U Street

Long before U Street became known for nightlife, it was one of the most important centers of Black culture, business, and community life in the United States. Explore the neighborhood once celebrated as “Black Broadway,” where theaters, clubs, churches, businesses, schools, and civic institutions flourished during an era of segregation. This was the Washington of Duke Ellington, jazz clubs, and elegant theaters—but also of entrepreneurs, educators, activists, artists, and generations of Washingtonians who built institutions of their own. On this walking tour, we’ll explore the people and places that shaped U Street and the surrounding neighborhood: its remarkable African American heritage, architecture, and community institutions; the cultural world that produced Duke Ellington; the impact of segregation and the struggle for civil rights; the upheaval following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968; and the neighborhood’s subsequent decline, preservation, redevelopment, and transformation. Along the way, we’ll consider a larger question: How does a neighborhood preserve its identity while the city around it changes? This isn’t simply a tour of famous names and historic buildings. It’s the story of a community that created culture, opportunity, and beauty in a city where racial barriers constrained all three—and of the complicated legacy that remains on U Street today. Possible highlights include: the historic U Street corridor, the Howard Theatre area, the African American Civil War Memorial, landmark churches and cultural institutions, Duke Ellington’s neighborhood, Black Broadway, Ben’s Chili Bowl, and sites associated with the 1968 uprising and U Street’s later revival.

Private walking tour | Approximately 2–3 hours Tour led by Dion “13”.