Shaw History

Midcity at the Crossroads: Shaw Heritage Trail Guide…download it in English or download it in Spanish. Use this informative illustrated guide to take a trip through time exploring Shaw’s history by visiting the 17 permanent signs that have been installed primarily along 7th and 9th Streets. Learn about the many famous men and women who have lived, worked, and worshipped in Shaw, like Carter G. Woodson, father of Black History; Blanche K. Bruce, the first African American to serve a full term in the U.S. Senate; composer and band leader Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington; Washington Color Field School painter Alma Thomas; poet Langston Hughes; Grand Canyon explorer John Wesley Powell; actress Helen Hayes; United House of Prayer Founder Charles Manuel “Sweet Daddy” Grace; union leaders A. Philip Randolph and Samuel Gompers; urban renewal leader Watha T. Daniel; Nation of Islam leaders Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X; and many more. The Shaw Heritage Trail was developed by Cultural Tourism DC. Free printed copies of the trail guide are available at the following Shaw Main Streets area businesses and partners:

Warehouse Theater Café and Bar, 1021 7th Street, NW

Breakwell’s Coffee + Tea, 900 M Street, NW

The Whitman Sales Office, 910 M Street, NW

Modern Liquors, 1200 9th Street, NW

Wagtime Pet Spa and Boutique, 1232 9th Street, NW

Azi’s Café, 1336 9th Street, NW

DC Guest House, 1337 10th Street, NW

Emmaus Services for the Aging, 1426 9th Street, NW

Queen of Sheba Restaurant, 1503 9th Street, NW

Lumsden Insurance Agency, 1525 9th Street, NW

Phyllis Wheatley YWCA, 901 Rhode Island Avenue, NW

Abiti Ethiopian Cuisine, 1909 9th Street, NW

Lettie Gooch Boutique, 1911 9th Street, NW

Habesha Market & Carryout, 1919 9th Street, NW

A Taste of Carolina Southern Cuisine, 1930 9th Street, NW

Dan the Man’s Teriyaki & Subs, 1936 9th Street, NW

Salon Revive, 1942 9th Street, NW

Brown Sugar Southern Cuisine, 928 U Street, NW

Wanda’s Hair Studio, 1851 7th Street, NW

Potomac Real Estate, 1731 7th Street, NW

United Planning Organization Shaw Community Service Center, 1726 7th Street, NW

Simply Fit Fitness and Pilates Studio, 1539 7th Street, NW

Kennedy Recreation Center, 1401 7th Street, NW

United House of Prayer for All People/Saints Paradise Cafeteria, 601 M Street, NW

Miller Copying Service, 1723 7th Street, NW

Shaw Historic Bike Tour Brochure…download it. Take a ride (or walk) through our historic neighborhood and learn about some of the notable men and women who have lived and worked here. The Shaw Historic Bike Tour brochure features a map, descriptions of important buildings along the route and the people who lived and worked in them, and photographs of some legendary Shaw figures. The tour and brochure were developed by Shaw Main Streets in conjunction with the Shaw EcoVillage Project.

2003 Shaw House Tour Brochure…download it. Seven distinctive sites, ranging from a bed and breakfast in a former mortuary to three former rowhouses converted into offices for nonprofit organizations, with a three story atrium and a cylindrical chapel, were included in the first Shaw House Tour on October 26, 2003. Read about the history of these fascinating buildings and what they are being used for today.

Dozens of sites in Shaw and adjacent neighborhoods are on the city’s African American Heritage Trail, copies of which are available free of charge from Shaw Main Streets, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library, Cultural Tourism DC, and other locations. Neighborhood tours on the trail cover sites in Shaw, Mount Vernon Square, Blagden Alley/Naylor Court, Logan Circle, LeDroit Park, and U Street. A searchable database of sites with detailed information on each is available at www.culturaltourismdc.org.

Historic District Brochures…download Greater U Street, Mount Vernon Square. Historic District brochures have been published by the DC Historic Preservation Office for the Greater U Street and Mount Vernon Square Historic Districts.

The Shaw East Survey contains information on the history and buildings in the area between N Street, Florida Avenue, 7^th Street, and New Jersey Avenue. The area is eligible to be added to the Shaw Historic District. The report prepared under a grant from the Office of Planning’s Historic Preservation Division can be downloaded here.

The final report from 1984 survey of Lower Shaw and Mount Vernon East conducted by Don’t Tear It Down!, now known as the DC Preservation League, discusses both the architectural as well as the socioeconomic characteristics of the area roughly bounded by New York Avenue, 6^th, N, and North Capitol Streets. Information on churches and noncommercial buildings is included, as well as on alley dwellings. Download the report here. More detailed information on buildings in the survey area is available from the DC Historic Preservation Office.

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NEW: Check out photos from recent Shaw Main Streets events in our Photo Album.

Check out the SMS Winter 2005-2006 Newsletter .... download it.

New Businesses on 7^th and 9th Streets, NW…Read More Here.

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1426 9^th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001-3330 ---- Phone: (202) 265-SHAW ---- Fax: (202) 265-7529 ---- info@shawmainstreets.com

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