ralph BensonRead More

Dallas Dean

Dallas Dean

Dallas DeanRead More

L. Bernice Degler

L. Bernice DeglerRead More

Barara Dresner

Barbara Dresner

Barbara DresnerRead More

Sarah (Sally) Epstein

Sarah (Sally) Epstein

Sarah (Sally) EpsteinRead More

Brock Evans and Linda Garcia

Brock Evans and Linda Garcia

Brock Evans and Linda GarciaRead More

Allie Felder

Allie Felder

Allie FelderRead More

James Fisher and Tanya Hardy

James Fisher and Tanya Hardy

James Fisher and Tanya HardyRead More

Jeffrey Gildenhorn

Jeffrey Gildenhorn

Jeffrey GildenhornRead More

Miss Ella Given

Miss Ella GivenRead More

Visit our complete library of Oral Histories »

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If you have any comments or questions about HCCDC or any of our projects, please contact us at hccdc@comcast.net

HCCDC | PO Box 6292, NW Station, Washington DC 20015-0292

 

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