DDOT has opened their photo vault to the public. Of course Miss V was feverishly searching for photos East of the River. I found three of Pennsylvania Ave SE that were taken in the mid-1940s. The photo above is looks like it's taken west of the Minnesota Ave and Pennsylvania Ave SE intersection looking East. Call me crazy, but it seems like DDOT is spending a lot of money to restore Penn Ave to what it was in 1947. Observe the pedestrian scale lighting and the grass medians that give the street a boulevard feel.

This photo is looking west on Penn Ave SE toward the intersection with Minnesota Ave. The Morton building stands out (now a beauty supply shop). I hope no matter how this area redevelops that the Morton building stays. It has a lot of character. It's interesting that the grass that separates the sidewalk from the street does not exist today, although it will exist at the completion of the Penn Ave Great Streets Project. What's old is new again.
it's a good thing, though, right, that they're restoring the road to how it looked and worked then. being more pedestrian oriented seems like the best thing to me!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great thing!!! I can't wait until it's done.
ReplyDeleteIf only we had a metro!
ReplyDelete